Trainer Says Wood Will Be Toughest of Derby Preps

Although only six horses were entered Thursday in Saturday’s $250,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct, one of the trainers, Angel Penna Jr., said that the 1 1/8-mile stake will be the toughest race leading to the Kentucky Derby.

Penna’s 3-year-old, Rhoman Rule, was installed as a slight 7-5 favorite over the 8-5 Proud Truth in the Wood, whose winners have gone on to win the Derby 11 times.

The field, in order of post position, consists of Rhoman Rule, to be ridden by Jacinto Vasquez; Cutlass Reality, Eddie Maple; El Basco, Robbie Davis; Proud Truth, Jorge Velasquez; Eternal Prince, Richard Migliore, and Pancho Villa, Angel Cordero.

Penna said: “You had two or three good horses running in those Florida stakes, but in the Wood, you’ve got seasoned horses with stakes experience, major stakes winners, and they’ll all be carrying 126 pounds (the weight horses will be asked to carry in the Derby May 4). I think the winner of the Wood will have the best shot to win the Derby.”

Support for Rhoman Rule is based on a light but impressive Florida campaign, which included an eight-length win in the Everglades Stakes at Hialeah March 16.

Proud Truth won two important races in Florida, the Fountain of Youth Stakes and the Florida Derby at Gulfstream Park, and ran second, a length behind Chief’s Crown, in the Flamingo Stakes at Hialeah. Chief’s Crown is scheduled to run in the Blue Grass Stakes at Keeneland next Thursday in his final start before the Derby.

Two other Wood starters have been stakes winners at Aqueduct recently. Eternal Prince took the Gotham April 6, and Pancho Villa won the Bay Shore March 23. Pancho Villa was second in the Gotham.

El Basco, second in the Bay Shore and third in the Gotham, is also entered in the $300,000 Garden State Stakes Saturday night at Garden State Park and could run there carrying only 115 pounds.

Twelve horses were entered in the Garden State, including Spend a Buck, who will share top weight of 122 pounds with Irish Sur and is likely to be the favorite. In Pancho Villa and Spend a Buck, Cordero has a chance to win two big races at different tracks in a span of six hours.