Horse Racing

Miracle in New York as 72/1 shot wins Wood Memorial

Planet Sport writerStaff Writer4 April 2021
Road to the Kentucky Derby

Road to the Kentucky Derby

No one was giving Bourbonic much of a chance in Saturday’s $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Park in New York, including his trainer, seven-time Eclipse Award winner Todd Pletcher.

However, that didn't stop the 72/1 shot from shocking the horse racing world by edging Dynamic One to win the 100-40-20-10 Wood and earning a berth in the May 1 Kentucky Derby.
Much like Weyburn in the 50-20-10-5 point Gotham Stakes on March 6 at the same track, Bourbonic shook up the Road to the Kentucky Derby point standings.
His 100 points jumped Bourbonic into the top 10 and jeopardized the chances of horses with less than 40 points of qualifying for the Triple Crown opener.
Bourbonic started from the third post position and, for most of the race, loitered in the back of the pack, looking like he would easily live up to his odds. Market Maven had led with a record-setting low pace, setting up a crowded finish and allowing Bourbonic to surge through the field down the stretch.

Favorites 2/1 Candy Man Rocket and 5/2 Risk Taking never really found their footing, ultimately fading to ninth and seventh respectively, leaving the race to those with underdog status with the exception of 3/1 Crowded Trade, who finished third. 

Weyburn went off at 6/1 but couldn't replicate his Gotham magic and faded to fourth after challenging at the head of the stretch.

Points, payouts and purses

Bourbonic grabbed $400,000 for the win along with the 100 qualifying points that will send him to Churchill Downs for his next race. For the bettors that put down money on the longshot, he paid $146.50 for the win, $40.40 for the place and $11.40 for the show bet.
Another Pletcher colt, Dynamic One, received $140,000 from the total purse and 40 qualifying points. It won't be until after the Arkansas Derby on April 10 when the final Kentucky Derby field will be set, but historically, it appears Dynamic One will make it. He paid $15.40 and $9.20.
Those that had the foresight to wager on the Pletcher 3-5 exacta were rewarded with a $453.00 payout. The 3-5-2 trifecta paid an outrageous $1,710.50, and after 42/1 Weyburn's upset in the Gotham, it solidified Aqueduct as the Kentucky Derby prep series home of the longshot.
Crowded Trade earned $75,000 for his third-place finish, and the 10 points also gave him 40 total qualifying points, possibly on the Kentucky Derby bubble. He paid $3.80 on the show bet and will have to wait to see if he can make it to Churchill Downs, with ties being broken by total stakes earnings.
After battling for the lead through much of the race, Weyburn slipped back to fourth place, making $50,000 for the effort and adding 10 points to his 50 from the Gotham win.
Despite having an invitation to the Kentucky Derby locked up, his connections indicated late Saturday that Weyburn would likely skip the race and instead take his Triple Crown chances at the Belmont Stakes in June.

READ MORE: Despite injury, Bob Baffert still has the Santa Anita Derby favourite...

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