Baffert’s Rodriguez leads all the way to win Wood and move into the 20-horse Kentucky Derby field

By Canadian Press on April 5, 2025.

Rodriguez led all the way to win the $750,000 Wood Memorial on Saturday, earning enough points to move into the 20-horse field for next month’s Kentucky Derby.

Breaking from the rail, the Bob Baffert -trained colt ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.15 under Hall of Famer Mike Smith.

The victory was worth 100 qualifying points for the May 3 Derby, potentially giving Baffert three entrants as he seeks a record-setting seventh victory in his return to the race from which he was banned for three years.

Later Saturday, Baffert was to saddle Citizen Bull, last year’s 2-year-old champion, and Barnes in the $500,000 Santa Anita Derby in California.

He sent Rodriguez to Aqueduct in New York to split up his Derby contenders. The colt was sent off at 7-2 odds in the 10-horse field and paid $9.30 to win the 100th edition of the Wood. He is a son of 2020 Kentucky Derby winner Authentic.

Grande, trainer by Todd Pletcher, was second. He went from having zero qualifying points to 50, which should get him into the Derby starting gate for owner Mike Repole. He is 0 for 7 in the Derby.

Captain Cook, the 9-5 favorite, finished fourth for trainer Rick Dutrow, who hasn’t had a Derby runner since 2010. He won the Derby with Big Brown in 2008.

The $1.25 million Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland was postponed from Saturday to Tuesday due to heavy rain and potential flooding in the region. That race and the Lexington Stakes on April 12 are the final Kentucky Derby preps of the season.

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AP horse racing: https://apnews.com/hub/horse-racing

Beth Harris, The Associated Press

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