Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. enjoyed great success on last year's Wood Memorial Day card at the Big A, capturing the Carter Handicap (G1) with Mischevious Alex and the Bay Shore Stakes (G3) with Drain the Clock . On April 9, he will saddle a pair of longshots in Gentry Farms' A.P.'s Secret and Daniel Alonso's Skippylongstocking in the $750,000 Wood Memorial Stakes presented by Resorts World Casino (G2).

Manny Franco will have the call aboard A.P.'s Secret and Junior Alvarado will pilot Skippylongstocking in the 100-40-20-10 Kentucky Derby qualifier as Joseph looks to add to a Derby contender list that includes Saturday's Curlin Florida Derby (G1) hero White Abarrio .

A.P.'s Secret enters from a troubled seventh in the March 5 Fasig-Tipton Fountain of Youth Stakes (G2) in which he pressed from third position before clipping heels at the quarter-pole and dropping back.

"He came out of that race well and we couldn't really use that bumping as an excuse. He was losing his spot when it happened, but he did get bumped pretty hard," Joseph said. "I think because he's such a big horse that he was able to take the bump from the inside horse that came out and hit him. He bounced out well and he's worked well since."

Joseph said A.P.'s Secret, who worked a half-mile in :49.15 the morning of April 3 at Gulfstream Park, should appreciate the added distance. The Cupid  colt captured a one mile allowance optional claiming contest at Gulfstream two starts back.

"He always trained like this distance will be to his liking," Joseph said. "He didn't run like that his first time going two turns, but I feel like distance is his forte. The longer the better for him."

Skippylongstocking breezed five-eighths in 1:00.40 Saturday at Palm Meadows Training Center. The more experienced of Joseph's contenders boasts a record of 8-2-1-1 with all but one of those starts coming at Gulfstream Park.

The son of Exaggerator relished the 1 1/8-mile trip when landing an allowance optional claimer by 3 3/4-lengths March 2.