Rodriguez, Trained by Bob Baffert, Wires Wood for Derby Points

Rodriguez (Authentic – Cayala by Cherokee Run) surged up the rail after breaking from the inside post and took comfort in a similar position in the stretch, repelling Grande’s late bid from the outside to score an impressive front-running 3 1/2-length victory in the 100th running of Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial, presented by Resorts World Casino, at Aqueduct Racetrack.

The race, offering 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers, saw the Authentic dark bay colt secure his first career stakes win. Led by the Hall of Fame duo of trainer Bob Baffert and jockey Mike Smith, Rodriguez earned a spot for the Grade 1 Run for the Roses on May 3 at Churchill Downs, bringing his total qualifying points to 121.25.

Baffert, who saddled Authentic to victory in the 2020 Kentucky Derby, earned his third Wood Memorial victory, adding to wins with Congaree [2001] and Bob and John [2006].

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“Any time you win in New York it means a lot,” Baffert said. “I have great memories of winning the Wood. It’s a very important race. Just knowing that you have a horse that looks like he’s a serious Derby contender makes it that much better. We’re all pretty excited and I’m really happy for our ownership group.”

Out of the break, Smith led Rodriguez, with blinkers off, confidently to the front from the inside post, where he led the 10-horse field through the opening quarter-mile in 23.31 seconds, the half-mile in 47.44 and three-quarters in 1:11.25 over the main track labeled fast.

Rodriguez, the 7-2 second choice, was pressed by 9-5 favorite Captain Cook in second position under rider Manny Franco. But Rodriguez showed the form that earned him a field-best 100 Beyer Speed Figure for his maiden-breaking seven-length win in January at Santa Anita Park, staying undeterred out of the final turn.

Grande put in a furious bid with a sweeping move from the outside entering the top of the stretch and pressed on, but Rodriguez powered to the wire in a 1:48.15 final time to register his first stakes win. He has never finished out of the money in all five career starts, moving to 2-2-1 with the victory at the Big A on the heels of a runner-up effort in the Grade 3 Robert B. Lewis in February at Santa Anita and a third-place effort in the Grade 2 San Felipe in March at the same track.

Grande, trained by fellow Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, garnered the 50 points for finishing 1 3/4-lengths ahead of Passion Rules [25 points] for second. The Rick Dutrow, Jr.-trained pair of Captain Cook [15] and McAfee [10] netted points for fourth and fifth, respectively, while New York-bred Sand Devil, Tiger Twenty Four, Statesman, Omaha Omaha and My Mitole rounded out the order of finish. Hill Road and Bear Claw Necklace scratched.

Rodriguez, owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Dianne Bashor, Determined Stables, Robert Masterson, Tom Ryan, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan, had the blinkers removed, and the tactical decision paid off.

“Mike Smith told me he wanted a super live one and I said, ‘Man, I’ve got a good one for you.’ He rode him beautifully,” Baffert said. “The horse looked great – he looked like Authentic. He won like a good horse. It was very impressive.

“His last two works were really strong here so I felt really good as long as he didn’t get too worked up, he’d be good,” he continued. “I think with taking the blinkers off, he relaxed a lot better. It was just a beautiful run and I’m just happy and blessed to have a horse like that.”

Rodriguez, bred in Kentucky by Kingswood Farm and David Egan, returned $9.30 on a $2 win bet. His victory in the Wood Memorial’s centenary edition increased his career earnings to $522,800. He will now look to become the 12th Wood Memorial winner to capture the Kentucky Derby and the first since Fusaichi Pegasus in 2000.

“He’d been training like he was going to do something like that,” Baffert said. “I’ve always been very high on him. He’s just had some rough trips here in California. I knew the added distance would be a big factor for him. I thought he’d love stretching out and going a mile and an eighth.”

Smith won his fourth Wood Memorial and first in 29 years, making a return trip to the winner’s circle for the race for the first time since Unbridled’s Song in 1996. He said the connections unlocked the horse’s potential and it paid off in a big way.

“I think they realized he just wants to be left alone. I could tell that warming up,” Smith said. “Every time you did something with him, he’d get uptight. That’s just it – if you get him to breathe, he’s gonna run, man, and that’s what he did today. That’s probably why he ran that 100 Beyer when he broke his maiden to be honest with you.

PEDIGREE NOTES FROM CT

Rosdriguez is from the first crop of Authentic (Into Mischief), and he was a $485,000 Keeneland September Yearling sale purchase by Sf Bloodstock, Madaket and Starlight Racing.

First dam Cayala won one of 12 races and has produced seven foals to race including Southwest Stakes (G3) winner One Liner and Hitcheron Stakes winner Provacateur.

Second dam Chasethegold (Touch Gold) was graded stakes-placed and has five minor winners. Third dam Chasethewildwind (Forty Nine) produced Grade 1 Champagne Stakes winner and top sire Daredevil and Grade 1 Donn Handicap winner Albertus Maximus. Rodriguez’s fourth dam Race the Wild Wind is by Canadian-bred Sunny’s Halo, Kentucky Derby (G1) winner.