OZONE PARK, NY – Pin Oak Stud’s Albus continued his steady rise up the ranks, delivering a breakout performance in his stakes debut with a 1 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s $750,000 Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Guided by Jaime Torres, Albus stamped his ticket to the Kentucky Derby, giving trainer Riley Mott a pair of potential starters alongside Virginia Derby winner Incredibolt.
“Never would I have thought going into this year that would be happening, but we still have a long ways to go and I just hope both colts stay happy and healthy and that we can put them in the gate that day,” Mott said. “This horse [Albus] will go right to Churchill and is scheduled to leave on Monday. It’s fun to take him there and be qualified for the Derby and not just be a bystander and watch. We’re thrilled and we’ll let the good times roll.”
At 11-1 odds, Albus surged past rivals in the stretch to earn 100 Derby qualifying points. Right to Party (38-1) finished second, just ahead of Ocelli, while Bravaro completed the superfecta. Favored Iron Honor endured a troubled trip and finished off the board.
A $320,000 yearling purchase, Albus capped a rapid progression after breaking his maiden impressively at Tampa Bay Downs in February. Stepping up in class, he overcame early trouble and unleashed a powerful late run.
“The first turn, I was far back. I was farther back than I wanted to be,” Torres said. “I got kicked out of the race, but in the backside, he gave me a good feeling. I asked him to jump on the bit and he did really good. I knew we were going to catch them at the end. I stayed calm. By the three-eighths pole, I thought I’d win the race.
“I didn’t want to be that far from the speed,” Torres added. “I knew the pace was going to be pretty solid, so I wasn’t that scared at the back.”
After tracking a solid early pace set by Napoleon Solo, Albus angled inside turning for home and powered through to stop the clock in 1:51.71.
“I was really happy down the backside with our position,” Mott said. “Jaime was comfortable, got into a nice rhythm. They went pretty quick the first quarter, but slowed it down a bit, 47 and change. Jaime said when he asked him, he felt like the horse really had a lot of power underneath him. Jaime said at the quarter pole, he knew if the horse went through the hole, he’d probably win. At the eighth pole, when he made the lead, the horse tried to idle a little bit, sort of waiting on horses and being a little bit immature, which he is still – it’s his fourth career start. It was great to see him finish it off like that.”
Mott noted the nine-furlong distance suited Albus perfectly—and hinted there may be even more to come.
“He’s laid close, he’s come from out of it today, taken kickback… it gives you a lot of confidence,” Mott said. “He obviously handled the distance, and I think he can get more. Hopefully, there’s another race in a few weeks at a mile and a quarter [laughs]. He showed a lot of professionalism today.”
Right to Party also boosted his Derby credentials with a strong runner-up effort in his first try around two turns after previously finishing third in the $300,000 Gotham (G3).
“I felt like I had a really good trip, saved all the ground both turns,” said jockey Christopher Elliott. “I saw some horses fading in front of me, so I had to get him out and he ran a really good race. The seven [Albus] got the jump on me, but I’m excited for this horse’s future. Think the more distance, the better. I think the farther he goes, the better he will get.”
Trainer Ken McPeek said the colt will be nominated to the Triple Crown and could be Derby-bound.
Ocelli delivered a career-best effort to finish a close third, benefiting from the removal of blinkers.
“Horse ran huge,” Ramos said. “We broke out of there and with blinkers off, he was a little spooked with the dirt kicked at his face. We didn’t get in much traffic, it was a clean trip that worked out for us. Turning for home, I asked him and he gave me everything he had. He ran huge. We were just nailed for second. I think Whit Beckman made a huge decision taking the blinkers off and I think it worked out perfect. We got beat by nice horses. We were running against the best, what else could we ask for?”
Meanwhile, Iron Honor’s trip never materialized after early trouble, though trainer Chad Brown remains optimistic. The colt entered off a win in the $300,000 Gotham (G3).
“This horse is really good. I didn’t like how it unfolded at all for him after he got slammed [going into the first turn],” Brown said. “He was flat on the bit down the backside. You’ll see in the head on, he was pulling the whole way. It didn’t really work out for him out there, but let me see how he comes out of it and go from there, talk to the partners.”
With the win, Albus not only secured his place in the Kentucky Derby starting gate—but also stamped himself as a rapidly improving contender peaking at the right time.
