Tacitus too tough for rivals in Wood Memorial

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Tacitus displayed toughness as well as talent at Aqueduct on Saturday, overcoming significant trouble early on to win the Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial and nail down his spot in the Kentucky Derby starting gate in four weeks.

Tacitus outfinished a stubborn Tax by 1 1/4 lengths, with Haikal another 3 3/4 lengths back in third. All three horses accrued enough points to go on to the Kentucky Derby on May 4.

Tacitus added the Wood to his victory last month in the Grade 2 Tampa Bay Derby to become just the second 3-year-old this year to win more than one Kentucky Derby points race. War of Will won the Lecomte and Risen Star but faltered in the Louisiana Derby. Tacitus’s 150 qualifying points put him at the top of the points list under a system Churchill Downs employs to determine the Derby field.

Tacitus has won three straight races going back to Nov. 10, when he won his maiden by a neck in his second career start.

Tacitus won the Wood despite what jockey Jose Ortiz described as “a nightmare on the first turn.”

Nik Juarez on Joevia created havoc leaving the starting gate as he tried to gun his horse from the outside post toward the inside. In doing so, he bothered a number of horses, specifically Overdeliver, who slammed into Final Jeopardy, who bumped into Tacitus, turning him sideways. Final Jeopardy took up sharply.

Ortiz straightened out Tacitus, but he got a bit rank, especially when Tax came out under Junior Alvarado entering the first turn.

Ortiz had to snatch Tacitus again and had Overdeliver to his inside. At the same time, Not That Brady, under Reylu Gutierrez, was coming over, and Overdeliver wound up clipping heels with that one and almost went down.

Around the clubhouse turn, Tacitus settled down and, down the backside, raced fourth along the inside while Joevia and Not That Brady battled through a half-mile in 46.91 seconds and six furlongs in 1:11.46. At that point, Tacitus was 8 1/2 lengths back.

Tax, who was sitting third, eight lengths back, after the opening half, began his bid entering the far turn. He moved into second by the quarter pole and took over from Not That Brady at the three-sixteenths but couldn’t hold off Tacitus, who wrested the lead from Tax at the eighth pole and edged away late.

Tacitus, a son of 2004 Wood Memorial winner Tapit and 2013 Gazelle winner Close Hatches owned and bred by Juddmonte Farms and trained by Bill Mott, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.23. He returned $7.20 as the 5-2 favorite.

Tax finished a clear second, 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Haikal, who split horses late to get third by a half-length over former claimer Math Wizard. Not That Brady finished fifth, followed by Final Jeopardy, Joevia, Hoffa’s Union, Grumps Little Tots, Outshine, and Overdeliver.

The stewards lit the inquiry sign and looked at two incidents. The first was the actions of Juarez on Joevia. The stewards disqualified Joevia from seventh and ordered him unplaced. His connections forfeited the $17,500 in purse money he would have earned from finishing seventh.

The stewards after the races said Juarez “crossed over with insufficient clearance in a careless manner.” Juarez will likely get a suspension.

The stewards also looked at the first turn to see what caused Overdeliver to clip heels.

“The angles were inconclusive, and you couldn’t determine if there was one particular thing,” according to state steward Steve Lewandowski. “So, we left it as is.”

Ortiz said that after the first turn, Tacitus had “a very good trip.”

Mott, who won his first Wood Memorial, said this race ought to set up Tacitus well for the Derby experience.

“We know he’s got talent, and we know he can overcome a little adversity,” Mott said. “Of course, there’s nothing like the Kentucky Derby. When you get 20 of them in there, you need to be ready for anything.”

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By finishing second, Tax earned 40 points, and with his win in the Withers and third in the Remsen, he now has 52 points. Trainer Danny Gargan said he was happy with his colt’s race and plans to run in the Derby.

“I think he’s really going to move forward off this race,” Gargan said. “I just wanted to get there. Now, we can really crank on him for the next one.”

Haikal, in his first start around two turns after three consecutive victories around one turn, rallied from 14 lengths back to get third. He has 70 points and will likely move on to the Derby, according to trainer Kiaran McLaughlin.

“He finished strong; he might have needed a little more ground,” said McLaughlin, who added he would talk with Shadwell Farm racing manager Rick Nichols to confirm Haikal for the Derby. “I don’t see any reason why we wouldn’t proceed on.”