Bill Mott Taking A Shot At Derby Points With Wood Contenders Resilience, Elysian Meadows

Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will send out a pair of strong contenders in Resilience and Elysian Meadows in Saturday’s Grade 2, $750,000 Wood Memorial presented by Resorts World Casino. The nine-furlong test for sophomores offers 100-50-25-15-10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the top-five finishers.

Emily Bushnell and Ric Waldman’s Resilience has banked $94,630 through a 5-1-1-1 record, having graduated at fourth asking traveling 1 1/16-miles on New Year’s Day at Gulfstream Park.

Last out, the Into Mischief colt exited post 10-of-12 in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Risen Star under returning Hall of Fame jockey John Velazquez and tracked the speed of Track Phantom from second position over the sloppy and sealed main track. Resilience made his bid through the turn and was carried out by the frontrunner entering the stretch run, but chased home gamely to finish fourth behind the victorious Sierra Leone.

Resilience, who will add blinkers for the Wood Memorial, garnered a career-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure in the Risen Star along with 10 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

Mott said his charge wasn’t directly hindered by Track Phantom floating out.

“He might have clocked him – he didn’t get bumped – but he might have anticipated it. He’s got to step up. He’s still learning,” Mott said. “I think the blinkers just might keep him a little more focused.”

Resilience enters with a pair of bullet breezes under his belt over the Payson Park Training Center dirt, including a half-mile effort in 48.40 Saturday.

“He did have a chance to work in them [blinkers],” Mott said. “I don’t think he’ll have to be more forward than he was, but maybe keep him a little more focused at the end of the race.”

Mott, who won the Wood in 2019 with eventual Derby third-place finisher Tacitus, said he is confident Velazquez can work out a good trip from the inside post in a stacked field of 13 horses.

“There’s quite a bit of speed beside him,” said Mott, noting the typically forwardly-placed El Grande O in post 2 and longshot Lonesome Boy in post 3. “You always want to get out of the gate and get position. He’s got a good post and can save ground around the first turn.”

Resilience has a strong turf pedigree out of the winning Smart Strike mare Meadowsweet, who is a half-sister to the Grade 1 and multiple graded stakes-winning Storm Cat progeny Courageous Cat and After Market – all three are out of the multiple Grade 1-winning Rahy mare Tranquility Lake. Jalil, a Group 2-winner on dirt, is also by Storm Cat and out of Tranquility Lake.

Team Penney Racing’s New York-bred Elysian Meadows won his first two starts in state-bred sprints here, besting next-out winner Big Prankster in his November debut and putting away next-out winner and eventual stakes-winner Mischief Joke in a December optional-claimer.

The City of Light bay, bred by Moni Market Breeders and M & M Equine, picked up four Kentucky Derby points last out when closing to finish fourth in the 1 1/16-mile Grade 3 Sam F. Davis in February at Tampa Bay Downs.

“He seems to be doing well,” Mott said. “Both horses - it’s our last opportunity to generate any points for the Derby, so we’re giving them a chance. If one runs well, maybe it will put us in the gate.”

Elysian Meadows will exit post 8 under Jose Lezcano.