Wood Memorial Stakes

Raced with blinkers in those first three career starts, which included a win in the Gotham.

And, you know, the Wood Memorial, I, I don't know.

He, he s- in my opinion, didn't fire, but I will say his last two, I don't mind either of the efforts.

He was a, you know, the runner-up finisher in the Preakness behind Napoleon Solo.

And he's been a couple of lengths back, so I don't think this is an easier spot by any means.

[laughs]

Yeah, he was one of those horses that was contesting a very fast pace in the Wood Memorial this spring.

The other two that were up on the pace that day were Napoleon Solo and Iron Honor, two horses that have gone on to do some really nice things since then.

They didn't have him cranked up for the first one.

They just needed to get a race in him to get him on the derby trail, and then he had the hoof bruise that knocked him out of training for a little bit right before the Wood Memorial, and he was just short for that race.

So you throw those two races out, and the guy's... three for five with two grade one wins and less than a length defeat and two more grade ones.

Yeah.

He's been the beaten favorite his last couple.

He was beaten two lengths in the Wood Memorial, and while the speed figure doesn't tell you anything there, that's a race that produced the first and second place finishers in the Preakness, and the third place finisher beating a couple eyelashes in the Kentucky Derby.

So that has come back as a productive heat.

100%.