Daily Racing Form handicappers David Aragona and Mike Beer preview the Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes, a 1 1/8-mile dirt stakes for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct in Ozone Park, N.Y.
Saturday’s Race 12 carries a $750,000 purse and a post time of 6:34 p.m. Eastern – and it is the final Wood Memorial to be run at Aqueduct, which closes later this year. It also is part of the final round of 200-point Kentucky Derby qualifying preps. The two Daily Racing Form handicappers split on their top selections in a wide-open field: Aragona tops with Albus, Beer with Courting. Neither lands on the 5-2 morning-line favorite, Iron Honor, as a top choice.
Aragona’s top pick: No. 7 Albus
Embed from Getty ImagesAlbus, trained by Riley Mott, won his maiden at Tampa Bay Downs last time out in just his third career start, and the visual left an impression. Aragona points to the way he reached through the final quarter-mile – a big, ground-eating stride that suggests the 1 1/8 miles will suit him. “He’s just got this big, long stride on,” Aragona said. “He feels like a horse that is really going to have no problem getting the nine furlongs.”
The connections had Albus pointed to the Florida Derby before scratching in favor of this more wide-open spot, a decision Aragona called wise. He also noted that DRF clocker Mike Welsh had positive things to say about the horse’s Florida Derby works and flagged that Mott is 3 for 8 moving maiden winners into stakes races, with six in-the-money finishes from that small sample.
Beer is on board with the visual. “I really liked the visual of his win last time,” he said. “I really thought he moved forward last time. That was the finish of that race – really impressive.” Beer took a long look at Albus but ultimately landed elsewhere.
Beer’s top pick: No. 8 Courting
Courting, trained by Todd Pletcher, arrives as a $5 million yearling purchase who has yet to fully deliver on his blue-chip pedigree. Beer sees a horse who is talented enough to win this race if he finally puts a complete effort together. “Hopefully, the pace will be there for him,” Beer said. “Maybe he’ll finally put everything together and run a complete race here. If he does, I think he’s interesting.”
Courting showed promise in his first two starts before a pair of uneven performances in the Remsen and the Risen Star – the latter coming with blinkers, which Pletcher is removing for this start. Beer acknowledged the questions but said he is willing to give the horse one more chance at the right price.
Aragona said he naturally gravitated toward Courting but talked himself out of topping with him after seeing too many things that kept him away. Both agree he can win.
Aragona’s price play: No. 2 Talk to Me Jimmy
Talk to Me Jimmy, trained by Rudy Rodriguez, won the Withers by 11 lengths last time in a performance that initially left both handicappers scratching their heads. On reflection, Aragona concluded the effort was more legitimate than it looked. “When I capped this race, I kind of unexpectedly found myself gravitating toward Talk to Me Jimmy,” Aragona said. “The performance last time looks more legitimate in the rearview mirror.”
Beer agrees the horse may be underrated but flagged that the pace setup in the Wood will be very different from the Withers, where Talk to Me Jimmy controlled unchallenged fractions. “He’s going to have to do it a different way in this race,” Beer said.
Beer’s price play: No. 9 Bravaro
Bravaro, trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., ran in both the Holy Bull and the Fountain of Youth against tougher horses than he faces here. Beer sees class relief and felt Bravaro had a subtly bad trip last time in the Fountain of Youth – caught in bad position early, shuffled back, and unable to make up ground against a top-end field.
“I’d be willing to give him another chance,” Beer said. “I think this is class relief.”
Aragona shares the class-relief view but noted that blinkers are going on for the first time, and Saffie Joseph Jr. is 0 for 26 adding blinkers in stakes races over the past five years.
The favorite: No. 13 Iron Honor
Iron Honor, trained by Chad Brown, is the horse both handicappers acknowledge as the most accomplished in the field on figures and form. He has back-to-back 90-plus Beyers and has won both career starts with good stalking trips. Aragona called him the horse to beat on accomplishment alone. The concern is post 13 – Manny Franco will need to find a forward position from the far outside in a race with an expected contested, which could work against him.
The handicappers’ verdict
David Aragona’s pick
No. 7 Albus
No. 2 Talk to Me Jimmy
No. 8 Courting
No. 13 Iron Honor
Mike Beer’s picks
No. 8 Courting
No. 9 Bravaro
No. 1 Napoleon Solo
No. 13 Iron Honor
Watch for more thoughts on this race from David and Mike:
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