Albus upsets Wood Memorial; Always a Runner sharp in Gazelle

Last-out maiden winners Albus and Always a Runner stamped their Kentucky Derby (G1) and Kentucky Oaks (G1) tickets Saturday, winning the $750,000 Wood Memorial (G2) and $200,000 Gazelle (G3) at Aqueduct. Both races offered qualifying points on a 100-50-25-15-10 basis to the top five respective finishers as part of the Road to the Kentucky Derby/Oaks series.

Following the success of Incredibolt in the Virginia Derby two weeks earlier, Albus provided owner Pin Oak Stud and trainer Riley Mott with a second probable Kentucky Derby starter, rallying boldly off the far turn to win by 1 1/4 lengths. Jaime Torres, who also rides Incredibolt, was up on the dark bay son of Yaupon, and Albus completed 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.70.

Albus dropped his first two starts in Kentucky last fall and opened his three-year-old season with a 6 3/4-length maiden win at Tampa Bay Downs in late February. After being scratched from last Saturday’s Florida Derby (G1), he left the Wood starting gate as the 11-1 seventh choice among 12 runners.

Champagne (G1) winner Napoleon Solo sped forward to establish opening fractions in :22.92, :47.40, and 1:12.04 while being pressured by Withers winner Talk to Me Jimmy. Albus rated well off the pace and came under a ride while traveling two wide on the final turn, angling wide into the stretch while starting to gain ground rapidly. He struck the front passing the passing eighth pole and despite switching to the wrong lead in deep stretch, had enough to hold late runners Right to Party and Ocelli safe.

Right to Party was off at 38-1 following a non-threatening third in the Gotham (G3) and got up in the final strides to edge 28-1 Ocelli by a nose for second. Ocelli loomed a serious threat after advancing into the frame in upper stretch but lacked the necessary rally, winding up more than a length clear of Bravaro in fourth. Next came Napoleon Solo, Courting, 5-2 favorite Iron Honor, Talk to Me Jimmy, Steel, Minorinconvenience, Buetane, and Red Zone Runner.

A $12,000 weanling purchase, Albus was bred in Kentucky by Susan Casner and  is the second graded winner out of the unraced Bernardini mare Adream, a half-sister to multiple Grade 1-winning sprinter Dream Rush. This is the immediate female family of champion older dirt female and three-year-old filly Malathaat.

Douglas Scharbauer and Three Chimneys Farm’s Always a Runner launched a wide bid into the stretch and closed fast to overhaul pacesetter Pashmina in deep stretch of the Gazelle, scoring by 1 1/4 lengths in the 1 1/8-mile race. The up-and-coming daughter of Gun Runner left the starting gate as the 4.69-1 fourth choice among eight fillies, and Always a Runner ran faster than Albus one race later, stopping the teletimer in 1:50.97.

Dylan Davis was up for Chad Brown, and Always a Runner entered off odds-on debut win at Tampa Bay Downs in early February. Pashimina, who switched to frontrunner tactics following a third in the Sunland Oaks, ran well in defeat at 6-1, finishing 8 3/4 lengths clear of 13-10 favorite Paradise. She was followed by Nycon, Two Bits, Slow Kara, Baffle, and Victory Hall.

Bred in Kentucky by Goncalo Torrealba’s Three Chimneys Farm, Always a Runner was purchased for $1.05 million as a yearling. The dark bay filly hails from Grade 2 runner-up Always Carina, a daughter of Malibu Moon and half-sister to 2019 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) winner Structor.

Earlier on the program, Bush Racing Stable’s Point Dume spoiled the comeback of champion male sprinter Book’em Danno in the $291,000 Carter (G2), repelling the bid of the odds-on favorite by a neck. Edwin Gonzalez was up on the frontrunning five-year-old gelding for Timothy Kreiser, and Point Dume was overlooked as the 7-1 fourth choice among five runners, completing seven furlongs in 1:22.53.

Last seen winning February’s General George at Laurel Park, Point Dume registered his first graded victory and improved to 3-for-3 this year, The Kentucky-bred recorded his first stakes win at Parx last October, and his career line now reads 31-11-7-3.

Book’em Danno had his three-race winning streak snapped, reeling off wins in the Forego (G1), A.G. Vanderbilt (G2), and True North (G3) last summer, and the stout five-year-old gelding may have needed the start following a 224-day layoff. Be You rallied to be a non-threatening third and Rated by Merit and Acoustic Ave completed the order.