Wood Memorial Stakes

Last updated
Wood Memorial Stakes
ClassGrade II
Location Aqueduct Racetrack
Ozone Park, Queens, New York
Inaugurated1925
Race type ThoroughbredFlat racing
Race information
Distance1+18 miles (9 furlongs)
SurfaceDirt
TrackLeft-handed
QualificationThree-year-olds
Weight 123 lbs (55.8 kg)
Purse$750,000

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 1 1/8 miles (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]

Contents

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). In 2025, both the winner Rodriguez and runner-up Grande were scratched from the Kentucky Derby with foot bruises.

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+116 miles from 1940 to 1951, after which it was changed to its present 1+18 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 1+18 mile distance in winning by 17+12 lengths for his owner, George Steinbrenner. [3]

Most wins by a jockey:

Most wins by a trainer:

Most wins by an owner:

Winners

Year
Winner
Jockey
Trainer
Owner
Dist.
(Miles)
Time
Win$
Gr.
2025Rodriguez Mike E. Smith Bob Baffert SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert E. Masterson, Tom J. Ryan, Waves Edge Capital & Catherine Donovan118 m1:48.15$400,000G2
2024Resilience John R. Velazquez William I. Mott Emily Bushnell & Ric Waldman118 m1:50.28$400,000G2
2023Lord Miles Paco Lopez Saffie A. Joseph Jr.Vegso Racing Stable118 m1:51.17$400,000G2
2022 Mo Donegal Joel Rosario Todd A. Pletcher Donegal Racing118 m1:47.96$400,000G2
2021BourbonicKendrick Carmouche Todd A. Pletcher Calumet Farm 118 m1:54.49$400,000G2
2020No Race
2019 Tacitus José Ortiz William I. Mott Juddmonte Farms Inc. 118 m1:51.23$400,000G2
2018 Vino Rosso John R. Velazquez Todd A. Pletcher Repole Stable & St. Elias Stable118 m1:49.79$535,000G2
2017 Irish War Cry Rajiv Maragh H. Graham Motion Isabelle de Tomaso118 m1:50.91$400,000G2
2016Outwork John R. Velazquez Todd A. Pletcher Repole Stable 118 m1:52.92$590,000G1
2015 Frosted Joel Rosario Kiaran McLaughlin Godolphin Racing 118 m1:50.31$590,000G1
2014 Wicked Strong Rajiv Maragh James Jerkens Centennial Farms118 m1:49.31$590,000G1
2013 Verrazano John R. Velazquez Todd A. Pletcher Let's Go Stables118 m1:50.27$600,000G1
2012Gemologist Javier Castellano Todd A. Pletcher WinStar Farm 118 m1:50.96$600,000G1
2011Toby's Corner Eddie Castro H. Graham Motion Dianne Cotter118 m1:49.93$600,000G1
2010 Eskendereya John R. Velazquez Todd A. Pletcher Zayat Stables 118 m1:49.97$450,000G1
2009 I Want Revenge Joseph Talamo Jeff Mullins David J. Lanzman & IEAH Stables 118 m1:49.49$450,000G1
2008 Tale of Ekati Edgar Prado Barclay Tagg Charles E. Fipke 118 m1:52.35$450,000G1
2007 Nobiz Like Shobiz Cornelio Velásquez Barclay Tagg Elizabeth J. Valando 118 m1:49.46$450,000G1
2006 Bob and John Garrett Gomez Bob Baffert Stonerside Stable 118 m1:51.54$450,000G1
2005 Bellamy Road Javier Castellano Nick Zito Kinsman Stable 118 m1:47.16$450,000G1
2004 Tapit Ramon A. Dominguez Michael W. Dickinson Ronald Winchell118 m1:49.60$450,000G1
2003 Empire Maker Jerry Bailey Robert J. Frankel Juddmonte Farms 118 m1:48.60$450,000G1
2002Buddha Pat Day H. James Bond Gary & Mary West 118 m1:48.60$450,000G1
2001 Congaree Victor Espinoza Bob Baffert Stonerside Stable 118 m1:47.80$450,000G2
2000 Fusaichi Pegasus Kent Desormeaux Neil D. Drysdale Fusao Sekiguchi 118 m1:47.80$450,000G2
1999Adonis Jorge Chavez Nick Zito Paraneck Stable 118 m1:47.60$360,000G2
1998 Coronado's Quest Robbie Davis Claude R. McGaughey III Stuart S. Janney III 118 m1:47.40$300,000G2
1997 Captain Bodgit Alex Solis Gary Capuano Team Valor 118 m1:48.20$300,000G2
1996 Unbridled's Song Mike E. Smith James T. Ryerson Paraneck Stable 118 m1:49.80$300,000G2
1995 Talkin Man Shane Sellers Roger Attfield Kinghaven Farms 118 m1:49.20$300,000G2
1994Irgun Gary Stevens Steven W. Young Brandon & Marianne Chase118 m1:49.00$300,000G1
1993Storm Tower Rick Wilson Benjamin W. Perkins Jr. Char-Mari Stable118 m1:48.40$300,000G1
1992 Devil His Due Mike E. Smith H. Allen Jerkens Lion Crest Stable118 m1:49.20$300,000G1
1991Cahill Road Craig Perret Scotty Schulhofer Frances A. Genter 118 m1:48.40$300,000G1
1990Thirty Six Red Mike E. Smith Nick Zito B. Giles Brophy 118 m1:50.40$362,400G1
1989 Easy Goer Pat Day Claude R. McGaughey III Ogden Phipps 118 m1:50.60$340,800G1
1988 Private Terms Chris Antley Charles Hadry Locust Hill Farm 118 m1:47.20$359,400G1
1987 Gulch José A. Santos LeRoy Jolley Peter M. Brant 118 m1:49.00$354,300G1
1986 Broad Brush Vincent Bracciale Jr. Richard W. Small Robert E. Meyerhoff 118 m1:50.60$178,500G1
1985Eternal Prince Richard Migliore John J. Lenzini Jr. Brian J. Hurst118 m1:48.80$177,900G1
1984Leroy S. Jean Cruguet Jan Nerud John A. Nerud 118 m1:51.40$180,000G1
1983-2Bounding Basque Gregg McCarron Woody Sedlacek Jacques Wimpfheimer118 m1:51.00$100,980G1
1983-1 Slew o' Gold Eddie Maple Sidney Watters Jr. Equusequity Stable118 m1:51.40$101,700G1
1982 Air Forbes Won Ángel Cordero Jr. Frank LaBoccetta Edward Anchel118 m1:51.00$105,120G1
1981 Pleasant Colony Jeffrey Fell John P. Campo Buckland Farm 118 m1:49.60$98,280G1
1980 Plugged Nickle Buck Thornburg Thomas J. Kelly John M. Schiff 118 m1:50.80$87,300G1
1979Instrument Landing Ángel Cordero Jr. David A. Whiteley Pen-Y-Bryn Farm 118 m1:49.20$85,650G1
1978 Believe It Eddie Maple Woody Stephens Hickory Tree Stable 118 m1:49.80$65,490G1
1977 Seattle Slew Jean Cruguet William H. Turner Jr. Karen L. Taylor118 m1:49.60$66,180G2
1976 Bold Forbes Ángel Cordero Jr. Laz Barrera E. Rodriguez Tizol 118 m1:47.40$67,560G1
1975 Foolish Pleasure Jacinto Vásquez LeRoy Jolley John L. Greer 118 m1:48.80$72,840G1
1974-2Rube The Great Miguel A. Rivera Pancho Martin Sigmund Sommer 118 m1:49.60$69,660G1
1974-1Flip Sal Ángel Cordero Jr. Stephen A. DiMauro Salvatore Tufano118 m1:51.40$69,360G1
1973 Angle Light Jacinto Vásquez Lucien Laurin Edwin Whittaker118 m1:49.80$68,940G1
1972Upper Case Ron Turcotte Lucien Laurin Meadow Stable 118 m1:49.00$71,040
1971Good Behaving Chuck Baltazar John P. Campo Neil Hellman118 m1:49.80$67,320
1970 Personality Eddie Belmonte John W. Jacobs Ethel D. Jacobs 118 m1:49.40$76,570
1969 Dike Jorge Velásquez Lucien Laurin Claiborne Farm 118 m1:49.60$72,085
1968 Dancer's Image Bobby Ussery Lou Cavalaris Jr. Peter D. Fuller 118 m1:49.00$73,775
1967 Damascus Bill Shoemaker Frank Y. Whiteley Jr. Edith W. Bancroft 118 m1:49.60$73,060
1966 Amberoid William Boland Lucien Laurin Reginald N. Webster 118 m1:49.60$74,425
1965 Flag Raiser Bobby Ussery Hirsch Jacobs Isidor Bieber 118 m1:50.20$60,222
1964 Quadrangle Bill Hartack J. Elliott Burch Rokeby Stable 118 m1:50.20$58,013
1963 No Robbery John L. Rotz John M. Gaver Sr. Greentree Stable 118 m1:49.20$59,020
1962 Admiral's Voyage Braulio Baeza Charles R. Parke Fred W. Hooper 118 m1:49.20$59,703
1961 Globemaster John L. Rotz Thomas J. Kelly Leonard P. Sasso118 m1:50.20$56,062
1960 Francis S. Bill Shoemaker Burley Parke Harbor View Farm 118 m1:50.20$60,465
1959Manassa Mauler Ray Broussard Pancho Martin Emil Dolce118 m1:49.60$55,915
1958 Jewel's Reward Eddie Arcaro Ivan H. Parke Maine Chance Farm 118 m1:50.20$37,575
1957 Bold Ruler Eddie Arcaro Jim Fitzsimmons Wheatley Stable 118 m1:48.80$40,800
1956Head Man Eddie Arcaro Sylvester Veitch Cornelius V. Whitney 118 m1:50.20$42,400
1955 Nashua Ted Atkinson Jim Fitzsimmons Belair Stud 118 m1:50.60$75,100
1954Correlation Bill Shoemaker Noble Threewitt Robert S. Lytle118 m1:50.00$86,000
1953 Native Dancer Eric Guerin William C. Winfrey Alfred G. Vanderbilt II 118 m1:50.60$87,000
1952Master Fiddle Dave Gorman Sol Rutchick Myhelen Stable118 m1:52.40$45,200
1951RepetoirePete McLeanAlbert JensenNora A. Mikell1116 m1:44.40$35,250
1950 Hill Prince Eddie Arcaro Casey Hayes Christopher Chenery 1116 m1:43.60$34,500
1949 Olympia Eddie Arcaro Ivan H. Parke Fred W. Hooper 1116 m1:45.00$31,850
1948My Request Douglas Dodson James P. Conway Florence Whitaker 1116 m1:46.20$34,600
1947-2 Phalanx Eddie Arcaro Sylvester Veitch Cornelis V. Whitney 1116 m1:43.80$31,325
1947-1I Will Eddie Arcaro Sidney Jacobs Jaclyn Stable 1116 m1:45.00$31,625
1946 Assault Warren Mehrtens Max Hirsch King Ranch 1116 m1:46.60$22,600
1945-2Jeep Arnold Kirkland Lydell T. Ruff Cornelius V. Whitney 1116 m1:45.80$18,945
1945-1 Hoop Jr. Eddie Arcaro Ivan H. Parke Fred W. Hooper 1116 m1:45.00$18,945
1944-2Lucky Draw Johnny Longden Bert Mulholland George D. Widener Jr. 1116 m1:46.20$20,115
1944-1Stir Up Eddie Arcaro John M. Gaver Sr. Greentree Stable 1116 m1:44.20$19,625
1943 Count Fleet Johnny Longden Don Cameron Fannie Hertz 1116 m1:43.00$20,150
1942Requested Wayne D. Wright Blackie McCoole Florence Whitaker 1116 m1:45.20$22,900
1941 Market Wise Don Meade George W. Carroll Louis Tufano1116 m1:45.60$16,650
1940Dit Leon Haas Max Hirsch W. Arnold Hanger1116 m1:45.80$19,225
1939 Johnstown James Stout Jim Fitzsimmons Belair Stud 1m, 70 yds1:42.00$17,675
1938Fighting Fox James Stout Jim Fitzsimmons Belair Stud 1m, 70 yds1:43.00$17,450
1937 Melodist Johnny Longden Jim Fitzsimmons Wheatley Stable 1m, 70 yds1:42.80$19,150
1936TeufelEddie Litzenberger Jim Fitzsimmons Wheatley Stable 1m, 70 yds1:43.20$10,775
1935Today Raymond Workman Thomas J. Healey Cornelius V. Whitney 1m, 70 yds1:42.80$11,350
1934 High Quest Dominick Bellizzi Robert A. Smith Brookmeade Stable 1m, 70 yds1:43.80$3,990
1933Mr. KhayyamPete Walls Matthew P. Brady Catawba Farm (Madelaine H. Austin)1m, 70 yds1:42.60$3,760
1932Universe Linus McAtee Joseph Bauer Thomas M. Cassidy1m, 70 yds1:43.00$10,400
1931 Twenty Grand Charley Kurtsinger James G. Rowe Jr. Greentree Stable 1m, 70 yds1:42.60$10,200
1930 Gallant Fox Earl Sande Jim Fitzsimmons Belair Stud 1m, 70 yds1:43.60$10,150
1929Essare Mack Garner Joe JohnsonJacques Stable1m, 70 yds1:44.00$11,000
1928DistractionDanny McAuliffeSunny Jim Fitzsimmons Wheatley Stable 1m, 70 yds1:46.00$11,300
1927SaxonGeorge Ellis James G. Rowe Sr. Greentree Stable 1m, 70 yds1:43.60$9,005
1926 Pompey Bennie Breuning William H. Karrick William R. Coe 1m, 70 yds1:42.00$8,700
1925Backbone Ivan H. Parke James G. Rowe Sr. Harry Payne Whitney 1m, 70 yds1:43.40$7,600

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. Leroy S. (1984), Cahill Road (1991), Irgun (1994), Coronado's Quest (1998), Buddha (2002), I Want Revenge (2009), Eskendereya (2010), Toby's Corner (2011), and Lord Miles (2023) are recent horses to win the Wood Memorial Stakes, but not run in the Kentucky Derby. [4] [5]

See also

References

  1. "Blue Grass, Wood Memorial Downgraded". BloodHorse.com. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  2. "Wood Memorial Stakes Profile". equibase.com. Retrieved 3 December 2016.
  3. Mieszerski, Bob (2005-04-10). "Bellamy Road Rules in Wood Memorial". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2010-01-16.
  4. TVG Trackside Live, April 6th, 2006 edition.
  5. Vogt, Dustin; Stevens, Mark (4 May 2023). "Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. suspended from Churchill Downs, Lord Miles scratched from Derby". WAVE . Gray Television. Retrieved 4 May 2023.