Lineup for the Wood Memorial - to be aired on NBC Sports Saturday …
$750,000 Wood Memorial - Grade 1
1 1/8 miles for 3-year-olds, dirt
PP. Horse, Jockey
With all the rain in the forecast, Aqueduct canceled their card today to ensure the best possible surface for tomorrow.
I’m still crossing my fingers for a Giant Moon scratch so I don’t feel bad about not activating him for my RTTR stable this weekend. Go figure I have 7 horses running, 5 in the Wood alone. 
(For all you betting folks-- that means you should go run out and put TONS of money on Giant Moon to win tomorrow. Heck, I’m half tempted to myself. :lol:)
The third-pool for the Future waging is open: live odds here for the separate choices plus field for the rest; the wagers are locked in 6pm EST Sunday
Tomcito’s odd have shortened from 30-1 to 26-1 currently
Big Brown opened at 3-1 and briefly dropped to 5-2 but has moved back to 3-1
Pyro has the same as Big Brown
War Pass, the fallen hero, has been beaten up by punters too: from 6-1 to now a more longer shot 10-1
War Pass, per on air reporting with TVG, was “injured” enroute from Florida to NY for the Wood. He suffered a cut to his chin that required 3 stitches. While minor it raises an issue with potentially having to give him any kind of drugs in order to stitch him up.
They could scratch him from the Wood.
Re: War Pass
Things could change, but it doesn’t sound like they’re intending on scratching at this point:
“We had to put three staples under his chin because he hit his head on the plane,” Zito said. “He looks great and he’s acting great.” The trainer said the wound is superficial.
http://www.thedowneyprofile.com/#Racing
Sheesh, Zito is having no luck these past few weeks.
[QUOTE=Texarkana;3123410]
I’m still crossing my fingers for a Giant Moon scratch so I don’t feel bad about not activating him for my RTTR stable this weekend.[/QUOTE]
Regarding Giant Moon …
The Daily News (NY) 4-4-08 “In Wood, a Giant cloud over Moon”
excerpt
… if the weatherman knows what he’s talking about, you can say good night Moon. He can’t run a mile-eighth in galoshes.
It’s not that Giant Moon is allergic to a wet track … wait a minute, yes he is. He was a perfect 4-for-4 coming into last month’s Grade III Gotham. But he broke poorly, disappeared in the heavy fog and the next time Schosberg spotted the second choice, “he was closer to the ambulance than the front end.”
And when the sloppy mile was over, he sloshed home last, jockey Ramon Dominguez never bothering to reach for his whip. “The jockey wrapped up on him, did the right thing,” Schosberg says now. "Save him for another day. "
So this is what the trainer found out about his horse that day: in serious slop, Giant Moon might be a lot better off in the barn, counting raindrops. Schosberg: “The Gotham was so extraordinary awful, just terrible, a sea of slop. But what can you do, it’s an outdoor sport.”
As Texarkana said just a few staples and War Pass was good as new 
According to trainer Nick Zito, the landing of a Tex Sutton flight Thursday afternoon at Farmingdale Airport on Long Island was a bit bumpy and War Pass hit his head on a bar where he was standing, causing a small hole in his chin from where he was bleeding.
After War Pass vanned to Belmont Park from the airport, Dr. James Hunt inserted three staples to close the wound. On a damp, raw Friday morning, War Pass galloped in Zito’s barn as opposed to going to the track and looked the picture of health as he walked the shed row Friday afternoon, nibbling at his hotwalker’s hand.
“Does he look in peril to you?” Zito said when told about rumors regarding the colt’s health. “He screamed for his food at 7 o’clock last night. He had a good night. I dare anyone who thinks he’s in peril to try and get in the stall with him.”
What time is the NBC broadcast today? For some reason, the TV complete listings link on BH gives me nothing.
I tossed CV and TofE around all week. I can’t tell you how excited I am that I stuck with TofE. BTW, standings have FINALLY been updated on the ST site
Kind of appropriate that Colonel John’s trainer, Eoin Harty, would have one of his biggest successes as a trainer on Grand National day. Eoin’s father, Eddie Harty, rode the winner of the National in 1969, Highland Wedding. He also has the unique distinction of being the only person to win the National and ride in the Olympics, as he rode for Ireland in the Three Day Event at the 1960 Olympics in Rome. Eoin’s brother, Eddie Jnr is also a trainer, he had the winner of the Supreme Novice’s Hurdle at last month’s Cheltenham festival, a horse who also share’s a military sounding name, Captain Cee Bee. That horse is named after Eoin and Eddie Jnr’s grandfather, Capt Cyril B. Harty, who trained Knight’s Crest to win the Irish Grand National in 1944 and prior to that was a international showjumper who rode Nation’s Cup for Ireland. There’s some serious blacktype in that horseman’s pedigree!
Meanwhile the other big winner of the day, Tale of Etaki, is also trained by an ex-jump jockey, Barclay Tagg.
http://www.latimes.com/sports/printedition/la-sp-horse6apr06,1,4579825.story
Bob Black Jack not going.
Am I alone in thinking that War Pass - despite having the money - just has too many factors which will make his ability to win the Derby slim to none?
The two big ones being that he doesn’t rate and doesn’t seem to have the distance of 1 1/4 in him. Any comparison to Hard Spun just isn’t there in my view as HS did rate and was more gutsy.
This weekend knocked a lot of horses out from being legit contenders. Anything can happen in Louisville but no chance in heck Anak Nakal will win, etc
I agree with you about War Pass, it seems like as long as he is in front he is fine. But, does he have the distance? I don’t think so either.
On another note, I was so happy that Country Star was running again this weekend. Anybody have any opinions about her performance? I was disappointed, do you think her lay off is to blame?
[QUOTE=Glimmerglass;3128732]
Am I alone in thinking that War Pass - despite having the money - just has too many factors which will make his ability to win the Derby slim to none?
The two big ones being that he doesn’t rate and doesn’t seem to have the distance of 1 1/4 in him. Any comparison to Hard Spun just isn’t there in my view as HS did rate and was more gutsy.
This weekend knocked a lot of horses out from being legit contenders. Anything can happen in Louisville but no chance in heck Anak Nakal will win, etc[/QUOTE]
Yeah, after last weekend Giant Moon is out. And probably Atoned, too.
War Pass is a very nice horse, but I don’t think he will like the 1 1/4 miles in the Derby. I see a couple of small similarities between War Pass and Hard Spun, but I agree that Hard Spun was more of a trier. He never turned in a clunker like War Pass did.
My top 3 Derby picks are now Pyro, Big Brown, and Colonel John. Not sure yet who I will pick to win. I think all of Colonel John’s races have been on synthetics. Any opinions about how he’ll do on dirt? His trainer and jockey don’t seem to think it will be a problem.
Latest graded stakes earnings list of contenders (Apr 6)
My assumptions are …
1 - No filly in the Derby this year: no Proud Spell (#3) or Eight Bells (17)
2 - No Kodiak Kowboy (#8); No Anak Nakal (#16)
Others that could skip
1 - Adriano (#11)
2 - Salute the Sarge (#14)
3 - Bob Black Jack (#20)
Notice one thing about the current top 20? Not one Pletcher horse.
I’m going with Colonel John. He looked fabulous in the paddock, and I think the way the Santa Anita ran will set him up perfectly for the Derby.
Put me down for Pyro.
Interestingly … LA Times Apr 8, 2008 “Kentucky Derby has a full field but few contenders”
Two of the certainties of spring are the NHL playoffs will begin without the Los Angeles Kings and that UCLA will be a Final Four loser.
Another is the Kentucky Derby will have a full field, meaning 20 3-year-old horses will enter the starting gate May 3 at Churchill Downs.
So many of them should not bother this year. At this point, it is extremely difficult to imagine any horse other than Pyro, Big Brown or Colonel John winning the 134th Derby.
Dismissed runners who won this weekend …
Tale of Ekati prevailed despite a turtle-like final eighth of a mile. Rest assured, the last furlong of the Kentucky Derby won’t take more than 14 seconds to complete.
Recapturetheglory, whose only win before Saturday came against maidens, will never get an easier trip. All he will be in the Derby is another pace casualty.
Who knows maybe War Pass will be used as a rabbit for Cool Coal Man 
Reminder - there is a dedicated site from Keeneland for: 2008 Toyota BlueGrass Stakes
The live selection show will be on TVG Wed morning.
Okay guys, this is my filly. High Resolve, I hear from in-the-know sources, might make a bid. She is 5-5-0-0 and has made $187,000 which would put here 17th or 18th on the Derby trail. Take a look at her.
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