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Wood Memorial Stakes

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Wood Memorial Stakes
Grade I race
LocationAqueduct Racetrack
Queens, New York
Inaugurated1925
Race typeThoroughbred - Flat racing
WebsiteAqueduct Racetrack
Race information
Distance1⅛ miles (9 furlongs)
TrackDirt, Left-handed
QualificationThree-year-olds
Weight123 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 at Aqueduct Racetrack in Jamaica, New York. It is currently a Grade I race run over a distance of 9 furlongs on dirt.

The Wood Memorial is currently one of five Grade I races run as preps for the US Triple Crown. For whatever reason, only fourteen of the last twenty-one winners (67%) have been able to run in the first leg of the Triple Crown, the Kentucky Derby. In comparison; the Blue Grass Stakes has had twenty-one (100%), the Florida Derby has had twenty (95%), the Santa Anita Derby has had eighteen (86%), and the Arkansas Derby has had seventeen of their last twenty-one winners (81%) who got to the starting gate of the Kentucky Derby.

The winners of the Wood Memorial who were unable to run in the Kentucky Derby were Toby's Corner 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), Buddha with separation of the hoof wall from the laminae of his left front leg (2002), Coronado's Quest due to his bad behavior and the circus-like atmosphere at Churchill Downs (1998), Irgun with an abscess in his right front hoof (1994), Cahill Road with a pulled suspensory ligament in his left front ankle (1991), and Leroy S. who had knee surgery (1984).

On the positive side, the Wood Memorial has had eleven winners go on to capture victory in the Kentucky Derby, four of whom captured the Triple Crown. The most famous loser in the Wood Memorial was the immortal Secretariat who finished third in 1973.

It 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 Racetrack where the race was run until 1960.

From 1925 to 1939 it 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.

Records

In 2005, Bellamy Road set a new stakes record of 1:47.16 at the 1⅛ mile distance in winning by 17½ lengths for his famous owner, George Steinbrenner.[1]

Most wins by a jockey:

Most wins by a trainer:

Most wins by an owner:

Winners of the Wood Memorial Stakes

Year
Winner
Jockey
Trainer
Owner
Time
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 Lydel 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 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
1974 Flip Sal Angel Cordero, Jr. Stephen A. DiMauro Salvatore Tufano 1:51.40
1974 Rube The Great Miguel A. Rivera Pancho Martin Sigmund Sommer 1:49.60
1975 Foolish Pleasure Jacinto Vasquez LeRoy Jolley John L. Greer 1:48.80
1976 Bold Forbes Angel Cordero, Jr. Laz Barrera E. Rodriguez Tizol 1:47.40
1977 Seattle Slew Jean Cruguet William H. Turner, Jr. Karen L. Taylor 1:49.60
1978 Believe It Eddie Maple Woody Stephens Hickory Tree Stable 1:49.80
1979 Instrument Landing Angel Cordero, Jr. David A. Whiteley Pen-Y-Bryn Farm 1:49.20
1980 Plugged Nickle Buck Thornburg Thomas J. Kelly John M. Schiff 1:50.80
1981 Pleasant Colony Jeffrey Fell John P. Campo Buckland Farm 1:49.60
1982 Air Forbes Won Angel Cordero, Jr. Frank LaBoccetta Edward Anchel 1:51.00
1983 Bounding Basque Gregg McCarron Woody Sedlacek Jacques Wimpfheimer 1:51.00
1983 Slew o' Gold Eddie Maple Sidney Watters, Jr. Equusequity Stable 1:51.40
1984 Leroy S. Jean Cruguet Jan Nerud John A. Nerud 1:51.40
1985 Eternal Prince Richard Migliore John J. Lenzini, Jr. Brian J. Hurst 1:48.80
1986 Broad Brush Vincent Bracciale, Jr. Richard W. Small Robert E. Meyerhoff 1:50.60
1987 Gulch Jose Santos LeRoy Jolley Peter M. Brant 1:49.00
1988 Private Terms Chris Antley Charles Hadry Locust Hill Farm 1:47.20
1989 Easy Goer Pat Day C. R. McGaughey III Ogden Phipps 1:50.60
1990 Thirty Six Red Mike E. Smith Nick Zito B. Giles Brophy 1:50.40
1991 Cahill Road Craig Perret Scotty Schulhofer Frances A. Genter 1:48.40
1992 Devil His Due Mike E. Smith H. Allen Jerkens Lion Crest Stable 1:49.20
1993 Storm Tower Rick Wilson Ben W. Perkins, Jr. Char-Mari Stable 1:48.40
1994 Irgun Gary Stevens Steven W. Young B.& M. Chase 1:49.00
1995 Talkin Man Shane Sellers Roger Attfield Kinghaven Farms 1:49.20
1996 Unbridled's Song Mike E. Smith James T. Ryerson Paraneck Stable 1:49.80
1997 Captain Bodgit Alex Solis Gary Capuano Team Valor 1:48.20
1998 Coronado's Quest Robbie Davis C. R. McGaughey III Stuart S. Janney III 1:47.40
1999 Adonis Jorge Chavez Nick Zito Paraneck Stable 1:47.60
2000 Fusaichi Pegasus Kent Desormeaux Neil D. Drysdale Fusao Sekiguchi 1:47.80
2001 Congaree Victor Espinoza Bob Baffert Stonerside Stable 1:47.80
2002 Buddha Pat Day H. James Bond Gary and Mary West 1:48.60
2003 Empire Maker Jerry Bailey Robert J. Frankel Juddmonte Farms 1:48.60
2004 Tapit Ramon A. Dominguez Michael W. Dickinson Ronald Winchell 1:49.60
2005 Bellamy Road Javier Castellano Nick Zito Kinsman Stable 1:47.16
2006 Bob and John Garrett Gomez Bob Baffert Stonerside Stable 1:51.54
2007 Nobiz Like Shobiz Cornelio Velasquez Barclay Tagg Elizabeth J. Valando 1:49.46
2008 Tale of Ekati Edgar Prado Barclay Tagg Charles E. Fipke 1:52.35
2009 I Want Revenge Joseph Talamo Jeff Mullins Lanzman & IEAH 1:49.49
2010 Eskendereya John Velazquez Todd A. Pletcher Zayat Stables 1:49.97
2011 Toby's Corner Eddie Castro H. Graham Motion Dianne Cotter 1:49.93
2012 Gemologist Javier Castellano Todd Pletcher WinStar Farm 1:50.96

Notes:

  1. In 1956, Golf Ace won but was disqualified and placed 2nd.
  2. In 1962, Admiral's Voyage and Sunrise County finished in a dead heat. However, Sunrise County, was disqualified and placed 2nd.
  3. Coronado's Quest (1998), Irgun (1994), Buddha (2002) and I Want Revenge (2009), Eskendereya (2010), and Toby's Corner (2011) are the only horses to win the Wood Memorial Stakes, but not run in the Kentucky Derby.[2]

See also

References

  1. ^ Mieszerski, Bob (2005-04-10). "Bellamy Road Rules in Wood Memorial". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  2. ^ TVG Trackside Live, April 6th, 2006 edition.
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