April 18, 1982

Air Forbes Won, a handsome colt who began his career only six weeks ago, wore down Shimatoree with a stretch drive that was more taxing and less impressive than anyone had expected to win the $175,200 Wood Memorial by a neck yesterday at Aqueduct. It was the fourth victory without a loss for Air Forbes Won, who paid $3.20 for $2 to win as the 3-5 favorite. Laser Light was third, 2 1/4 lengths behind Shimatoree and a head in front of Wolfie's Rascal in the field of 10 3-year-olds. Air Forbes Won covered the mile and an eighth under Angel Cordero in 1:51 over a fast track - the second-slowest winning time in the last 30 of the 58 runnings of the Wood. Cordero was under orders to work the colt past the wire, and he was timed in 2 minutes 6 seconds for a mile and a quarter, the Kentucky Derby distance. Yesterday morning, Cupecoy's Joy, a New York-bred filly who is being seriously considered for the Derby, went the same distance in 2:02 2/5, a brilliant move that was the talk of the clockers' stand.

President Reagan said today that ''nuclear war cannot be won and must never be fought'' but that peace depended on public support for a continuing American military buildup. In the third of a series of radio speeches, the President associated himself with the goals of groups seeking a nuclear freeze but said that instituting a Transcript of address, page 35. freeze now only ''perpetuates current disparities'' to the disfavor of the United States. Mr. Reagan's five-minute speech from the Presidential retreat at Camp David seemed aimed at the growing moves toward arms control in the nation, and in particular at the Ground Zero movement, which is to begin on Sunday a week of educating the American people on the horrors of nuclear war.

-------------------------------------------------------------------- Mike Nichols, the theater and film director, is one of the producers of the musical ''Annie.'' By MIKE NICHOLS ''Annie'' will be five years old this Wednesday. It doesn't seem that long. In September of 1976 Lewis and Jay Allen, our friends and neighbors in Connecticut, told my wife and me that they had seen a wonderful show at the Goodspeed Opera House and that we should see it if possible. ''It's about Little Orphan Annie,'' said Lewis. There was a long pause. I don't know what my expression was, but my wife looked as though a small domestic animal had just relieved itself on her foot. ''It's better than it sounds,'' said Jay. ''It's a musical and F.D.R. is in it. He sings.'' Another long pause. ''Well,'' I lied, ''we'll certainly try and get over there.''

Blue is the color of the headquarters of the Estee Lauder group, from the midnight blue elevator banks to the blue walls, blue carpets and blue-and-white overstuffed sofas of the reception area. Blue is the personal trademark of Estee Lauder, as pink was Elizabeth Arden's. And just as surely as Mrs. Lauder has nailed her color to the company's mast, she has stamped her personal imprint on the group, by some measures the most successful cosmetics company in the United States. Last week, with a fanfare it normally reserves for a new body lotion, the group announced some executive changes. Leonard Lauder, the 49-year-old president, also became chief executive officer; his brother, Ronald Lauder, 38, executive vice president, assumed the additional title of chairman of the company's substantial overseas operations. As befits a cosmetics business, however, there were signs that the changes were mainly skin-deep. Although the entire family granted one of its rare interviews to publicize the promotion of the ''sweet boys,'' as their fond mother described them, Mrs. Lauder also made it clear that she is not stepping down anytime soon from her active chairmanship, nor is her husband, Joseph, withdrawing from management of the group's factories. ''What we are doing is setting the stage for the next 20 years,'' said Ronald Lauder.

Private analysts say that this week's first official G.N.P. estimate may show that the Government's economists were quite prescient when they said in March the economy fell 4.5 percent last quarter. A larger-than-expected inventory liquidation in March was largely responsible for the size of the drop, says Donald Ratajczak, director of economic forecasting at Georgia State University. However, in spite of the run-off, the economy is continuing to decline this month, Mr. Ratajczak says. An inventory buildup could begin sometime in May, he says, but the pace will not be sufficient to prevent the economy from falling 2 percent this quarter, its third consecutive dip.