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Equibase Analysis: Weyburn Poised To Validate Gotham Upset In Wood Memorial

Saturday's Grade 1, $750,000 Wood Memorial Presented by Resorts World Casino is the first of three “Road to the Kentucky Derby” prep races within the span of one hour on Saturday, April 3. Except for the Arkansas Derby to be run one week from now, these three races, which include the Runhappy Santa Anita Derby and Toyota Blue Grass Stakes, offer the winner a guaranteed spot in the starting gate on the first Saturday in May by affording the winner 100 points. Even the 40 points the runner-up will earn in these races could be sufficient to help secure a spot among the 20 which will participate in the “Greatest Two Minutes in Sports” next month.

The Wood Memorial drew a field of nine, led by the one-two finishers in the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes last month in Weyburn and Crowded Trade, respectively. Another stakes winner who may belong is Risk Taking, who won the Grade 3 Withers Stakes in February at Aqueduct but who skipped the Gotham. Brooklyn Strong won the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes over the track at the distance of the Wood Memorial, but it may be a tall order to pick up where he left off following four months on the bench and versus horses which all ran much more recently.

Candy Man Rocket won the Grade 3 Sam F. Davis Stakes in February before an 11th of 12 finish in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby and it may be a stretch to go from next-to-last in that recent race to a top competitor in the Wood Memorial. Market Maven and Bourbonic finished first and second, respectively, in an allowance race at Parx Racing in Pennsylvania but appear overmatched, as does recent maiden winner Dynamic One.

Then there's Prevalence, a strong winner of both starts in his career shipping in to New York from Florida for Godolphin, which already has a significant presence on the “Road to the Derby” with Rebel's Romance (winner of the U.A.E. Derby last weekend), Essential Quality (running in the Blue Grass Stakes), and Proxy.

Weyburn was disregarded by bettors at 46 to 1 odds one month ago in the Gotham Stakes but proved to be an exceptionally tough competitor when winning by a nose. After attending the pace only a half-length behind the leader for the first half-mile, Weyburn engaged for the lead for the rest of the race, first battling head and head with Freedom Fighter then battling nose and nose the entire last eighth of a mile with Crowded Trade. That effort occurring one month ago leads me to believe he will not regress and will move forward to run even better in the Wood Memorial. Considering Weyburn earned a career-best 105 Equibase Speed Figure, tied for best in the field with Crowded Trade, it would take significant improvement by any other runner except Crowded Trade to run faster than Weyburn demonstrating logical improvement in his second start following three months off. As such, Weyburn gets slight preference among two horses I feel stand out against the rest in terms of their probability to win this race.

Crowded Trade has no knocks, having won in his career debut at the end of January before stepping into stakes company in the Gotham Stakes last month and giving it his all. Third place Gotham finisher Highly Motivated is looking for different scenery this weekend and will run in the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes. With no other horse having run as fast as either Crowded Trade (or Weyburn) who earned a 105 figure in the Gotham, this lightly raced colt making his third career start has significant improving he can do and must be considered a strong contender to win. As to his breeding to run this nine furlong trip, there's no doubt as a son of More Than Ready that is not an issue as the sire's Catholic Boy won graded stakes at a mile and one-quarter. Trained by Chad Brown and ridden by red hot Eric Cancel, Crowded Trade has every right to turn the tables on Weyburn in their second meeting and move on to the Kentucky Derby in fine form.

Prevalence, like Crowded Trade, has only run twice, and likewise his second race was a one-turn mile in which he ran impressively. After winning his debut by eight lengths in handy fashion with a 99 figure, Prevalence won his second start just as easily by three lengths with a 98 figure but likely could have gone faster. Perhaps more importantly, after he crossed the finish line it was noted by the astute chart caller for Equibase that Prevalence was “urged past the wire for an eighth of a mile or so past the finish.” This is significant, as it shows a plan beforehand between jockey Tyler Gaffalione (who rides in the Wood) and trainer Brendan Walsh (who trained top 3-year-old Maxfield last year) to give the colt experience at running the distance of his next race. Being a son of Medaglia d'Oro, who sired tremendous stakes winners like Songbird and Wonder Gadot, if Prevalence got the foundation for this race as intended, improving enough to win the Wood Memorial is not out of the question.

In case readers are wondering, the reason I'm not considering Risk Taking a win contender has to do with the fact he comes back from two months off after winning the Withers Stakes in February. Although the 102 figure earned in that race may be competitive with the top horses in the Wood if he improves on it, the fact that he skipped the Gotham and most of his opponents ran more recently gives me pause.

The rest of the field, with their best representative Equibase Speed Figures, is Bourbonic (88), Brooklyn Strong (99), Candy Man Rocket (90), Dynamic One (87) and Market Maven (94).

Win Contenders:
Weyburn
Crowded Trade
Prevalence

Wood Memorial Stakes Presented by Resorts World Casino – Grade 2
Race 10 at Aqueduct
Saturday, April 3 – Post Time 5:58 PM E.T.
One Mile and One Eighth
Three Year Olds
Purse: $750,000
TV: NBC Sports Network 5:30 – 7:30 PM ET

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Imbriale Grateful For ‘Extra Special’ Opportunity To Call First Wood Memorial

Six decades working around Aqueduct Racetrack will give anyone a profusion of memories and knowledge of the sport. But when the call to post sounds for the 97th running of the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino on Saturday, it will mark something different for long-time New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA) employee John Imbriale.

From the time he started working at NYRA in November 1979, Imbriale has handled multiple responsibilities, both in front of the camera and behind the scenes, and as a familiar voice as the backup announcer.

His perseverance led to his appointment as the circuit's full-time race-caller and announcer in January 2020, and another milestone will be reached as Imbriale will call his first Wood Memorial; a 1 1/8-mile prep race for the Grade 1 Kentucky Derby offering 100-40-20-10 qualifying points to the “Run for the Roses” to the top-four finishers.

Imbriale worked as NYRA's Director of Television Production before replacing Larry Collmus as the full-time announcer last January. Just two months later, the COVID-19 pandemic shut down racing, with the Wood Memorial not being contested for the first time since the race's inaugural running in 1925.

When racing in New York resumed in June, Imbriale got to check off a litany of career firsts: calling his first Belmont Stakes, and American Classic overall, with Tiz the Law's victory in the Belmont Stakes, as well as the New York-bred's victory in the first Travers he called during the Saratoga Race Course summer meet.

After being on the mic for the signature races at Belmont Park and Saratoga, the 66-year-old Imbriale will finally get to call the most well-known race at the track he considers home, and fittingly the Ozone Park-based track will offer up another special moment for a graduate of the Queens-based St. John's University.

“It does make it extra special because I've called more races at Aqueduct than any place else,” Imbriale said. “It just has to do with age and being around forever; I called a lot of races when we ran on the [now defunct] inner track. Now, moving to the Wood Memorial, it's good to add that to the resume and I just hope everything turns out OK.”

The chance to call a Wood Memorial was a long-time coming from a man who paid a lot of dues from the time he won a 1979 New York Daily News contest which gave him the opportunity to call a race and work with the NYRA press office. In 1990, Imbriale became Tom Durkin's backup and has since been part of NYRA's race-calling team at all three tracks.

Imbriale's patience paid off with the opportunity to narrate some historic moments, with the reality of 2020 leading to some unique circumstances, such as his first Belmont Stakes assignment being a 1 1/8 one-turn mile instead of the traditional 1 1/2-mile test. The Belmont also served as the first leg of the Triple Crown series instead of its customary closing race on the trail.

Imbriale has been present for many seminal racing moments, but his knowledge extends even further to his time as a fan, reaching back to the 1973 Wood when Secretariat was outkicked by Angle Light and Sham before going on to craft arguably the most dominant Triple Crown run in the sport's history.

“I never thought I'd call an American Classic, let alone around one turn, two turns or three turns,” Imbriale said with a laugh. “But I always got a kick of looking at the video of the 1973 Wood when Secretariat lost. I think seeing that race and knowing how he turned out, it makes you think that anything is possible. You can't go by one race. A lot of us go back to our roots and I love going through the old videos when I worked in TV production.”

That unpredictability has Imbriale excited for this year's edition of the Wood, which has seen 11 of its winners go on to the capture the Kentucky Derby [with Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000 being the last do so].

“The Wood has a tremendous history,” Imbriale said. “The Derby has opened up a little this year, so maybe there's more excitement and possibilities from horses who come from anywhere to use it as a springboard to good things. When they've only run a few times, you don't know which way it'll go.

“I think what you root for in a big race like that is either you get a stretch run like in the Gotham [when Weyburn edged Crowded Trade by a nose on March 6], which doesn't happen too often, or you hope that someone steps up. They're so lightly raced, you don't know who is going to take that next step. To me, the unknown and the anticipation for the Wood makes it so fun.”

The nine-furlong Wood will provide a two-turn test for Triple Crown trail-hopefuls in what is a traditional harbinger for seeing if a 3-year-old can compete at the highest level of his division. Imbriale said two-turns can also be beneficial for the ones calling the action.

“Announcers like two-turn races because it starts right in front of you,” he said. “With the Belmont last year going a mile and an eighth, you're on an angle a little bit and you don't want to miss anything with the break. Here, there's no excuse; the break is right in front. It allows things to play out when it's a mile and an eighth. If you get a horse who is off slow, there's time to recover. You see who is getting position into the first turn after the break and then they settle on the backstretch. Then, you see who makes the move out of the [far] turn, and we have a few closers in the potential field. It looks like a pretty good mix of 3-year-olds that we'll have.”

The Kentucky Derby aspect makes the stakes higher with greater attention paid to what is said on the microphone, and the fact those races will have the endings replayed often in the lead-up to the “Run for the Roses” at Churchill Downs. Imbriale said the same fundamentals as with any race come in to play, but announcers tend to be mindful that certain races will naturally get the adrenaline flowing.

“You try to make sure your basic stuff is covered, making sure you pick up a horse if he makes a move, just the stuff you do in a normal race,” he said. “But in the back of your mind, you know that the horse who wins the Wood is going to be talked about going into the Derby, and you know your call is going to get played more often than in other races. You try to take care of basic business but with your excitement level, it's just natural that it's going to be higher.”

Imbriale will realize one of his career's biggest dreams in calling the Wood, marking another milestone in a journey that featured working with Harvey Pack on the popular “Inside Racing” program. He also will add his name to a prestigious list of race callers who have called Wood Memorials, with the list of legendary announcers including Collmus, Tom Durkin, Marshall Cassidy, Chic Anderson, Dave Johnson and Fred Caposella.

“It popped into my mind every now and then, but first Marshall Cassidy was here, then Tom Durkin, then Larry Collmus, so my opportunity came late,” Imbriale said. “I had the privilege to watch all of them work and learn from them. Once you get to a certain age, the thought that you are going to get a chance to do this really diminishes. But, it worked out.

“I knew I was the backup announcer and I always thought I was really lucky to be calling as many races as I was primarily here at Aqueduct and a little at Belmont and just a little Saratoga,” he continued. “But it was still calling races in New York, and to me, New York is still the place to be when it comes to year-round racing.”

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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.

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Mark Schwartz Derby Dreaming With Bargain-Priced Wood Entrant Brooklyn Stong

Owner Mark Schwartz, born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, will live out a lifelong dream on Saturday when his New York-bred Brooklyn Strong bursts from the gate in the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The historic Wood Memorial, which offers 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-four finishers, is the final local prep for the Run for the Roses slated for Saturday, May 1 at Churchill Downs.

Saturday's lucrative Big A card features the first Grade 1 of 2021 on the NYRA circuit in the $300,000 Carter Handicap, a seven-furlong sprint for older horses, and is bolstered by a trio of stakes races, including the Grade 2, $250,000 Gazelle at nine furlongs for sophomore fillies offering 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Oaks qualifying points; the Grade 3, $200,000 Bay Shore, a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores; and the Grade 3, $150,000 Excelsior at nine furlongs for older horses.

The 67-year-old Schwartz, a retired insurance executive, has fond memories of Aqueduct Racetrack.

“The first track I ever went to was Aqueduct,” said Schwartz. “My dad brought me to see the horses and I just loved it. I was seven years old and here we are 60 years later.”

Brooklyn Strong has stirred a renewed passion for racing for the Schwartz family after winning 3-of-4 career starts, including a last-out score in the Grade 2, $150,000 Remsen at Aqueduct.

Schwartz said his wife, Amanda, and their sons Jonathan and Bryan, are counting down the days to Saturday's main event.

“They're excited but no one could be as excited as I am,” said Schwartz, with a laugh. “They're enjoying the experience. My kids are big sports fans but were never really racing fans until now.”

Schwartz, a graduate of Brooklyn College, said coining a name for his stable star came easy, although another option was in the cards for the hockey-loving family who are fans of New York Rangers winger Artemi Panarin.

“The name was easy. He's by Wicked Strong and I love Brooklyn,” said Schwartz. “But my kids liked the name Breadman. They like the Rangers and Panarin is called the 'Breadman' but the name happened to be taken.”

Oddly enough, Brooklyn Strong defeated Breadman, trained by John Terranova for owner Eric Fein, in the Sleepy Hollow in October at Belmont Park on Empire Showcase Day.

The victory marked just the second stakes score for Brooklyn Strong's trainer Daniel Velazquez, who had captured the race prior, the Maid of the Mist, with filly Laobanonaprayer, a $15,000 purchase owned by the young conditioner.

“Isn't it weird how that worked out,” said Schwartz. “Breadman is actually a very good horse and was an expensive purchase, but our horse got to be named Brooklyn Strong and I think it's the right name for him.”

The Wood Memorial holds strong memories for Schwartz, who was among the 43,416 in attendance on April 21, 1973 when Angle Light upset Secretariat.

“I remember it being crowded,” said Schwartz. “There was a buzz and big noise around Secretariat. I've never seen a horse so big in my life. He was huge. He's still the greatest horse ever. No other horse is comparable.”

Secretariat, the 1972 Horse of the Year, was set to be tested by Sham, who had won the Santa Anita Derby. But it was the unheralded Angle Light, Secretariat's entry mate, who would pull off a stunning frontrunning upset.

“Sham was sitting second and looking for Secretariat to make his move and because of that he moved too late,” recalled Schwartz. “Angle Light kept on going and won by a head. Sham was second.”

Schwartz said the crowd was stunned at the result.

“Secretariat ran third in the Wood if you can believe it. It was not his day. Later, they said he was sick that day. It just shows that anything can happen,” said Schwartz.

Angle Light, a $15,500 yearling purchase owned by Toronto, Ontario native Edwin Whittaker, had his day in the sun and Secretariat would win the Kentucky Derby next out en route to Triple Crown immortality.

Schwartz comes into Saturday's event with his own underdog in Brooklyn Strong, a $5,000 purchase at the OBS Spring Sale of Two-Year-Olds in Training. The handsome bay is out of the Medaglia d'Oro mare Riviera Chic, who had produced a pair of winners – Danielle's Pride and American Mission – from three foals.

“I bought him without asking anybody,” said Schwartz, who usually attends sales with his young trainer in tow. “Maybe Danny shouldn't have left me alone there.

“I liked his breeding and he ran a 10.2 and I liked the video I saw. Being a New York-bred was definitely a part of it. We live near the track and we can run him there, but I think I would have bought him no matter where he was bred,” added Schwartz. “When he was so cheap I thought I just had to buy the horse. The funny thing is you never get any of the big guys bidding against you when it's a $5,000 horse.”

Schwartz said he called Velazquez after the purchase and was immediately admonished.

“I called Danny and he said, 'You bought a $5,000 horse? What did I tell you!'” said Schwartz with a laugh.

Brooklyn Strong has proven to be an astute purchase. After a debut maiden claiming win in September at Delaware Park under Abner Adorno, Brooklyn Strong stepped into stakes company and finished third in the Bertram F. Bongard on October 2 at Belmont with Eric Cancel up.

The gelding redeemed himself when piloted to victory by Jose Ortiz in the Sleepy Hollow on October 24 at Belmont and followed with a neck score engineered by Joel Rosario in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Remsen on December 5 at the Big A, garnering a career-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure and 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

Schwartz credits Velazquez for the development of Brooklyn Strong from a modest purchase to a legitimate Derby contender with $195,000 in the bank.

“Danny is like a third son. I can't imagine a harder worker,” said Schwartz. “He's a terrific trainer and when he tells me a horse is ready to win, he's almost always right. He really knows when he has a horse just right.

“I told him this is his breakout year and his chance to show people what he can do,” continued Schwartz. “He got a break getting these horses for so little money and making them good horses. He's a great evaluator of the talent that he gets. He's not the type of trainer that can go out and spend $300,000 at a sale. He got the Laoban filly for $15,000 and I got into a lucky spot on my own buying 'Brooklyn'.”

Manny Franco will pick up the mount on Saturday to become the fifth jockey in as many starts on the young horse and will need to hit the exacta to pick up enough points to jump from 33rd in the Kentucky Derby points standings into one of the 20 available stalls.

Schwartz said he is optimistic of a big effort after watching Known Agenda, who finished third in the Remsen, dominate in the Grade 1 Florida Derby on Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

“I think now more than ever the Derby is wide open, but we have to finish first or second to get there,” said Schwartz. “I'd like to see Franco have him third or fourth on the outside and make his move at the top of the stretch and blow by everybody. That's been his action and I wouldn't want to change. I'd love to see him win big but any victory would be fine. I know he can run all day.”

Due to New York State COVID-19 guidelines, Saturday's Wood Memorial will be conducted without spectators and only a limited number of owners and essential personnel onsite. However, Schwartz ensures that his small group will do their best to make as much noise as the 40,000 fans that attended the 1973 edition.

“If you watch the TV replays of our other races, you can see Danny and I embarrassing ourselves up in the second level,” said Schwartz. “Our little group will be screaming, for sure. It's a little different for the big owners and big trainers – they've seen this before, we haven't. We react a bit differently. It's a lot of fun and a lot of excitement. I can't wait.”

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