Adam Mooshian Photo

One Liner, Mo Town top G2 Wood Memorial nominations

by Heather Pettinger

Stakes winners One Liner, Mo Town, El Areeb, and Irish War Cry lead a group of 28 sophomores nominated to the the 93rd running of the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by NYRA Bets, scheduled for Saturday, April 8 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

As part of the official Road to the Kentucky Derby prep series, the 1 1/8-mile Wood is the final stop in New York en route to the "Run for the Roses," worth 100 qualifying points to the winner, 40 points to second, 20 to third and 10 to fourth - virtually guaranteeing the top two finishers spots in the starting gate in the Grade 1, $2 million Kentucky Derby May 7 at Churchill Downs.

Four-time Wood Memorial-winning trainer Todd Pletcher leads all nominations with 11, including the undefeated One Liner for owners WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing.

One Liner, a bay son of Into Mischief, has gone 3-for-3 since winning his one and only juvenile start at Saratoga on July 23. One Liner returned as a 3-year-old against optional claimers before taking the Grade 3 Southwest at Oaklawn Park by 3 ½ lengths to earn an impressive 102 Beyer Speed Figure.

Also among the nominees is Grade 3 Gotham runner-up Cloud Computing from the always formidable barn of Chad Brown. The Maclean’s Music colt made his debut a winning one in February and promptly joined the Triple Crown conversation following the March 4 Gotham, where he finished 3 ½ lengths behind Kentucky Derby-bound J Boys Echo.

The Wood, which has produced 20 Derby winners, is also expected to attract M M G Stable’s Grade 3 Jerome and Withers winner El Areeb, looking to regroup after the Gotham, where he led a pressed pace before fading to third, as well as Grade 2 Remsen hero Mo Town, fifth in his seasonal bow in the Grade 2 Risen Star at Fair Grounds, and Grade 2 Holy Bull winner Irish War Cry, aiming to rebound from a seventh-place finish in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth at Gulfstream Park.

Fox Sports 2 will broadcast the first edition of “Aqueduct Live” on Wood Memorial Day from 3:00-5:30 p.m. ET, covering the Wood Memorial undercard, including the Grade 1, $400,000 Carter Handicap.

Also on tap for Wood Memorial Day are the spring meet's official Kentucky Oaks qualifier, the Grade 2, $300,000 Gazelle for sophomore fillies at 1 1/8 miles, as well as pair of Grade 3's with the $250,000 Bay Shore for 3-year-old sprinters at seven furlongs, and the $150,000 Excelsior for 4-year-olds and up going 1 ¼ miles.

Post positions for Wood Memorial Day stakes will be drawn Wednesday, April 5. Full nominations and past performances are available at https://www.nyra.com/aqueduct/horsemen.

NBC Sports Network will provide live coverage of the Wood Memorial in a two-hour broadcast from 5:30-7:30, along with the Grade 2 Blue Grass at Keeneland and the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby at Santa Anita Park. Post time for the Wood Memorial is scheduled for 5:50.