Genting sponsorship boosts Wood purse to $1,000,000
 

GENTING TO PRESENT $1 MILLION RESORTS WORLD NEW YORK CASINO WOOD MEMORIAL

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The purse for this year’s renamed Resorts World New York Casino Wood Memorial, Aqueduct Racetrack’s premier race, will increase to $1 million through a presenting sponsorship from Resorts World New York to The New York Racing Association, Inc. (NYRA), officials from both groups announced today.

“We are honored to be a part of this historic race that has been a staple of Queens for decades,” said Mike Speller, President of Genting New York. “From the beginning, one of our goals in building the new casino facility at Aqueduct has been to strengthen and support New York’s storied horse racing industry. Through this partnership with NYRA, we have taken a significant step in that direction. This year’s Resorts World New York Casino Wood Memorial is sure to be a spectacular event that will bring out racing enthusiasts and make all of New York proud.”

The Grade 1 Resorts World New York Casino Wood Memorial, scheduled for Saturday, April 9, serves as the final prep race on the NYRA circuit for the prestigious Triple Crown, comprising the Kentucky Derby, Preakness, and Belmont Stakes.

“Resorts World has been a great partner and this sponsorship reflects the depth of their ongoing commitment to New York racing,” said NYRA President and CEO Charles Hayward. “We are eagerly anticipating the opening of the Resorts World New York Casino, a cutting-edge facility that will help create stability for the state’s thoroughbred industry and reinvigorate the community surrounding Aqueduct Racetrack.”

The 1 1/8-mile Wood Memorial has long been a springboard to Derby success. Beginning with Triple Crown winner Gallant Fox in 1930, 11 Wood winners have gone on to take the Run for the Roses, among them Triple Crown heroes Count Fleet (1943), Assault (1946) and Seattle Slew (1977), as well as Twenty Grand (1931), Johnstown (1939), Hoop Jr. (1945), Foolish Pleasure (1975), Bold Forbes (1976), Pleasant Colony (1981) and Fusaichi Pegasus (2000). In addition, Secretariat finished third in the 1973 Wood before going on to sweep the Triple Crown, culminating with his incomparable 31-length victory in the Belmont.

Resorts World New York’s Aqueduct redevelopment project – expected to open later in the Summer – will include 4,525 Video Lottery Terminals, two new restaurants, a two-story sports bar and other structural improvements to the area adjacent to the racetrack including a new parking structure, renovations to the existing racetrack facilities and the construction of an enclosed walkway from the MTA subway stop to the casino entrance. Once fully operational, Resorts World New York is expected to permanently employ about 1,000 workers in the entertainment, hospitality, security and food-service fields.

:)

Count Uncle Mo in.. Good news all around!

Awesome, I hope it gets a deep field!

Nice - hope plenty show up!

Lets not!

Why's that?

Personal motives

:)

Which are?

Personal

super dawesome personal

Wonder who will show up for the $200,000 Graded Earnings.

Sunland has a prep with 800K in Graded Earnings - and the field is shaping up - so far - to be much weaker than that N1X at GP on Saturday.

Mine That Bird

What a waste. Should be used to actually get horses in the entry box instead.

Ftfy The disturbing NY trend is of a couple scratches to already short fields in graded races. Handicappers will still play after spending time but may not if the original field was 4-5 to begin with.

That is cool. If Genting is bringing this kind of boost, I can really get excited about their running of casino operations at Aqueduct.

That merits asking the question, "What constitutes a trend"? (And a disturbing trend at that...) Let's go back a full calendar year and look at the entries and scratches in NY's graded stakes. There may be a few more 5 horse fields entered and running than you hope for, (a total of 9 of 96 actually), but there isn't much by way of fact the last 13 months to support the 'disturbing trend' moniker.

Red represents races that scratched down to less than 5 runners. There were 3.. and notably, 2 were 2 year old races (Special & Hopeful). There were another 3 races that scratched to 5 horses.. 2 of those 2 year old events (Nashua & Demoiselle) The average number of horses entered into NY stakes is 8 and the average number of scratches is 1.

Stake: Entered (Scratched)

Toboggan 5 (0)
Gotham 10 (0)
Cicada 9 (0)
Exselsior 6 (1)
Bay Shore 7 (1)
Carter 6 (0)
Wood 6 (0)
Comely 8 (0)
Distaff 6 (1)
Withers 6 (1)
Fort Marcy 10 (2)
Beauguay 8 (0)
Dwyer 7 (0)
Shuvee 5 (0)
Sheepshead Bay 8 (1)
Vagrancy 7 (1)
Sands Point 8 (1)
Met Mile 8 (0)
Hill Prince 8 (5) OFF THE TURF
Brooklyn 8 (0)
Woody Stephens 5 (0)
True North 10 (2)
Acorn 13 (1)
Manhattan 11 (0)
Belmont 12 (0)
Phipps 5 (0)
New York 7 (2)*
Mother Goose 5 (0)
Suburban 7 (0)
Prioress 5 (0)
Bed of Roses 8 (0)
Man O'War 8 (0)
Jaipur 7 (0)
Schylerville 7 (1)
CCAO 8 (2)
Sanford 8 (0)
Lake George 15 (3)
Jim Dandy 9 (1)
Diana 7 (0)
Fourstardave 12 (5)
Ruffian 6 (0)
Amsterdam 10 (1)
Test 10 (1)
Whitney 6 (0)
Hon. Miss 5 (0)
Vanderbilt 7 (0)
Hall of Fame 7 (1)
Sword Dancer 10 (1)
ADK 10 (0)
Special 6 (2)
Alabama 6 (0)
Lake Placid 6 (3) OFF THE TURF
Baruch 8 (1)
Victory Ride 8 (1)
Ballston Spa 10 (0)
King's Bishop 8 (0)
Travers 11 (0)
Personal Ensign 5 (0)
With Anticipation 12 (2)
Woodward 7 (0)
Forego 11 (2)
Saranac 6 (0)
Glens Falls 10 (2)
Hopeful 7 (3)
Bowling Green 11 (4)
Garden City 8 (1)
Noble Damsel 8 (0)
Gallant Bloom 9 (1)
Beldame 5 (0)
Vosburgh 9 (0)
Hirsch 11 (2)
Flower Bowl 8 (1)
JCGC 8 (1)
Pilgrim 9 (2)
Miss Grillo 14 (3)
Kelso 8 (1)
Jamaica 11 (0)
Champagne 7 (1)
Frizette 9 (1)
Pebbles 10 (2)
Athenia 12 (3)
Knickerbocker 13 (6) Yielding
Bold Ruler 8 (0)
Turnback the Alarm 9 (1)
Tempted 5 (0)
Nashua 6 (1)*
Red Smith 9 (2)
Long Island 7 (1)
Fall Highweight 9 (1)
Top Flight 7 (1)
Remsen 7 (2)
Demoiselle 6 (1)*
Cigar 9 (0)
Gazelle 8 (1)
Toboggan 8 (3)
Gotham 9 (2)

Hill Prince was rained off the turf, so nothing abnormal about that one