Heavyweights meet in Thursday's preliminary bout

Before trainers Todd Pletcher and Chad Brown face off in Saturday’s Grade 2 Wood Memorial, they will do battle in Thursday’s first-level allowance feature for 3-year-olds at Aqueduct.

Pletcher and Brown figure to have the top two choices in the $750,000 Wood Memorial, with Pletcher sending out Battalion Runner against Brown’s Gotham runner-up, Cloud Computing. On Thursday, Pletcher will send out the Mike Repole-owned entry of Win With Pride and Thirst for Victory against the Brown-trained maiden winner Timeline in a $67,000 allowance going a one-turn mile.

Timeline, a son of Hard Spun, won his debut as the 2-1 favorite against 12 rivals at Gulfstream Park on March 4, getting untracked late to run down Giuseppe the Great and win by a half-length. Timeline ran seven furlongs in 1:24.61 and earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 85. He was flattered when Time to Travel, the fourth-place finisher from that race, came back to win a maiden race at Gulfstream last Saturday.

“He’s a horse we always liked,” Brown said. “He was bet in his debut because he had been breezing well, and ran terrific. He acts like a horse that will stretch out. This looked like a logical spot to get him out to a mile and see how he does.”

Win With Pride and Thirst for Victory spent the winter in New York. Win With Pride ran fourth in the Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct on Jan. 2 before finishing second in a two-turn allowance race at Parx on Feb. 28.

“Still trying to figure out what his forte is,” Pletcher said. “I always thought based on the pedigree – being out of Love and Pride, who seemed to excel from a mile and an eighth to a mile and a quarter – that stretching him out was the right move. Now that we’ve done that a few times, I don’t mind the cutback because I think maybe he’s going to appreciate the one-turn mile.”

Thirst for Victory will be cutting back after finishing a well-beaten second at this same condition going 1 1/16 miles around two turns over the inner track.

KEY CONTENDERS

Timeline, by Hard Spun

Beyer: 85

◗ Made up five lengths in the final furlong to win his debut under Javier Castellano, who will be in New York to ride him in this race.

“Javier said at one point on the turn, his momentum was stopped because of the kickback,” Brown said. “He’s a firster, he was a little green. Once he switched leads at the eighth pole and got clear, he showed his class. It was a good first race for him, and he’s trained well since.”

◗ He has a trio of half-mile breezes at Palm Meadows since his debut.

Thirst for Victory, by Stay Thirsty

Last 3 Beyers: 81-62-64

◗ Took pressure on the lead and gave way while going two turns last out March 10.

◗ Has shown the ability to handle a wet track, and there was rain in the forecast for Thursday.

Everybodyluvsrudy, by Union Rags

Last 3 Beyers: 74-62-79

◗ Drops into allowance company after running second to O Dionysus in the Miracle Wood Stakes at Laurel on Feb. 18.

◗ His lone win from seven starts came in a one-turn mile maiden race here last November.