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Bourbonic, Crowded Trade Light Up Tote Board As Pletcher Longshots Run 1-2 In Wood Memorial

Trainer Todd Pletcher has saddled the most Grade 1 Kentucky Derby starters in history. With almost a month until the 2021 “Run for the Roses” on May 1, the veteran conditioner could add to that total thanks to a pair of upset efforts on Saturday at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y., with 72-1 longshot Bourbonic making a furious rally from the outside to edge 15-1 stablemate Dynamic One by a head in a thrilling finish to the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino.

The 96th running of the Wood Memorial, offering 100-40-20-10 Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers, was not contested in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But Bourbonic, making his first stakes appearance in his sixth start, ensured the 729-day gap between runnings was memorable, rallying from last-of-nine at the top of the stretch before jockey Kendrick Carmouche tipped him out and saw his charge pick off rivals one-by-one.

Calumet Farm's Bourbonic surged through the wire from the middle of the fast main track, besting Dynamic One in the final jumps to complete the 1 1/8-mile course in 1:54.49 and earn the triple-digit Derby points for the Kentucky homebred.

It marked the sixth Wood Memorial victory for Pletcher, who previously won with Eskendereya [2010], Gemologist [2012], Verrazano [2013], Outwork [2016] and Vino Rosso [2018]. Pletcher's 55 Derby starters are a record that could soon be bolstered.

“We always felt this horse would handle added distance,” said Pletcher, who trails only Hall of Famer Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons' record eight Wood Memorial wins for the most all time. “He was able to get a perfect trip and sit back and make one late run. He was able to get there just in time. It was a big effort.

“To have any chance, I think the only way he could be successful was to stay back and make one late run,” he added. “He doesn't have any early speed.”

The Wood Memorial – the signature race for the 126-year-old racetrack – saw a fellow longshot, 70-1 Market Maven, break sharp from the outside post and go to the lead around the near turn, going the opening quarter-mile in 24.88 seconds and the half in 50.18. Weyburn, a nose winner of the Grade 3 Gotham last out, continued to pressure the pacesetter in second position, with three-quarters going in 1:14.98.

Out of the turn, Dynamic One worked to gain the edge to the outside of Weyburn at the top of the stretch, with Bourbonic still bringing up the rear.

But Carmouche said he knew his horse still had plenty left in reserve, and Bourbonic quickly erased the deficit when angled to the outside, capitalizing on the daylight under heavy encouragement by Carmouche to get up at the right time, winning for the third time in his last four starts.

“Todd asked me what I was going to do and I told him I wouldn't move,” Carmouche said. “I was just going to sit, sit, sit, sit and hopefully get out the last quarter of a mile. I knew he would go on from there. My horse was in a good stride. Each pole I was picking them up one by one without even asking.”

The victory was Carmouche's first Wood Memorial win and came one week after the Vinton, Louisiana native completed a winter meet campaign in which he finished second in the standings. Carmouche, who has more than 3,300 wins in his career, has never had a Derby mount.

Carmouche also had another milestone riding for Calumet Farm, building on his win on True Timber in the Cigar Mile in December that marked the 37-year-old's first career Grade 1 win, capping his fall meet that saw him secure his first career NYRA riding title.

“I'm thrilled for Calumet Farm. I won my first Grade 1 with True Timber in the Cigar Mile for them and now I won the Wood for them,” Carmouche said. “These past six months of my career have just been what you dream of.”

Bourbonic, who could have been claimed for $50,000 out of a maiden race on December 6 at Aqueduct, returned $146.50 on a $2 win wager. The victory upped his career earnings to $465,800.

The son of Bernardini improved to 3-1-0 in six starts and three wins in four starts since going back to dirt after running 11th in a turf start on November 14 at Aqueduct.

“Sometimes the worst thing you can have is a hot hand in January and February,” Pletcher said. “We were hoping something would come together and we always thought he had potential to step up. It was good to see him do it.”

Dynamic One, ridden by Jose Ortiz, was also making his stakes bow for Pletcher and garnered the 40 qualifying points by topping Crowded Trade by 1 1/4 lengths for runner-up honors.

Owned by Repole Stable, Phipps Stable and St. Elias Stable, Dynamic One broke his maiden at fourth asking in his previous start going the Wood Memorial distance on March 7 at the Big A. The Union Rags colt, a $725,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, handled the step up in class.

“The one thing we were concerned about is if he made the lead he might idle a little bit,” Pletcher said. “Jose said he tried to time it as well as he could and he was hoping the leader would carry him to the wire more than he did. It was another step forward for him.”

Crowded Trade, trained by Chad Brown and ridden by Eric Cancel, picked up 20 points by finishing 1 3/4 lengths clear of Weyburn for third. Weyburn, who earned 50 points for his Gotham win, brought his total to 60.

Updated Kentucky Derby leaderboard.

“It looked for a moment like he had dead aim to maybe even win the race, but he just hung a little bit down the lane and ran a little bit evenly,” Brown said. “I was really proud of his effort. I thought he ran his race despite missing the break a bit and falling a little bit too far back. Watching his race, I think you'd have to be concerned how far he'll run. He had dead aim and didn't really close any ground from the eighth pole home.”

The New York-bred Brooklyn Strong finished fifth, with Prevalence, the favorite Risk Taking, Market Maven and Candy Man Rocket completing the order of finish.

Sunday will not feature racing at Aqueduct because of the Easter holiday. The 11-day Big A spring meet, which runs through April 18, will resume on Thursday with an eight-race card. First post is 1:20 p.m. Eastern.

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This Side Up: Still Amending the Derby Agenda

We should have known better. The moment we deceived ourselves that we had a crossroads of perfect symmetry, with four standout colts converging inexorably on the first Saturday in May, one promptly limped off the trail and then last weekend another was beaten at odds-on. Nobody, then, will be making any assumptions when the other two complete their GI Kentucky Derby preparations, Concert Tour (Street Sense) in the GI Arkansas Derby next week and Essential Quality (Tapit) as the geographical and narrative pivot of three rehearsals staged coast to coast Saturday.

That said, the juvenile champion gets a home game, round a circuit where he has already won two Grade Is. It will be on the margins of East and West, then, that we seem more likely to see a breakout after the manner of Known Agenda (Curlin) last week. Not that anyone in the Greatest Honour (Tapit) camp is too downbeat after he had to settle for third behind that old rival in the GI Florida Derby. I was heartened by the fidelity of colleague T.D. Thornton to Greatest Honour, who retained the No. 1 spot in his Derby Top 12 this week. Because these adolescent horses seldom crown a curve of relentless improvement under the Twin Spires: very often, they will need to have soaked up some adversity on the way, to have absorbed a tough lesson or two before regrouping. Greatest Honour has been on the punchbag all winter and was entitled to drop a glove this once, especially with such a messy trip. We know that his trainer will always have been working back from one date, and one date only.

With that date now looming so large, however, there's a kind of exquisite tension for all these horsemen, trying to achieve an equilibrium between their own restraint, and the fitness and seasoning of their charges. Remember that's exactly what they do every day, with horses at every level. It's just that the whole process is so much more visible here, because of the extremity of the test and the depth of the associated lore.

Many of us profess a sentimental attachment to the old school, with an emphasis on grounding, but modern trainers make their own rules. Obviously last year's race was an outlier, its postponement as ruinous to other horses as it was helpful to the raw Authentic (Into Mischief). But in 2018 we had a Triple Crown winner unraced before February 18; and the following year the first past the post had started off in midwinter under a $16,000 tag, and his works might have been as usefully clocked with a sundial as a stopwatch.

Medina Spirit has only been beaten by Life Is Good | Benoit

Bob Baffert's mastery of the definitive challenge of his calling now puts him within reach of a seventh Derby, and an outright record, even after losing the services of Life Is Good (Into Mischief). In that colt's lamentable absence from the GI Runhappy Santa Anita Derby, we have a twist in the astonishing tale of Medina Spirit (Protonico), the $1,000 short yearling who somehow found his way into the most lavishly stocked barn in the land. But nothing should surprise us with the genius of his trainer. Remember that Medina Spirit, having been pinhooked to a giddy $35,000, was actually twice as expensive as Real Quiet (Quiet American)!

He would be unbeaten but for Life Is Good and he's been working the house down since a minor throat procedure. Baffert plus Medina Spirit is like Goliath teaming up with David, but this race does offer romantics the option of Rock Your World (Candy Ride {Arg}), bred by Hall of Famer Ron McAnally.

Undefeated Rock Your World switches to dirt | Benoit

You imagine John Sadler has not been short of humorous counsel on the backside, especially as the veteran McAnally, who nowadays supervises just with a handful of animals, managed a graded stakes placing for Rock Your World's older sister She's Our Charm during the winter. McAnally trained both the parents, namely Candy Ride (Arg) and dual Grade I-placed juvenile Charm the Maker (Empire Maker); and actually McAnally and wife Deborah bred the first three dams. But Sadler is certainly rewriting Derby rules with this colt, switching from turf after teaching him about dirt with some pretty heavy duty drills.

The last four runnings have been divided between Baffert and John Shirreffs, who intriguingly perseveres with Parnelli (Quality Road) as though he has more ability than we've been seeing of late. Recent works suggest that the blinkers are helping, much as they did Hot Rod Charlie (Oxbow) when Parnelli ran the GII Louisiana Derby winner to a neck in the fall.

Interesting to see a Californian shipper taking on Essential Quality, in Rombauer (Twirling Candy), though the most feasible GII Toyota Blue Grass S. wildcard is surely Known Agenda's raw but devastating barnmate Untreated (Nyquist). In the GII Wood Memorial (presented by Resorts World Casino), meanwhile, a similarly late play from Prevalance (Medaglia d'Oro) will help Godolphin decide whether he's progressing fast enough to join their champion in Louisville. If not, then they will hope that at least Risk Taking (Medaglia d'Oro) can go forward on behalf of their big stallion, who joins Tapit and Curlin in craving the Derby as a seal on all their other success.

A playful Weyburn last month at Belmont | Susie Raisher

Pioneerof the Nile beat those big hitters to that distinction before his premature loss, which would be felt all the more keenly if Weyburn were to emerge as a new Derby force from this race. I can definitely see that happening, the Chiefswood homebred being born for this second turn with first three dams by A.P. Indy, Sunday Silence and Nijinsky. The third dam, indeed, is Maplejinsky, dam of Sky Beauty (Blushing Groom {Fr})–so seeing the name Jerkens on the card gives us that warm glow, too. This is an April 21 foal, paradoxically just the kind of thing we like for the Derby, and I love the gutsy way this horse carried his speed through a demanding mile after a lay-off.

So forget that neat and orderly crossroads. On the day itself, we know it will be chaos out there; and the same applies to the four weeks in between. Some engines stalling, others suddenly roaring into life; lights turning red, lights turning green. And with horsemen like Jerkens, Shirreffs and Sadler trying to weave into the traffic, with all their skill and experience, for now it still feels like we don't even know which way round to hold the Derby map.

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Nine in Line for Competitive Wood

Realistic cases can be made for six or seven of the nine 3-year-old males signed on for Saturday's GII Wood Memorial S. as the New York staple GI Kentucky Derby prep returns with a competitive renewal after a one-year hiatus due to COVID-19.

Given the narrowest of nods on the morning line is Klaravich Stables' Risk Taking (Medaglia d'Oro). Unable to factor in his first two outings, one sprinting on dirt and one routing on yielding turf, the $240,000 Keeneland September buy sprung to life when returned to dirt over Saturday's nine-furlong trip with a clear graduation here Dec. 13. He followed that up with a strong rally to win the local GIII Withers S. Feb. 6.

The waters get significantly deeper in here though, and one need look no further than the presence of Godolphin's undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Prevalence (Medaglia d'Oro) to confirm that. Rocketing away to a devastating 8 1/2-length victory on debut going seven panels Jan. 23 at Gulfstream, the Brendan Walsh trainee stretched out a furlong in an allowance/optional claimer there Mar. 11 and wasn't quite as impressive while still winning by three lengths as a 1-10 favorite.

The first two finishers from the GIII Gotham S. here Mar. 6 return and figure as major players. Dismissed at over 46-1 that day, Chiefswood Stable's homebred Weyburn (Pioneerof the Nile) dug in resolutely through the stretch to just nose out Klaravich Stables' Crowded Trade (More Than Ready). The latter was making just his second career start after graduating on debut when hammered down to even-money over a local six furlongs Jan. 28.

The blue-collar returnee Brooklyn Strong (Wicked Strong) demands attention as well. Bought for just $5,000 as an OBS April juvenile, the gelding debuted a winner against $40,000 maiden claimers at Delaware and has gotten better in every start since, running third in the New York-bred Bertram F. Bongard S. and winning the Empire-bred Sleepy Hollow S. 22 days later before gutting out a score in the track-and-trip GII Remsen S. Dec. 5. Unseen since then, he shows a sharp worktab for trainer Danny Velazquez at his Parx base, including a five-furlong bullet in :59 3/5 (1/16) Mar. 20.

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Unbeaten Prevalence, Withers Winner Risk Taking Loom Large In Wood Memorial

Unbeaten Prevalence and Grade 3 Withers-winner Risk Taking highlight a strong field for Saturday's 96th running of the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino for sophomores going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The nine-furlong two-turn contest is the final local qualifier for the Grade 1, $3 million Kentucky Derby on May 1 at Churchill Downs and awards 100-40-20-10 qualifying points to the top-four finishers.

The Wood Memorial, which has seen 11 winners go on to win the “Run for the Roses” in its illustrious history, will air on NBSCN as part of a live national broadcast beginning at 5:30 p.m. Eastern and scheduled to include the Grade 2, $800,000 Toyota Blue Grass from Keeneland and the Grade 1, $750,000 Runhappy Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park.

Prior to the NBCSN broadcast, national television coverage of the Wood Memorial Day card from Aqueduct can be found on America's Day at the Races on FS2 beginning at 1 p.m. ET.

The Wood Memorial is one of five graded events on Saturday at the Big A, including the first New York Grade 1 race of the year in the $300,000 Carter for 4-year-olds and up going seven furlongs; the Grade 3, $200,000 Bayshore for 3-year-olds going seven furlongs; the Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior for 4-year-olds and up going nine furlongs; and the Grade 3, $250,000 Gazelle, a nine-furlong test for sophomore fillies offering 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points.

Godolphin, whose royal blue colors saw the winner's circle in the 2015 Wood Memorial with Frosted, will seek their second Wood triumph with the highly regarded Prevalence. The Brendan Walsh-trained son of Medaglia d'Oro is 2-for-2 at Gulfstream Park to start and his career will see two turns for the first time.

Prevalence, the 3-1 morning-line second choice, posted an 8 ½-length debut win going seven furlongs on January 23. The talented bay colt defeated Stage Raider, a half-brother to 2018 Triple Crown winner Justify, as part of a talented field.

“There were a bunch of horses in that race being touted,” Walsh said. “A lot of them have come back and run well, which showed that the form was respectable. He won by a very wide margin and no matter the company you're in that's pretty remarkable.”

He handled a stretch out to a mile on March 11 over the same track, besting an optional claiming field by three lengths. Despite needing light handling in the final sixteenth, Walsh expressed no concern.

“It was just a little bit of greenness. I'm sure if he had company it would have helped him along,” Walsh said.

Prevalence displayed an up close running style in both efforts and Walsh said that his horse should show the same tactics on Saturday.

“He's quick, so with that kind of speed, he should be prominent in the race,” Walsh said. “He hits me as a horse who can handle any kind of surface.”

Prevalence, a Kentucky homebred, is out of the Ghostzapper mare Enrichment, a full-sister to multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Better Lucky and stakes-winning turf sprinter Final Frontier.

Jockey Tyler Gaffalione retains the mount aboard Prevalence from post 6.

Prevalence will face four graded stakes-winners who have already earned triumphs on the Derby trail. His biggest challenge comes from Risk Taking, who was made the 5-2 morning line favorite after flaunting excellence in both of his starts going nine furlongs at Aqueduct.

Owned by Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables and trained by Chad Brown, Risk Taking benefitted from the addition of blinkers and added distance in his third career start, where the son of Medaglia d'Oro broke his maiden December 13 at the Big A. Risk Taking settled several lengths off a slow pace while saving ground along the rail before drawing off to a 2 ¼-length win over eventual winners The Reds and Unbridled Honor.

Risk Taking secured 10 Derby qualifying points with a 3 3/4-length Withers win, hitting the wire first after securing advantage inside the final furlong.

Bred in Kentucky by G. Watts Humphrey, Jr., Risk Taking is out of the dual turf stakes-placed Distorted Humor mare Run a Risk. He was a $240,000 purchase at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Risk Taking drew post 4 under Irad Ortiz, Jr.

Brown and Klaravich are also represented by Crowded Trade, who arrives off a sharp runner-up finish in the Grade 3 Gotham on March 6 at Aqueduct.

The son of More Than Ready won his six-furlong debut coming from 7 1/2 lengths off the pace to get up in the final strides on January 28 at Aqueduct. Despite a cleaner break in the one-turn mile Gotham, Crowded Trade came up just a nose shy after establishing slight command in mid-stretch but did not fend off the inside challenge of upset winner Weyburn.

Breaking from post 2 at 4-1 on the morning line, Crowded Trade will be ridden by winter meet leading rider Eric Cancel.

Trainer Todd Pletcher is in pursuit of a sixth Wood Memorial victory when he saddles Dynamic One [post 5, Jose Ortiz, 12-1] and Bourbonic [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche, 30-1].

Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable and Phipps Stable's Dynamic One graduated at fourth asking when traveling nine furlongs on March 7 at Aqueduct.

In his previous starts around two turns, both at Gulfstream Park, Dynamic One finished a respective second and fourth, with the former coming 1 ½ length shy of victory to dual graded stakes-winner Greatest Honour.

“He's always trained well,” said Pletcher. “He was a little unlucky in his two races at Gulfstream to draw the outside post both times, so we were happy to see him get the job done with the maiden win at Aqueduct. We're going to step up and give him a chance.”

Bred in Kentucky by co-owner Phipps Stable, Dynamic One was bought for $725,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale.

Pletcher also sends out Calumet Farm's Bourbonic, who takes a major jump up in class. The son of Bernardini notched both of his lifetime victories at Aqueduct going a one-turn mile. He arrives at the Wood Memorial off a runner-up finish in a Parx Racing optional-claiming event on February 23.

“It's a big step. We're taking a shot hoping that we will improve,” Pletcher said.

Pletcher previously won the Wood Memorial with Eskendereya [2010], Gemologist [2012], Verrazano [2013], Outwork [2016], and Vino Rosso [2018].

Cheifswood Stables Limited's Grade 3 Gotham-hero Weyburn seeks to be the first horse since I Want Revenge [2009] to win the Gotham-Wood Memorial double.

The Ontario-bred son of Pioneerof the Nile tracked pacesetter Freedom Fighter from second before battling with Crowded Trade down the stretch to score a 46-1 upset. Weyburn earned 50 Derby points and is currently 10th on the leaderboard.

Trainer Jimmy Jerkens will seek a second Wood Memorial victory after sending out Wicked Strong in 2014.

Trevor McCarthy retains the mount aboard Weyburn from post 8 at morning line odds of 9-2.

A former Wood winner has sired another Wood winner three times in the past 10 years. Brooklyn Strong, a son of 2014 Wood winner Wicked Strong, will look to add to that list in making his sophomore bow for trainer Daniel Velazquez.

Bred in New York by Cheryl Prudhomme and Dr. Michael Gallivan, Mark Schwartz's Brooklyn Strong last raced on December 5, capturing the Grade 2 Remsen on over a sloppy and sealed Aqueduct track.

Brooklyn Strong arrived at the Remsen off a stakes win against his New York-bred counterparts in the Sleepy Hollow on October 24 at Belmont Park.

Manny Franco will be aboard as Brooklyn Strong, at 6-1, will break from the rail.

Candy Man Rocket [post 7, 12-1] seeks redemption after a distant 11th in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby as the beaten favorite. The dark bay Candy Ride colt owned by Frank Fletcher Racing Operations was a sharp 9 ¼-length winner at second asking going six furlongs on January 9 at Gulfstream Park.

He backed up an impressive maiden victory in the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis on February 6 at Tampa Bay Downs, where he was prominently placed and held off a late charge from stablemate Nova Rags.

Jockey Junior Alvarado retains the mount aboard Candy Man Rocket from post 7.

Rounding out the field is Gregory Gordon's homebred Market Maven, who ships from Parx Racing for trainer Penny Pearce. The gelded chestnut son of Super Ninety Nine broke his maiden at third asking against fellow Pennsylvania-breds on January 20 before defeating open company winners at a mile and 70 yards on February 23.

Breaking from post 9 at 30-1, Market Maven will be ridden by Dexter Haddock in his first graded stakes mount.

The Wood Memorial, slated for Race 10 on the card, honors the late Eugene D. Wood, a New York state politician who was responsible for the establishment of the now defunct Jamaica Racetrack, where the Wood Memorial was originally run.

Since its inception, the Wood has been captured by over 20 eventual American classic winners, including Triple Crown winners Gallant Fox [1930], Count Fleet [1943], Assault [1946] and Seattle Slew [1977]. Other prominent American classic winners to have previously won the Wood Memorial include Twenty Grand [1931], Johnstown [1939], Hill Prince [1950], Native Dancer [1953], Nashua [1955], Bold Ruler [1957], Quadrangle [1964] Damascus [1967], Foolish Pleasure [1975], Bold Forbes [1976], Easy Goer [1989] and Empire Maker [2003].

First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Aqueduct Racetrack, and the best way to bet every race of the winter meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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