NEW YORK — Gemologist won the $1 million Wood Memorial for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct on Saturday, holding off Alpha by a neck to improve to 5-for-5.
The latest victory makes the colt trained by Todd Pletcher one of the favorites for the Kentucky Derby on May 5. Gemologist will enjoy an important advantage over many rivals in the Derby, having already won twice at Churchill Downs. He captured an allowance race and the Kentucky Jockey Club Stakes there to close out his 2-year-old season.
Ridden by Javier Castellano, Gemologist ran 1 ⅛ miles in 1:50.96. The $600,000 first prize in the Wood ensures Gemologist a starting spot in the Derby, where the 20 entrants are determined by graded stakes earnings. Teeth of the Dog finished third.
Coming into the Wood, Gemologist was light on graded earnings, having banked only $103,855. He also was largely untested.
Trapped in traffic on the first turn, Alpha took up the chase and made it a two-horse battle to the wire. Alpha had the momentum but Gemologist had more in reserve, striding out strongly to preserve the victory in the last major 3-year-old stakes in New York before the Derby.
The $200,000 for second also cinched a Derby spot for Alpha.
I’ll Have Another wins Santa Anita prep •ARCADIA, Calif. — I’ll Have Another edged 4-5 favorite Creative Cause by a nose in the $750,000 Santa Anita Derby.
Sent off at 4-1 odds, I’ll Have Another ran 1 ⅛ miles in 1:47.88 under Mario Gutierrez in the West’s leading prep for the Kentucky Derby.
Footnotes. Karlovy Vary took an early lead and easily beat favorite Stephanie’s Kitten in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes for fillies at Keeneland in Lexington, Ky. The 3-year-old brown filly’s next stop is likely the Kentucky Oaks on May 4 after a change in strategy has netted her two straight victories. … Long-shot Done Talking won the $500,000 Illinois Derby, beating Morgan’s Guerrilla by three-quarters of a length at Hawthorne Race Course in Cicero.
