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AP
NEW YORK - The horse is named for a diamond mine, and now Tale of Ekati has his owner thinking of roses in May.
Tale of Ekati caught a tiring War Pass in the final six strides and won the $750,000 Wood Memorial at Aqueduct Racetrack on Saturday, giving owner Charles Fipke a chance to compete in his first Kentucky Derby.
“Winning this race is like finding the first diamond,” said Fipke, an acclaimed Canadian geologist who owns a diamond exploration company. “He’s named for our diamond mine in Ekati, up in the Northwest Territory. I’m still in a daze. This is wonderful; of course he had to beat a great horse in War Pass.”
Winning trainer Barclay Tagg now has another Derby contender to go with Big Truck, who handed War Pass the first loss of his career three weeks ago in the Tampa Bay Derby.
“We’re ready to go to Kentucky,” said Tagg, who won the 2003 Derby with Funny Cide. “He’s a gem, that’s for sure.”
While Tale of Ekati rebounded after a sixth-place finish in the Louisiana Derby, War Pass was beaten for the second straight time. The loss diminished the 2-year-old champion’s status as a top Derby contender, but the colt trained by Nick Zito is headed to Churchill Downs.
“It’s certainly one day at a time with this horse,” Zito said. “We know we’ve got a special horse. If he has a good month, we’ll see if we can make the Derby.”
In other Derby preps, Colonel John rallied in the stretch and won the Santa Anita Derby by a half length, with 3-2 favorite El Gato Malo fifth. Recapturetheglory was the upset winner in the Illinois Derby, with 2-1 favorite Denis of Cork fifth.
Unlike the Tampa Bay Derby, when War Pass was restless in the gate, bumped at the start and finished last, the 3-year-old colt broke sharply and went right to the lead.
He had company in Inner Light, entered by trainer Bill Mott to ensure a fast pace for entrymate Court Vision. Inner Light did his job in forcing War Pass into a speed duel. And by the time the nine-horse field turned for home, it was evident War Pass was fatigued.
“He ran big,” said War Pass jockey Cornelio Velasquez. “Inner Light had no chance in the race. They knew my horse was going to the lead and they didn’t let him get a break.”
Court Vision finished third, 1¼ lengths behind War Pass, followed by Giant Moon, Anak Nakal, Spurrier, Roman Emperor, Texas Wildcatter and Inner Light. First Commandment was a late scratch.
Tale of Ekati paid $19, $6.30 and $3.60. War Pass, the 4-5 favorite on a sunny day at the Big A, returned $3.70 and $2.60. Court Vision, making just his second start this year, paid $2.40 to show.
Mott said Court Vision would be sent to Kentucky and remains a Derby contender.
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The winning time of 1:52.35 was the slowest since 1952, when the race was extended to 1 1/8 miles.
Zito couldn’t explain War Pass’ defeat last month, but now he has to be concerned about whether his horse has the stamina to handle the Derby distance of 1¼ miles.
“I am happy with the way he ran because he wasn’t up the track,” Zito said. “The rabbit (Inner Light) hurt his chances. But there are no excuses.”
Tale of Ekati, winning for the third time in six career starts, earned $450,000.
Tagg won the Wood for the second year in a row. Nobiz Like Shobiz won last year, and went on to finish 10th in the Derby.
In other Aqueduct stakes races, Bustin Stones ($7.50) won the 7-furlong Carter Handicap, Temporary Saint ($24.20) took the 1 1/8-mile Excelsior Handicap and J Be K ($5.10) won the 7-furlong Bay Shore for 3-year-olds.
The first of three pools of the Kentucky Derby Future Wager begins its three-day run on Friday and the bet's opening scenario is very similar to each of its opening pools since the wager was created in 1999.
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Jeremy Lin hit a free throw with 4.9 seconds left to overcome a dreadful second half and lift the New York Knicks to their fifth straight victory, 100-98, over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday night.
Wesseling: Each NFL team enters the offseason with a series of pressing needs. Sometimes a team can address them all, sometimes they ignore them all. But if a team's smart, they'll listen to us. These are the most crucial aspects for AFC teams.
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