Nicky the Vest out of Wood Memorial

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Coming off two impressive wins versus New York-breds, Nicky the Vest was going to be an intriguing player in Saturday’s Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct.

But trainer Jonathan Thomas was not happy with the colt’s last workout over the weekend and confirmed Monday that Nicky the Vest will skip the Wood.

Nicky the Vest worked a half-mile in 48.42 seconds over Belmont’s training track, but his gallop-out of 1:02.56 was “subpar” according to Thomas, who added that Nicky the Vest “left some feed” Saturday night.

“I don’t feel like we’re 100 percent right now,” Thomas said. “We’re going to let the dust settle. We have too much respect for the Wood and the horse to go over there off a work which for a normal horse was good but not good for him.”

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Nicky the Vest, a son of Runhappy, had won a New York-bred maiden by 3 1/4 lengths on Dec. 18 and the Gander Stakes by 11 3/4 lengths on Feb. 14.

The defection of Nicky the Vest leaves a likely field of nine or 10 for the Wood that includes Brooklyn Strong, Candy Man Rocket, Capo Kane, Crowded Trade, Dynamic One, Market Maven, Prevalence, Risk Taking, and Weyburn. Bourbonic is possible.