59-1 long shot Lord Miles wins 3-wide end in Wood Memorial
NEW YORK (AP) — Lord Miles, a 59-1 long shot, held off favorite Hit Show by a nose with Dreamlike next in a thrilling three-wide finish to win the $750,000 Wood Memorial on Saturday at Aqueduct, earning 100 points toward the Kentucky Derby.
Lord Miles broke from the No. 8 post in the Grade 2 race for 3-year-olds and briefly seized the lead entering the backstretch before settling back into a lead pack featuring Hit Show, the 8-5 choice, behind Arctic Arrogance and Uncle Jake. As Hit Show moved ahead entering the final turn, Lord Miles came on from the outside to form a three-horse duel down the stretch, all within a nose of each other.
Lord Miles nudged in front over the final 1/16th mile and held off Hit Show and Dreamlike for his first career graded stakes victory and first in four starts this year. He was coming off a fifth-place run in last month’s Tampa Bay Derby.
With Paco Lopez aboard, Lord Miles covered 1 1/8 mile in 1:51.17 and paid $120.50, $25.60 and $13.20. He earned 100 points for second career win. Hit Show returned $3.50 and $2.70 for second, while Dreamlike paid $4.60 for show.
