All data was manually compiled and is subject to human error.
Introduction
The Wood Memorial is a 9 furlong race over the dirt for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct. First run in 1926, it’s currently a Kentucky Derby points race.
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Below is a look at data from a variety of angles to see what has produced winners in the Wood Memorial from 1991-2019.
Charts are interactive, hover over or touch bars and lines for more information.
Bettors’ Choice is the ranked order of the field by final odds: The favorite is the first choice, the second favorite is the second choice and so on. For example, 1991 winner Cahill was 1st choice in a 10 horse field.
To read the charts below, 0 on the vertical axis is the lead, any distance behind the leader is below 0 and any distance above 0 is the amount the leader is ahead of the next horse. At the bottom are the points of call as they correspond to the charts. Each line is a horse, and you can hover over the point of call for each line to see more information about the horse.
For example, if you hover over the bottom-most line in the first chart, at the 1/2 mile mark you’ll see that 2004 winner Tapit was 9.25 lengths behind the leader at this point in the race.
Position at the 1/2 mile mark
Speed:
In the lead
Presser/Stalker:
Between .1 and 3 lengths off leader
Off the pace:
Between 3 and 6 lengths off the leader
Deep closer:
More than 6 lengths off the leader
The Wood Memorial has been predominately won by stalkers/pressers have won 51.7% of the time since 1991. That trend has continued over the last 10 years with 50% of winners stalking/pressing the pace. Off-the-pace runners have taken a step forward in the last 10 years, winning 40% of the time.
A closer look at winning running styles by decade.
The majority of Wood Memorial winners have come from Gulfstream Park (60%) since 1991. Within the last 10 years 50% of the winners have come from Gulfstream Park and 90% have come from a track other than Aqueduct.
Days Since Last Race 1991-2019
Average Days Since Last Race:
28.24
Median Days Since Last Race:
28
Wood Memorial Winners Placing in Prior Race 1991-2019
The Wood Memorial has been a formful race where favorites have outperformed the generally accepted win rate of 35% to win 48.2% of the time. The average winning odds since 1991 are 2.3-1 with a median of 1.8-1 and an average $7.30 payout for a $2 win ticket. Since 2010 those averages have crept up to 3.5-1 and $9.00 to win. In the last 10 years three winners have paid over $10.
The winner on average has been the 2nd choice (1.93) since 1991 and has roughly remained steady since 2010 at 2.1. The favorite has an average finish position of 2nd (2.17) since 1991 and 2.3 in the last 10 years.
Stalkers/Pressers have performed best since 1991 winning 51.7% of the time. In the last 10 runnings they’ve continued the trend winning 50% of the time. Off-the-pace runners have performed well in the last 10 years, winning 40% of the time.
Winners have predominately come from Gulfstream Park since 1991 while winners from the host track of Aqueduct have only won 17.2% of the time. Field size has been above the 2017 average of 7.7 starters with an average of 8.93 starters since 1991 and 8.60 starters since 2010.
