Just like Aqueduct, where they started running the Wood Memorial (G2) in 1925, New York’s most important prep for the Kentucky Derby (G1) isn’t what it used to be. The decrepit, ancient Big A will run its final race on June 28. Eleven horses completed the Wood-Derby double, but none since Fusaichi Pegasus did it in 2000.
The 132-year-old track in Queens will stage the $750,000 Wood for the last time on Saturday, when 13 horses will try to earn a spot in the Churchill Downs classic. The first five finishers will earn qualifying points on a sliding scale (100-50-25-15-10), with the winner and probably the runner-up getting in.
Returns Napoleon Solo, the field’s only Grade 1 winner, and Iron Honor are the leading contenders in the 1 1/8-mile feature of a card that includes the Gazelle Stakes (G3) for 3-year-old fillies, a 9-furlong qualifier for the Kentucky Oaks (G1), and the 7-furlong Carter Stakes (G2) for older sprinters.
Napoleon Solo, named for the main character in the 1960s television series “The Man From U.N.C.L.E,” created a buzz last fall when he dominated the Champagne Stakes, a one-turn mile, by 6½ lengths. He ran fifth in his 2026 debut in the Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park, when he had an awkward start and a wide trip in his first time going around two turns.
Napoleon Solo drew the rail for the Wood, which may provide an edge. He’s been training well, turning in two solid 5-furlong works at Palm Meadows in Florida.
“He’s got some questions to answer,” trainer Chad Summers said. “There are some other horses that will be favored over him, so we’ll see what happens.”
Chad Brown trains Iron Honor, who’s 2-for-2 lifetime after taking the Gotham Stakes (G3), a one-turn mile, at Aqueduct on Feb. 28. “I think this is a very talented 3-year-old,” jockey Manny Franco said. “I think the distance will be no problem with the size he has.”
Post 13 is no bargain for Iron Honor, a son of 2016 Derby hero Nyquist. Brown also will send out Ottinho, who was third in the 9-furlong Withers Stakes behind Talk to Me Jimmy, whom he faces again.
Brown could use a lift after suffering a major setback Saturday. His top Derby hopeful, two-time stakes winner Paladin, will be sidelined until the autumn after fracturing his right front ankle in a workout at Payson Park in Florida. The four-time Eclipse Award winner said he expects Iron Honor and Ottinho to move forward after their last races.
Unlike Brown, Todd Pletcher’s Derby chances improved dramatically over the weekend. His stretch-running colt Renegade crushed the Arkansas Derby (G1) by four lengths, which probably will send him to Louisville as the favorite.
It was Pletcher’s record sixth victory in the Arkansas Derby, and he’s seeking a record-tying eighth in the Wood. He needs major improvement from longshot Courting, who was sixth behind Paladin in the Risen Star Stakes (G2) on Feb. 14 at the Fair Grounds.
“It’s the historic last Wood at Aqueduct, and the race has been kind to us over the years,” Pletcher said. “We’d love to add another one.”
The Wood Memorial horse-by-horse analysis will be published after the official track odds are posted.
| # | Horse | Jockey | Trainer | M/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Napoleon Solo | P Lopez | C Summers | TBD |
| 2 | Talk to Me Jimmy | R Silvera | R R Rodriguez | TBD |
| 3 | Right to Party | C Elliott | K G McPeek | TBD |
| 4 | Steel | S Civaci | W I Mott | TBD |
| 5 | Ocelli | J D Ramos | D Beckman | TBD |
| 6 | Minorinconvenience | J Rodriguez | A J Green | TBD |
| 7 | Albus | J A Torres | R Mott | TBD |
| 8 | Courting | K Carmouche | T A Pletcher | TBD |
| 9 | Bravaro | E Gonzalez | S A Joseph, Jr. | TBD |
| 10 | Red Zone Runner | M J Sanchez | H O Padilla | TBD |
| 11 | Ottinho | D Davis | C C Brown | TBD |
| 12 | Buetane | M Garcia | B Baffert | TBD |
| 13 | Iron Honor | M Franco | C C Brown | TBD |
Last Updated on 04/01/2026
Ed McNamara is an award-winning racing writer who has covered the sport since 1981 for The Bergen (N.J.) Record, Newsday, ESPN, Thorocap, and USRacing. He is the author of Cajun Racing: From the Bush Tracks to the Triple Crown and Racing Around the World, and a contributor to The Most Glorious Crown and The Racetracks of America. He has also written for racing publications in France and Italy.
