Wood Memorial S.

New York’s premier Kentucky Derby prep race is the Wood Memorial Stakes, contested at 1 1/8 miles (9 furlongs) on the main track at Aqueduct. The Wood Memorial has had 11 winners go on to capture victory in the Kentucky Derby, four of whom captured the Triple Crown. The most famous loser in the Wood Memorial was eventual Hall of Famer Secretariat, who finished third in 1973 to stablemate Angle Light. The Wood Memorial is named to honor Eugene D. Wood, a New York State politician and horse racing enthusiast who had been a founder and past president of the old Jamaica Racetrack where the race was run until 1960. Some major milestones established in the Wood Memorial include nine wins by Hall of Fame jockey Eddie Arcaro and seven wins by Hall of Fame trainer James “Sunny Jim” Fitzsimmons.