Eskendereya blew away a strong field to win the $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct on Saturday, making a strong case for being the favorite in the Kentucky Derby in four weeks.
On the turn for home, Eskendereya (es-ken-DRAY-uh) stormed into the lead and pulled away with authority for a 9 3/4-length victory over Jackson Bend.
The margin of victory in the 1 1/8-mile Wood topped Eskendereya's 8 1/2-length win in the Fountain of Youth Stakes on Feb. 20 in his previous start.
The 3-year-old colt trained by Todd Pletcher went off as the 1-2 favorite in the six-horse field. Pletcher is 0-for-24 in the Kentucky Derby but could have as many as eight horses in the field this time.
``The horse is amazing,'' Pletcher said with a huge smile. ``The further he goes, the stronger he gets. The horse has natural stamina.''
The Derby, on May 1, is 1 1/4 miles and appears to be a perfect fit for Eskendereya, a chestnut son of Giant's Causeway.
Owned by Ahmed Zayat, Eskendereya earned $450,000 to boost his graded stakes earnings to $600,000, more than enough to qualify for the Derby, which has a 20-horse limit.
Jackson Bend, trained by two-time Derby winner Nick Zito, earned $150,000 for second to move to $230,000, likely enough to make the Derby field.
Eskendereya, ridden by John Velazquez, raced comfortably in third behind Most Happy Fella and Jackson Bend. By the time the field hit the final turn, Eskendereya was taking control as Velazquez eased the colt to the outside. From there, he was home free.
The winning time was 1:49.97.
Awesome Act took third, followed by Schoolyard Dreams, Carnivore and Most Happy Fella.
