Pletcher to Enter Outwork, Cards of Stone in Wood Memorial
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Trainer Todd Pletcher has shored up his contingent for the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial on April 9 at Aqueduct Racetrack, confirming both Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby runner-up Outwork and standout allowance winner Cards of Stone on the final New York stop on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.
Outwork and Cards of Stone each turned in their final works for the Wood at their respective training bases on Saturday morning. Cards of Stone, owned in a partnership led by Highclere America, breezed five furlongs at the Belmont Park training track, covering the distance in 1:02 2/5. Saturday's breeze was his third regular workout since beating a group of optional-claimers by 13 lengths on the Aqueduct inner track on March 4 to earn a personal-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure.
The New York-bred son of Bustin Stones broke his maiden and ran second against state-breds going two turns while under the care of trainer H. James Bond before being purchased privately and transferred to Pletcher in January. Cards of Stone's connections opted to skip the Grade 3 Withers on January 30 and aim instead for the mile-and-70-yard Gander for New York-breds, where the dark bay gelding finished a troubled fifth.
Outwork, meanwhile, breezed five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 for the trainer at Palm Beach Downs in south Florida, only the colt's second breeze since running a game second in the Tampa Bay Derby to his Kentucky Derby-bound stablemate Destin.
Repole Stable's lightly raced Outwork broke his maiden at first asking last April at Keeneland, wiring the field in a 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight to draw off by 2 ¼ lengths. The Uncle Mo homebred returned fresh as a 3-year-old, revamping his initial effort with a 4 ¼-length optional-claiming score against sprinters in February at Tampa Bay Downs en route to his two-turn stakes debut the following month.
"He's a big, strong colt," said Pletcher. "I thought he was surprisingly precocious last year when he won the 4 ½-furlong race. He got some time off after that and everything's gone really well this winter. He stepped up off one six-furlong race and ran a really key race in the Tampa Derby and we hope that that race and the works he's had since then will move him forward."
The 1 1/8-mile Wood virtually guarantees its first and second-place finishers a starting spot in the May 7 "Run for the Roses," offering 100 qualifying points to the winner as part of the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" system, 40 points to second, 20 to third and 10 to fourth.
Outwork and Cards of Stone each turned in their final works for the Wood at their respective training bases on Saturday morning. Cards of Stone, owned in a partnership led by Highclere America, breezed five furlongs at the Belmont Park training track, covering the distance in 1:02 2/5. Saturday's breeze was his third regular workout since beating a group of optional-claimers by 13 lengths on the Aqueduct inner track on March 4 to earn a personal-best 92 Beyer Speed Figure.
The New York-bred son of Bustin Stones broke his maiden and ran second against state-breds going two turns while under the care of trainer H. James Bond before being purchased privately and transferred to Pletcher in January. Cards of Stone's connections opted to skip the Grade 3 Withers on January 30 and aim instead for the mile-and-70-yard Gander for New York-breds, where the dark bay gelding finished a troubled fifth.
Outwork, meanwhile, breezed five furlongs in 1:00 2/5 for the trainer at Palm Beach Downs in south Florida, only the colt's second breeze since running a game second in the Tampa Bay Derby to his Kentucky Derby-bound stablemate Destin.
Repole Stable's lightly raced Outwork broke his maiden at first asking last April at Keeneland, wiring the field in a 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight to draw off by 2 ¼ lengths. The Uncle Mo homebred returned fresh as a 3-year-old, revamping his initial effort with a 4 ¼-length optional-claiming score against sprinters in February at Tampa Bay Downs en route to his two-turn stakes debut the following month.
"He's a big, strong colt," said Pletcher. "I thought he was surprisingly precocious last year when he won the 4 ½-furlong race. He got some time off after that and everything's gone really well this winter. He stepped up off one six-furlong race and ran a really key race in the Tampa Derby and we hope that that race and the works he's had since then will move him forward."
The 1 1/8-mile Wood virtually guarantees its first and second-place finishers a starting spot in the May 7 "Run for the Roses," offering 100 qualifying points to the winner as part of the "Road to the Kentucky Derby" system, 40 points to second, 20 to third and 10 to fourth.
* * *
From trainer Barclay Tagg's winter base at Palm Meadows Training Center in Boynton Beach, Florida, Tale of S'avall continued his final preparations towardsnext Saturday's Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial, breezing five furlongs in 1:00.05 Sunday morning.
"He's doing great," said Tagg. "It was a very nice work in company and we're happy with it. Going a minute, it was just what we were looking for."
A homebred for owner Charles Fipke, who campaigned Tale of S'avall's sire, 2008 Wood Memorial winner Tale of Ekati, also trained by Tagg, the pair hope to repeat their previous effort with another victory in the Wood, which comes with 100 qualifying points, securing a berth in the Kentucky Derby.
With only three career starts including a pair of fifth-place finishes in his last two - over a sloppy track in the Grade 1 Champagne last October at Belmont Park and, most recently, in his first start of the year on March 5 in the Tampa Bay Derby - Tale of S'avall is left with one shot in New York to make a "Run for the Roses" on the first Saturday in May.
"Our backs are [kind of] to the wall here," said Tagg. "We had to run him in the Tampa Derby since it was the only place we could go at the time to try to get him some points and he couldn't do it, so now we're running in the Wood. He kind of bruised his feet in the Champagne and we tried to get him to the Breeders' Cup [Juvenile]. We took him down there to Kentucky and we had slop the whole week. For a while, we've had to deal with a series of minor issues with him, just baby stuff. We took our time getting him back, got him all fixed up.
"The Derby's very difficult to get into," he added. "I'd like to get there the right way and we've had to shift around a little bit to try to make that happen. We're up against it but, anyway, that's where we are."
Tale of S'avall is expected to arrive in New York on Thursday by plane.
* * *
Betting his entire bankroll to win in Saturday's first race at Gulfstream, Anthony Kite was swiftly rewarded for his bold move to start the day.
Jumping out to an early lead in Saturday's "Big A Challenge" handicapping tournament, Kite held on for good in yesterday's finale at Aqueduct when Nuffsaid Nuffsaid crossed the wire three-quarter of a length in front. Kite earned top honors and finished with $2,610 in winnings and $6,810 in total prize money in addition to a first prize seat in the upcoming Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge.
The live-money tournament, held in Aqueduct's Manhattan Terrace, attracted 151 entrants in which participants placed win, place, show, and exacta and trifecta wagers on races from Saturday's card at the Big A and Gulfstream Park.
Joining Kite on the leaderboard was runner-up Bill Rendino with $3,405 in total prize-money, and third-place finisher Christian Orscher, who took home $2,724 in total winnings with each also earning a seat to the National Handicapping Challenge for their second and third-place finish.
For full results and standings from the "Big A Challenge" please visit NYRA.com.
The live-money tournament, held in Aqueduct's Manhattan Terrace, attracted 151 entrants in which participants placed win, place, show, and exacta and trifecta wagers on races from Saturday's card at the Big A and Gulfstream Park.
Joining Kite on the leaderboard was runner-up Bill Rendino with $3,405 in total prize-money, and third-place finisher Christian Orscher, who took home $2,724 in total winnings with each also earning a seat to the National Handicapping Challenge for their second and third-place finish.
For full results and standings from the "Big A Challenge" please visit NYRA.com.
* * *
Racing fans will be able to get a head start on all the action on Wood Memorial Day, Saturday, April 9 at Aqueduct Racetrack, featuring an early post time of 12:20 p.m. EDT and a special 12-race card, comprised of five graded stakes and anchored by the Grade 1, $1 million Wood Memorial.
Guests will also be able to pick up a commemorative Wood Memorial baseball cap with the purchase of a racing publication, including the Post Parade program and Daily Racing Form, Longshots admission or dining reservation in Equestris, while supplies last.
The Wood Memorial is scheduled as Race 10 with a set post time of 5:30 p.m. and will be included in a pair of guaranteed wagers. The Big A will offer a $500,000 All Graded Stakes Guaranteed Pick 4, beginning in Race 8 and concluding with Race 11, while the $100,000 Guaranteed Pick 6 will comprise of Races 7 through 12.
As part of the final round of official prep races on the "Road to the Kentucky Derby", the Wood Memorial will be part of a special live coverage on NBC Sports Network from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. EDT that will feature all three Derby preps this Saturday, kicked off by the Wood Memorial and scheduled to be joined by the Grade 1 Blue Grass at Keeneland and the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park.
Gates will open at 11 a.m. EDT and simulcasting will be available at Aqueduct and the Belmont Café. Online wagering is available online at NYRA.com.
Source: NYRA Communications
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