Wood Memorial Stakes
| Grade II race | |
| Location | Aqueduct Racetrack Ozone Park, Queens, New York |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1925 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred - Flat racing |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 1 1⁄8 miles (9 furlongs) |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | Left-handed |
| Qualification | Three-year-olds |
| Weight | 123 lbs (55.8 kg) |
| Purse | $1,000,000 |
The Wood Memorial Stakes is an American flat Thoroughbred horse race for three-year-olds held annually in April at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, Queens, New York. It is run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt. The Wood Memorial has been run as a Grade II event since 2017.[1] It was a Grade I race from 1974 (when grading was first introduced) to 1994 and again from 2002 to 2016.[2]
The Wood Memorial is one of the major prep races on the Road to the Kentucky Derby. Between 1930 and 2000, eleven winners of the Wood Memorial went on to win the Kentucky Derby (Gallant Fox, Twenty Grand, Johnstown, Count Fleet, Hoop Jr., Assault, Foolish Pleasure, Bold Forbes, Seattle Slew, Pleasant Colony and Fusaichi Pegasus). Four of them also won the Triple Crown. The most famous loser in the Wood Memorial was Secretariat, who finished third in 1973.
The winner of the Wood Memorial has not won the Kentucky Derby since 2000, in part because several became injured in the weeks between the two races. For example, Toby's Corner missed the Derby with lameness in his left hind leg (2011), Eskendereya with a soft tissue injury in his left front leg (2010), I Want Revenge with a ligament injury to his right front ankle (2009) and Buddha with separation of the hoof wall from the laminae of his left front leg (2002).
The race was named to honor Eugene D. Wood, a New York State politician and horse racing enthusiast who had been a founder and past president of the old Jamaica Race Course where the race was run until 1960.
From 1925 to 1939, the Wood Memorial was run over a distance of one mile and seventy yards, then at 1 1⁄16 miles from 1940 to 1951, after which it was changed to its present 1 1⁄8 miles. All entrants currently carry a weight of 123 lb.
The race was run in two divisions in 1944, 1945, 1947, 1974, and 1983.
Contents
1 Records
2 Winners of the Wood Memorial Stakes
3 See also
4 References
5 External links
Records
In 2005, Bellamy Road set a new stakes record of 1:47.16 at the 1 1⁄8 mile distance in winning by 17 1⁄2 lengths for his owner, George Steinbrenner.[3]
Most wins by a jockey:
- 9 - Eddie Arcaro
Most wins by a trainer:
- 7 - Sunny Jim Fitzsimmons
Most wins by an owner:
- 4 - Belair Stable, Wheatley Stable, Greentree Stable, Cornelius Vanderbilt Whitney
Winners of the Wood Memorial Stakes
| Year | Winner | Jockey | Trainer | Owner | Time | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1925 | Backbone | Ivan H. Parke | James G. Rowe, Sr. | H. P. Whitney | 1:43.40 | |
| 1926 | Pompey | Bennie Breuning | William H. Karrick | William R. Coe | 1:42.00 | |
| 1927 | Saxon | George Ellis | James G. Rowe, Sr. | Greentree Stable | 1:43.60 | |
| 1928 | Distraction | Danny McAuliffe | George Tappen | Wheatley Stable | 1:46.00 | |
| 1929 | Essare | Mack Garner | Joe Johnson | Jacques Stable | 1:44.00 | |
| 1930 | Gallant Fox | Earl Sande | Jim Fitzsimmons | Belair Stud | 1:43.60 | |
| 1931 | Twenty Grand | Charley Kurtsinger | James G. Rowe, Jr. | Greentree Stable | 1:42.60 | |
| 1932 | Universe | Linus McAtee | Joseph Bauer | Thomas M. Cassidy | 1:43.00 | |
| 1933 | Mr. Khayyam | Pete Walls | Matthew Peter Brady | Catawba Farm | 1:42.60 | |
| 1934 | High Quest | Dominick Bellizzi | Robert A. Smith | Brookmeade Stable | 1:43.80 | |
| 1935 | Today | Raymond Workman | Thomas J. Healey | C. V. Whitney | 1:42.80 | |
| 1936 | Teufel | Herbert Litzenberger | Jim Fitzsimmons | Wheatley Stable | 1:43.20 | |
| 1937 | Melodist | Johnny Longden | Jim Fitzsimmons | Wheatley Stable | 1:42.80 | |
| 1938 | Fighting Fox | James Stout | Jim Fitzsimmons | Belair Stud | 1:43.00 | |
| 1939 | Johnstown | James Stout | Jim Fitzsimmons | Belair Stud | 1:42.00 | |
| 1940 | Dit | Leon Haas | Max Hirsch | W. Arnold Hanger | 1:45.80 | |
| 1941 | Market Wise | Don Meade | George W. Carroll | Louis Tufano | 1:45.60 | |
| 1942 | Requested | Wayne D. Wright | Blackie McCoole | Mrs. Ben F. Whitaker | 1:45.20 | |
| 1943 | Count Fleet | Johnny Longden | Don Cameron | Fannie Hertz | 1:43.00 | |
| 1944 | Lucky Draw | Johnny Longden | Bert Mulholland | George D. Widener, Jr. | 1:46.20 | |
| 1944 | Stir Up | Eddie Arcaro | John M. Gaver, Sr. | Greentree Stable | 1:44.20 | |
| 1945 | Jeep | Arnold Kirkland | Lydell T. Ruff | C. V. Whitney | 1:45.80 | |
| 1945 | Hoop Jr. | Eddie Arcaro | Ivan H. Parke | Fred W. Hooper | 1:45.00 | |
| 1946 | Assault | Warren Mehrtens | Max Hirsch | King Ranch | 1:46.60 | |
| 1947 | Phalanx | Eddie Arcaro | Sylvester Veitch | C. V. Whitney | 1:43.80 | |
| 1947 | I Will | Eddie Arcaro | Sidney Jacobs | Jaclyn Stable | 1:45.00 | |
| 1948 | My Request | Douglas Dodson | James P. Conway | Mrs. Ben F. Whitaker | 1:46.20 | |
| 1949 | Olympia | Eddie Arcaro | Ivan H. Parke | Fred W. Hooper | 1:45.00 | |
| 1950 | Hill Prince | Eddie Arcaro | Casey Hayes | Christopher Chenery | 1:43.60 | |
| 1951 | Repetoire | Pete McLean | Albert Jensen | Nora A. Mikell | 1:44.40 | |
| 1952 | Master Fiddle | David Gorman | Sol Rutchick | Myhelen Stable | 1:52.40 | |
| 1953 | Native Dancer | Eric Guerin | William C. Winfrey | Alfred G. Vanderbilt II | 1:50.60 | |
| 1954 | Correlation | Bill Shoemaker | Noble Threewitt | Robert S. Lytle | 1:50.00 | |
| 1955 | Nashua | Ted Atkinson | Jim Fitzsimmons | Belair Stud | 1:50.60 | |
| 1956 | Head Man | Eddie Arcaro | Sylvester Veitch | C. V. Whitney | 1:50.20 | |
| 1957 | Bold Ruler | Eddie Arcaro | Jim Fitzsimmons | Wheatley Stable | 1:48.80 | |
| 1958 | Jewel's Reward | Eddie Arcaro | Ivan H. Parke | Maine Chance Farm | 1:50.20 | |
| 1959 | Manassa Mauler | Ray Broussard | Pancho Martin | Emil Dolce | 1:49.60 | |
| 1960 | Francis S. | Bill Shoemaker | Burley Parke | Harbor View Farm | 1:50.20 | |
| 1961 | Globemaster | John L. Rotz | Thomas J. Kelly | Leonard P. Sasso | 1:50.20 | |
| 1962 | Admiral's Voyage | Braulio Baeza | Charles R. Parke | Fred W. Hooper | 1:49.20 | |
| 1963 | No Robbery | John L. Rotz | John M. Gaver, Sr. | Greentree Stable | 1:49.20 | |
| 1964 | Quadrangle | Bill Hartack | J. Elliott Burch | Rokeby Stable | 1:50.20 | |
| 1965 | Flag Raiser | Bobby Ussery | Hirsch Jacobs | Isidor Bieber | 1:50.20 | |
| 1966 | Amberoid | William Boland | Lucien Laurin | Reginald N. Webster | 1:49.60 | |
| 1967 | Damascus | Bill Shoemaker | Frank Y. Whiteley, Jr. | Edith W. Bancroft | 1:49.60 | |
| 1968 | Dancer's Image | Bobby Ussery | Lou Cavalaris, Jr. | Peter D. Fuller | 1:49.00 | |
| 1969 | Dike | Jorge Velasquez | Lucien Laurin | Claiborne Farm | 1:49.60 | |
| 1970 | Personality | Eddie Belmonte | John W. Jacobs | Ethel D. Jacobs | 1:49.40 | |
| 1971 | Good Behaving | Chuck Baltazar | John P. Campo | Neil Hellman | 1:49.80 | |
| 1972 | Upper Case | Ron Turcotte | Lucien Laurin | Meadow Stable | 1:49.00 | |
| 1973 | Angle Light | Jacinto Vasquez | Lucien Laurin | Edwin Whittaker | 1:49.80 | I |
| 1974 | Flip Sal | Angel Cordero, Jr. | Stephen A. DiMauro | Salvatore Tufano | 1:51.40 | I |
| 1974 | Rube The Great | Miguel A. Rivera | Pancho Martin | Sigmund Sommer | 1:49.60 | I |
| 1975 | Foolish Pleasure | Jacinto Vasquez | LeRoy Jolley | John L. Greer | 1:48.80 | I |
| 1976 | Bold Forbes | Angel Cordero, Jr. | Laz Barrera | E. Rodriguez Tizol | 1:47.40 | I |
| 1977 | Seattle Slew | Jean Cruguet | William H. Turner, Jr. | Karen L. Taylor | 1:49.60 | II |
| 1978 | Believe It | Eddie Maple | Woody Stephens | Hickory Tree Stable | 1:49.80 | I |
| 1979 | Instrument Landing | Angel Cordero, Jr. | David A. Whiteley | Pen-Y-Bryn Farm | 1:49.20 | I |
| 1980 | Plugged Nickle | Buck Thornburg | Thomas J. Kelly | John M. Schiff | 1:50.80 | I |
| 1981 | Pleasant Colony | Jeffrey Fell | John P. Campo | Buckland Farm | 1:49.60 | I |
| 1982 | Air Forbes Won | Angel Cordero, Jr. | Frank LaBoccetta | Edward Anchel | 1:51.00 | I |
| 1983 | Bounding Basque | Gregg McCarron | Woody Sedlacek | Jacques Wimpfheimer | 1:51.00 | I |
| 1983 | Slew o' Gold | Eddie Maple | Sidney Watters, Jr. | Equusequity Stable | 1:51.40 | I |
| 1984 | Leroy S. | Jean Cruguet | Jan Nerud | John A. Nerud | 1:51.40 | I |
| 1985 | Eternal Prince | Richard Migliore | John J. Lenzini, Jr. | Brian J. Hurst | 1:48.80 | I |
| 1986 | Broad Brush | Vincent Bracciale, Jr. | Richard W. Small | Robert E. Meyerhoff | 1:50.60 | I |
| 1987 | Gulch | Jose Santos | LeRoy Jolley | Peter M. Brant | 1:49.00 | I |
| 1988 | Private Terms | Chris Antley | Charles Hadry | Locust Hill Farm | 1:47.20 | I |
| 1989 | Easy Goer | Pat Day | C. R. McGaughey III | Ogden Phipps | 1:50.60 | I |
| 1990 | Thirty Six Red | Mike E. Smith | Nick Zito | B. Giles Brophy | 1:50.40 | I |
| 1991 | Cahill Road | Craig Perret | Scotty Schulhofer | Frances A. Genter | 1:48.40 | I |
| 1992 | Devil His Due | Mike E. Smith | H. Allen Jerkens | Lion Crest Stable | 1:49.20 | I |
| 1993 | Storm Tower | Rick Wilson | Ben W. Perkins, Jr. | Char-Mari Stable | 1:48.40 | I |
| 1994 | Irgun | Gary Stevens | Steven W. Young | B.& M. Chase | 1:49.00 | I |
| 1995 | Talkin Man | Shane Sellers | Roger Attfield | Kinghaven Farms | 1:49.20 | II |
| 1996 | Unbridled's Song | Mike E. Smith | James T. Ryerson | Paraneck Stable | 1:49.80 | II |
| 1997 | Captain Bodgit | Alex Solis | Gary Capuano | Team Valor | 1:48.20 | II |
| 1998 | Coronado's Quest | Robbie Davis | C. R. McGaughey III | Stuart S. Janney III | 1:47.40 | II |
| 1999 | Adonis | Jorge Chavez | Nick Zito | Paraneck Stable | 1:47.60 | II |
| 2000 | Fusaichi Pegasus | Kent Desormeaux | Neil D. Drysdale | Fusao Sekiguchi | 1:47.80 | II |
| 2001 | Congaree | Victor Espinoza | Bob Baffert | Stonerside Stable | 1:47.80 | II |
| 2002 | Buddha | Pat Day | H. James Bond | Gary and Mary West | 1:48.60 | I |
| 2003 | Empire Maker | Jerry Bailey | Robert J. Frankel | Juddmonte Farms | 1:48.60 | I |
| 2004 | Tapit | Ramon A. Dominguez | Michael W. Dickinson | Ronald Winchell | 1:49.60 | I |
| 2005 | Bellamy Road | Javier Castellano | Nick Zito | Kinsman Stable | 1:47.16 | I |
| 2006 | Bob and John | Garrett Gomez | Bob Baffert | Stonerside Stable | 1:51.54 | I |
| 2007 | Nobiz Like Shobiz | Cornelio Velasquez | Barclay Tagg | Elizabeth J. Valando | 1:49.46 | I |
| 2008 | Tale of Ekati | Edgar Prado | Barclay Tagg | Charles E. Fipke | 1:52.35 | I |
| 2009 | I Want Revenge | Joseph Talamo | Jeff Mullins | Lanzman & IEAH | 1:49.49 | I |
| 2010 | Eskendereya | John Velazquez | Todd A. Pletcher | Zayat Stables | 1:49.97 | I |
| 2011 | Toby's Corner | Eddie Castro | H. Graham Motion | Dianne Cotter | 1:49.93 | I |
| 2012 | Gemologist | Javier Castellano | Todd Pletcher | WinStar Farm | 1:50.96 | I |
| 2013 | Verrazano | John Velazquez | Todd A. Pletcher | Let's Go Stables | 1:50.27 | I |
| 2014 | Wicked Strong | Rajiv Maragh | James Jerkens | Centennial Farms | 1:49.31 | I |
| 2015 | Frosted | Joel Rosario | Kiaran McLaughlin | Godolphin Racing | 1:50.31 | I |
| 2016 | Outwork | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | Repole Stable | 1:52.92 | I |
| 2017 | Irish War Cry | Rajiv Maragh | H. Graham Motion | Isabelle de Tomaso | 1:50.91 | II |
| 2018 | Vino Rosso | John Velazquez | Todd Pletcher | Repole Stable and St. Elias Stable | 1:49.79 | II |
Notes:
- In 1956, Golf Ace won but was disqualified and placed 2nd.
- In 1962, Admiral's Voyage and Sunrise County finished in a dead heat. However, Sunrise County, was disqualified and placed 2nd.
- Leroy S. (1984), Cahill Road (1991), Irgun (1994), Coronado's Quest (1998), Buddha (2002). I Want Revenge (2009), Eskendereya (2010), and Toby's Corner (2011) are recent horses to win the Wood Memorial Stakes, but not run in the Kentucky Derby.[4]
See also
- Wood Memorial Stakes "top three finishers" and starters
References
^ "Blue Grass, Wood Memorial Downgraded". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 3 December 2016..mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"""""""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/65/Lock-green.svg/9px-Lock-green.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-gray-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .citation .cs1-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg/9px-Lock-red-alt-2.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration{color:#555}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription span,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration span{border-bottom:1px dotted;cursor:help}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg/12px-Wikisource-logo.svg.png")no-repeat;background-position:right .1em center}.mw-parser-output code.cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:inherit;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{font-size:100%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#33aa33;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-subscription,.mw-parser-output .cs1-registration,.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right,.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-wl-right{padding-right:0.2em}
^ "Wood Memorial Stakes Profile". equibase.com. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
^ Mieszerski, Bob (2005-04-10). "Bellamy Road Rules in Wood Memorial". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
^ TVG Trackside Live, April 6th, 2006 edition.
- History of the Wood Memorial Stakes at the NYRA
External links
- Ten Things You Should Know About the Wood Memorial at Hello Race Fans!
