How to Bet the Wood Memorial on a Budget

Daredevil could rebound off a second-place effort to win the Wood Memorial. (Photo by Eclipse Sportswire)
There's great racing from coast to coast this weekend as we near the beginning of the U.S. Triple Crown. The Wood Memorial Stakes on Saturday at Aqueduct is the final Kentucky Derby prep race on the New York racing circuit, with the winning horse earning 100 points toward the Kentucky Derby, plus 40 points for the second-place horse, 20 points for third, and 10 points for fourth. The field for the 1 1/8-mile race is small but filled with a few serious contenders. Let’s take a closer look and see if we can find a winning ticket on a budget.
Daredevil is the morning-line favorite at 9-5 odds. Trained by Todd Pletcher, Daredevil comes off a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Swale Stakes at Gulfstream Park on March 7, which was his only start in 2015. He ran a disappointing 11th in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile in the fall, but prior to that was very successful. If jockey Javier Castellano is able to get in a good position into deep stretch, this could be Daredevil’s race to win.
Is Frosted ready for his first stakes win? A strong contender at 5-2 odds, three of his six career starts were in Grade 2 races; the Remsen, Holy Bull and most recently the Fountain of Youth Stakes at Gulfstream Park, where he finished fourth. Since February, Frosted’s workouts have been strong and with a jockey change to Joel Rosario, the pair could prove tough to beat.
Many eyes will be watching El Kabeir's performance on Saturday. The colt has run in six graded stakes, most recently winning the Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct on March 7. It’s clear that he's comfortable with the track, now we just have to see if he can handle the extra sixteenth of a mile. I could see jockey C.C. Lopez duplicating their last race by staying near the back of the pack and then taking command on the final turn for the win.
For me, the longshot with a chance in this race is Tiz Shea D. Trained by Bill Mott, this Tiznow colt is lightly raced but has impressed. He was second behind El Kabeir in the Grade 3 Gotham last month at Aqueduct. With 8-1 odds, he’s definitely worth adding to your exotic bets, or perhaps just go all in on this horse for a decent payout!
Here’s how I would play this race on a $20 Budget:
Strategy A:
$2 trifecta -  4,5,6 with 1,4,5 with 1,5,6 = $22
Strategy B:
$6 Win/Place/Show - #1, Tiz Shea D = $18
Giddy up and good luck!
$1-million Twinspires.com Wood Memorial StakesSaturday, Aqueduct, Race 10, 5:30 p.m. ET1 1/8 miles, dirt, 3-year-oldsCoverage on NBC Sports at 5 p.m. ET 

PP

Horse

Jockey

Trainer

Owner

M-L

1

Tiz Shea D

Manuel Franco

Bill Mott

Wachtel Stable, Brous Stable LLC and Barber, Gary

8-1

2

Toasting Master

Angel Arroyo

Dale Romans

West Point Thoroughbreds

20-1

3

Lieutenant Colonel

Irad Ortiz Jr.

Chad Brown

Harvey A. Clarke and Paul Braverman

15-1

4

Frosted

Joel Rosario

Kiaran McLaughlin

Godolphin Racing

5-2

5

El Kabeir

C.C. Lopez

John Terranova

Zayat Stables

3-1

6

Daredevil

Javier Castellano

Todd Pletcher

Let's Go Stable, WinStar Farm LLC and China Horse Club

9-5

7

Tencendur

Jose Ortiz

George Weaver

Philip S. Birsh

12-1