Owner: Rodriguez exits Wood well, Citizen Bull likely for Ky. Derby

The Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino saw its 100th running won by the talented Rodriguez for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert, providing his 10 owners with their third likely contender for the Kentucky Derby on May 3 after securing the maximum allotment of the 100-50-25-15-10 qualifying points available to the top-five finishers.

Tom Ryan, who co-owns the colt with SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert Masterson, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan, said Rodriguez emerged well from his win in the centennial running of the prestigious nine-furlong route for sophomores.

“It’s great to win the Wood in its 100th running,” Ryan said. “Roberto (Luna, groom) sent us some great video of him jogging up this morning and he’s moving like a gazelle – good color, licked his feed tub last night,” said Ryan, who also serves as the managing partner for SF Racing. “He’ll ship Tuesday back to California and we’ll work backwards from the Derby.”

Piloted to victory by Hall of Famer Mike Smith, the son of 2020 Horse of the Year Authentic led every step of the way over the fast footing through splits of 23.31, 47.44, 1:11.25 and 1:35.68. The Dylan Davis-piloted Grande was seventh in the early stages and steadily made up ground on the outside to give chase down the lane, but Rodriguez dug in gamely and won by a comfortable 3 1/2 lengths in a final time of 1:48.15. He was awarded a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure from Daily Racing Form for the effort.

Ryan said the assessment provided by the colt’s veteran rider, who noted Rodriguez was difficult to pull up in the gallop-out, is invaluable.

“The feedback from Mike Smith was, ‘Tom, he went through the wire with his ears pricked and he wanted more,’” Ryan said. “He’s a May baby that is really starting to come into himself at the right time, not widely different from his father. Authentic took a while to mature, not necessarily physically, but the mental aspect needed to come together. Mike got along well with Rodriguez yesterday, and that’s the key to it – understanding the horse’s mentality. He ran the way he likes to yesterday, and he sure as hell showed up.

“Coming from Mike, it’s meaningful,” Ryan added of the 2018 Triple Crown-winning rider. “He really knows every metropolitan racetrack in America, and the feedback is always good from him. He was riding around these tracks 30 years ago. He’s a great barometer. We wanted a good horse for Mike, and I’m glad it’s worked out. He’s excited, too.”

The 101 Beyer was the second triple-digit figure Rodriguez has earned and backed up the 100 he received for a dominant seven-length graduation in January over Baeza, who was a hard-fought second in Saturday’s Santa Anita Derby (G1). Ryan said Rodriguez was game to meet the challenges presented by his first foray outside of California.

“He came home in 12 and change and then needed the pony to pull him up,” Ryan said, with a laugh. “We couldn’t have been more proud of the effort. It was an excellent performance first time on a plane shipping over there. He handled it all very well, and we’re hopeful that sets him up nicely for the big dance.”

Rodriguez is the latest member of his family to provide success for Ryan and SF Racing, who co-owned his sire Authentic. Rodriguez is out of the winning Cherokee Run mare Cayala, who produced the SF Racing co-owned Grade 3-winner One Liner and the Grade 1-placed Provocateur, who now stands stud in New York.

“It was interesting. We had Authentic as a racehorse, and he was great. We typically spend about 80 to 90 percent of our capital on proven stallions, but we identified Authentic as a stallion we had confidence in his ability to produce a good, Classic distance colt,” Ryan explained. “We bought one in Saratoga, and I had it in my head we’d buy one or two. We ended up buying four, and Rodriguez was one of the four.”

Familiarity with the bloodlines helped Ryan to notice Rodriguez at the 2023 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. The colt’s strong physical and sparkling vet records were important, but Ryan said a positive review from Baffert was what gave him the green light to purchase him for $485,000 with Madaket Stables and Starlight Racing.

“He was a horse who was on the list, vetted, everything went well, and he was a highly-regarded horse,” Ryan said. “We weren’t really sure where he would land value wise. Bob saw him out back and said to me, ‘I really want to see that horse in the back ring and get a feel for him.’ He had seen him at the barn, but he wanted to see him again and how he reacted. That colt came up there and just stuck his chest out and said, ‘I’m the man.’ Bob came to me and said, ‘I want him.’

“It’s not like we stole him by any means, but we felt on the day that we were happy with the price,” Ryan added. “We owned the first foal out of that mare, and we’ve had a good relationship with that pedigree.”

As for the Wood Memorial victor’s name, Ryan said partner Gavin Murphy’s (SF Bloodstock) affinity for the film Searching for Sugar Man – not the World Series-winning third baseman Alex Rodriguez – led them to land on Rodriguez.

“Sixto Rodriguez is the character’s name, and some people think he’s named for A-Rod, and if that’s what they want, that’s fine, too,” Ryan said, with a laugh.

Rodriguez now boasts the most points of the six sophomores that have earned Kentucky Derby points for the ownership, and joins champion 2-year-old colt Citizen Bull, Grade 3 winner Getaway Car, and multiple graded stakes-placed Madaket Road (owned by all but Stonestreet Stables) as Baffert-trained contenders that currently hold enough points to make it into the Derby starting gate with two points races left to be run.

“The target was to have a good horse going to the Kentucky Derby and we feel like we have more than one,” Ryan said. “We probably buy about 20 horses in each crop and have run 15 3-year-olds (this year). It’s incredible to have a slate of horses that are competing at this level.”

Citizen Bull, winner of the American Pharoah (G1) and Breeders’ Cup Juvenile last year and Robert B. Lewis (G3) in February, dueled for the lead in yesterday’s Santa Anita Derby and was one length in front at the three-quarters call, but yielded in the turn and faded to finish fourth 9 3/4 lengths behind the victorious Journalism.

Ryan said the talented colt is still likely to be given a chance in the run for the roses.

“He didn’t give us what we hoped for yesterday, but upon review, that was only his second run since the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile, so it’s possible we went a little too light on him,” Ryan said. “He has the points to go, and no decisions are made the day after a race, but our current sense is he will go to the Derby.

?“We also have Madaket Road sitting on 46 points, and he came out of his race well,” Ryan added of the Florida Derby (G1) fourth-place finisher. “He’s still in the mix, too. Getaway Car has points, but we aren’t going to go that direction with him. He’s going to have some time off and we’ll let him fill out and hopefully have a good summer with him. I can’t speak highly enough of the job Bob and his team in the barn have done to keep these horses fit and sound and healthy and to navigate through the preps.”