Wood Memorial
The form book was turned upside down when Lord Miles narrowly took out the Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct on April 8.
The son of Curlin arrived at Aqueduct after two previous attempts at Derby prep races, finishing sixth in the Holy Bull (G3) and fifth in the Tampa Bay Derby (G3). Not surprisingly, he started at 59-1 odds, with the public favoring Withers (G3) victor Hit Show.
Paco Lopez got Lord Miles off to a good start, which helped given some trouble back in the field on the first turn, and the fact that pacesetter Arctic Arrogance got away with a 49-second first half-mile. Not surprisingly, the first four at the top of the stretch were the first four home.
Second favorite Dreamlike took the lead turning in, and though he got the better of Arctic Arrogance, he then had Hit Show and Lord Miles challenging. In a tough three-way battle, it was Lord Miles that came out on top by a nose from Hit Show.
The victory earned Lord Miles 100 points on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, taking him to 105 points overall and securing a spot in the starting gates on the first Saturday in May. The 40 points that Hit Show earned for finishing second also secured him a Derby start, as it took his points tally to 60.
Dreamlike, a head behind Hit Show, picked up his first 30 points on the Derby Road. Arctic Arrogance took 20 for finishing fourth, increasing his tally to 36 points after three previous points-scoring efforts, while Classic Catch earned his first 10 points for finishing fifth. None of these three are likely to have enough points to earn a Derby start.
By Curlin out of a Majestic Warrior mare, Lord Miles is a homebred for Vegso Racing Stable.
Johnson: Study Guide: Wood Memorial
Rogers and Kerstein: Inside the Kentucky Derby Podcast: Final Major Championship Series Race Previews
Scully: Hit Show draws far outside in Wood Memorial
| Results | Win | Place | Show | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Lord Miles 59-1 | $120.50 | $25.60 | $13.20 |
| 13 | Hit Show 8-5 | $3.50 | $2.70 | |
| 1 | Dreamlike 3-1 | $4.60 | ||
| 7 | Arctic Arrogance 7-1 | |||
| Payouts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Double | 11/8 | $330.50 |
| Exacta | 8/13 | $134.50 |
| Pick 3 | 6/11/8 | $762.50 |
| Pick 4 | 7/6,8/11/8 | $3,961.00 |
| Pick 5 | 1,10/7/6,8/11/8 | $29,176.75 |
| Pick 6 | $66,705.34 | |
| Pick 6 | 5/1,10/7/6,8/11/8 | $855.00 |
| Superfecta | 8/13/1/7 | $291.85 |
| Trifecta | 8/13/1 | $425.75 |