Brooklyn Strong’s trainer expects to win Wood Memorial

Trainer Daniel Velazquez has every reason to be filled with trepidation and doubt as he prepares Brooklyn Strong for the Grade 2 Wood Memorial Stakes on Saturday at Aqueduct.

The gelding, purchased by Mark Schwartz for a mere $5,000 as a 2-year-old in training, has not competed since he battled his way to a neck victory in the Dec. 5 Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct to give Velazquez his first graded-stakes victory. The 3-year-old became ill and lost considerable weight after the Remsen. The combination of the unspecified illness and horrible weather at his Parx Racing home base kept him from returning to the work tab until Feb. 26.

Such adversity would be daunting for anyone. And yet Velazquez, who began training on his own in 2009, could not be more confident about his all-or-nothing bid to advance to his first Kentucky Derby.

“He’s doing awesome. He’s doing as good as I want him to do, and I’m extremely excited,” Velazquez said. “I don’t see it any other way but me winning.”

When it was pointed out that such a statement about Brooklyn Strong’s prospects is, well, rather strong, he responded, “It is a little out there. I’ve got to say it, because that’s how I’m feeling, and that’s how I’m rolling into the race. Very confident.”

If all had gone well after the Remsen, the connections had hoped to use the March 6 Gotham Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct as a prelude to the Wood Memorial, which offers Derby qualifying points to the top four finishers on a 100-40-20-10 basis. Brooklyn Strong, with 10 points, surely would advance to the first Saturday in May with a top-two finish. He might well make the anticipated 20-horse field if he should run third in the Wood.

After so much has gone wrong, how can Velazquez suddenly expect everything to go right when it absolutely must?

“Confidence just comes from watching him do his thing and watching him train. He’s hit every mark I wanted him to hit,” he said. “Obviously, my training program involves way more than five works going into a race like this off a layoff. But I didn’t have the luxury of time to get more works or a better set-up.”

All five works were conducted at Parx and featured strong gallop-outs, beginning with a three-furlong move in 36.89 seconds. The highlight came March 20, when he drilled five furlongs in a bullet 59.71 seconds, fastest of 16 at that distance that morning. A week later he covered six furlongs in 1:13.42.

Brooklyn Strong already has defied all odds. Horses purchased so inexpensively are not expected to sweep three of their first four starts for earnings of $195,000 as he has.

“He’s a special horse,” Velazquez said. “He’s gotten fitter faster than most horses.”

Velazquez went on: “Obviously, training and running are two different things, and having a prep race would be key. But the way I feel, I don’t think he’s going to be short. I think he’s fit enough to do it. I might be wrong. I might eat my words. But I don’t think so.”

Joel Rosario, who rode Brooklyn Strong to a gritty Remsen score, is taking his chances elsewhere in a bid to give himself the best possible Derby shot. Manny Franco replaces Rosario.

Interestingly, Wicked Strong, Brooklyn Strong’s sire, captured the Wood before finishing fourth in both the Kentucky Derby and Belmont Stakes for well-respected trainer Jimmy Jerkens.

Velazquez insisted he does not feel pressure as the most important race of his career approaches.

“I feel like I’m the winner,” he said. “You’ll be talking to me after the race.”