Talkin Man Favorite In Kentucky

Talkin Man cruised to an easy victory in the $500,000 Wood Memorial in New York at Aqueduct, and now the talk turns to Kentucky.

With the upset victory earlier in the day by Wild Syn in the Blue Grass, Talkin Man might well go to Churchill Downs as the favorite for the Kentucky Derby on May 6.

The victory was the second straight in a stakes for Talkin Man, who also won the Gotham convincingly March 25 at Aqueduct, and so far has made it look easy. Knockadoon rallied for second, 6 lengths ahead of Is Sveikatas.

At the Bluegrass in Lexington, Ky., Wild Syn, a 30-1 shot, ran his way into the Kentucky Derby with a front-running performance at Keeneland.

Making only the sixth start of his career, Wild Syn and Randy Romero lulled five rivals to sleep with slow fractions.

At the end of the 1 miles, Wild Syn, winning his first stakes, was 2 lengths ahead of Suave Prospect, who was a head in front of Tejano Run.

Wild Syn, owned by Jurgen Arneman, a native of Germany now living in Franklin, Ky., returned $62.40, $19.80 and $6. It was the highest-winning mutuel payoff since Dust Commander returned $72.80 in the 1970 Blue Grass. Dust Commander went on to win the Kentucky Derby.