Wood Memorial 2016 Results: Winner, Payouts and Order of Finish
With 100 Kentucky Derby qualifying points on the line, this year's Wood Memorial brought some big hitters to a sloppy Aqueduct dirt track Saturday.
Shagaf, a Chad Brown-trained monster, came in as a post-time favorite, while Linda Rice and Todd Pletcher brought in their own contenders, Matt King Coal and Outwork, respectively.
Last year's Wood Memorial winner, Frosted, went on to finish fourth in the Kentucky Derby after an impressive ride behind eventual Triple Crown winner American Pharoah.
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What kind of product would this year's running churn out? Well, let's take a look at how it played out.
Final Order of Finish
| 1 | Outwork | Todd Pletcher | John Velazquez | 2-1 |
| 2 | Trojan Nation | Patrick Gallagher | Aaron Gryder | 81-1 |
| 3 | Adventist | Leah Gyarmati | Kendrick Carmouche | 10-1 |
| 4 | Matt King Coal | Linda Rice | Jose Ortiz | 5-2 |
| 5 | Shagaf | Chad Brown | Irad Ortiz | 9-5 |
| 6 | Tale of S'avall | Barclay Tagg | Cornelio Velazquez | 31-1 |
| 7 | Flexibility | Chad Brown | Manuel Franco | 6-1 |
| 8 | Dalmore | J Keith Desormeaux | Junior Alvarado | 31-1 |
Payouts
| Outwork | $6.80 | $4.80 | $3.90 |
| Trojan Nation | -- | $40.60 | $13.40 |
| Adventist | -- | -- | $4.90 |
Race Replay
Race Recap
Matt King Coal and Outwork broke first from the gate and worked along the front end at a stiff pace, logging a first quarter in 22.91 seconds.
Shagaf, the morning-line and post-time favorite, broke poorly and had to work hard to get back into a position from which he could challenge the leaders. Through that brisk opening quarter, Shagaf trailed the leading duo by nine lengths and was never able to recover.
Outwork held steady in second, stalking Matt King Coal through the opening half-mile in 46.93 seconds. Matt King Coal eventually succumbed to steady pressure from Outwork just prior to working three quarters in 1:12.31.
Outwork didn't hold the lead for long, though, as surprise contender Trojan Nation came from well off the pace—he ran along in last place for the bulk of this contest—to challenge for a late lead.
Outwork was able to hold hold off Trojan Nation, who made an impressive move up the rail, by the slimmest of margins to take home 100 qualifying points for the Kentucky Derby. For his efforts, the Todd Pletcher-trained colt essentially locked up a spot in next month's Run for the Roses, as ESPN's Lane Gold noted:
The second-place finisher, Trojan Nation, earned 40 points for his finish and cemented himself as a possible runner in the Derby field. Meanwhile, Shagaf came into the Wood in perfect position to make noise ahead of the Derby, and while he'll still qualify for the race, he has his work cut out for him moving forward.
What does this all mean for the Derby next month? Well, not much, as horse racing writer Burton DeWitt pointed out:
The on-track product hasn't been much of an indicator for future performance in recent years, and this year's version looks no different.
Shagaf could bounce back, but he got whooped today. Outwork and Trojan Nation, meanwhile, have little chance against the big boys such as Nyquist and Mohaymen.
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