Rodriguez led all the way to win the US$750,000 Wood Memorial on Saturday, earning enough points to move into the 20-horse field for next month's Kentucky Derby.
Breaking from the rail, the Bob Baffert -trained colt ran 1 1/8 miles on a fast track in 1:48.15 under Hall of Famer Mike Smith in light rain and 45-degree temperatures at Aqueduct in New York. Rodriguez won by 3 1/2 lengths.
The victory was worth 100 qualifying points for the May 3 Derby, potentially giving Baffert three entrants as he seeks a record-setting seventh victory in his return to the race from which he was banned for three years.
Grande, trained by Todd Pletcher, was second. He went from having zero qualifying points to 50, which should get him into the Derby starting gate for owner Mike Repole, who is 0 for 7 in the Derby.
Passion Rules was third. Captain Cook, the 9-5 favourite, finished fourth for trainer Rick Dutrow, who hasn't had a Derby runner since 2010 after winning the 2008 race with Big Brown.
