Schoolyard Superman leads the field in the Withers, NYRA Photo
Christian Abdo
Hit The Bid Racing Stable and CMNWLTHs Schoolyard superman impressed to take his first last win and will make his stakes debut in Saturday’s Listed $200,000 Withers, a nine-furlong route for sophomores, at Aqueduct Racetrack.
The Withers, a preliminary race on the Road to the Kentucky Derby, will award the top five finishers 20-10-6-4-2 qualifying points respectively for the prestigious Grade 1 test in May at Churchill Downs.
Schoolyardsuperman, trained by five-time Eclipse Award winner Chad Brown, will not only be tested by improving his class after his 5 3/4-length victory in a one-turn first mile here on Dec. 6, but he will also complete two turns for the first time. Practical Joke Gray’s two previous starts here were sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs, cutting heels and falling halfway on his debut in September, with a one-second lead over Epic Summer in October.
In his victory, Schoolyard Superman [post 1, Manny Franco] He pushed the pace under returning rider Manny Franco before increasing his margin at every point of the call en route to an easy score in a final time of 1:36.68, registering a career and best 86 Beyer Speed Figure.
Schoolyardsuperman, a $150,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale, was bred in Kentucky by Woods Edge Farm. The Lexington-based farm bred Reincarnate [13th]a contender in the 2023 Kentucky Derby, and hopes to add another Classic candidate to his resume in Schoolyardsuperman.
“He looked really good from the start,” Peter O’Callaghan, owner of Woods Edge Farm, said of Schoolyardsuperman. “A big, sturdy gray horse. Correct horse. He moved well. He was imposing. A very, very handsome horse. He looks like a good prospect. Whether he can win the Withers or not I don’t know, but he looks like a horse with a decent level.”
Schoolyardsuperman is out of the winning Tiznow mare Tizlegal, which Woods Edge Farm purchased for $25,000 at the 2020 Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale. Tizlegal is a half-sister to reigning Grade 2 Carter winner Crazy Mason, out of the ranked Maria’s Mon mare Izshelegal.
“Tizlegal is a real Maria’s Mon, a gray mare of real quality. She is more Maria’s Mon than Tiznow. That’s a nice family, a young active family, with a decent rear family,” said O’Callaghan. “Crazy Mason has come up in the meantime, but I just knew the family was current, there was always stuff going on and we were lucky there.”
O’Callaghan spoke about the pairing of Practical Joke and Tizlegal, who has emerged as a stylish broodmare and also produced the stakes-placed 4-year-old Kantharos filly Velvet Devil.
“The most important factors were physicality, speed and price,” O’Callaghan said. “I thought this was very good physical mating. Practical Joke is a very handsome horse. He is a large, strong horse with a decent hip. She [Tizlegal] is about 16.2 hands, very refined quality, Maria’s Mon type. He is a very solid and proven father. He has made a big leap in recent years.”
Brown will also ship Three Chimneys Farm’s Kentucky homebred Ottinho [post 6, Flavien Prat]a second local maiden winner from Quality Road who has been closely followed as a half-brother to Hall of Famer Gun Runner.
Ottinho, who last raced over course and distance on December 31, led for three quarters in 1:14.87 under returning rider Flavien Prat after breaking off the rail. Bay received a challenge from stablemate Hadrian’s Wall, who put his head out at the eighth post, but Ottinho fought his way back in and prevailed with a head in a final time of 1:54.07.
Ottinho was previously a third-placed Enforced Agenda on his one-turn mile debut here in November, having cleared the starting gate at the start and traveled through the half-mile in 7th of 8. His Beyers jumped from 71 to 82 over the course of his two starts and he certainly has the pedigree as a half-brother to Gun Runner and a full brother to 2024 Grade 3 Comely winner Pretty Ana, out of the Grade 2-winning Giant’s Causeway mare Quiet Giant.
Brown is seeking his third Withers win, along with Risk Taking [2021] and future Preakness winner Early Voting [2022].
Cash is King and LC Racing’s in-house breeder in Pennsylvania Miles [post 5, Mychel Sanchez] stood out when he dominated the seven-furlong Parx Future Stars by 19 lengths at the oval of the same name on December 30. The Maximus Mischief Bay, trained by Butch Reid Jr., competed against just two rivals and was in a close third through the opening quarter mile, but took over from there and romped under returning rider Mychel Sanchez.
“He didn’t really get away clean, but I liked the way he stood behind the horses. When the jock asked him, he moved forward nimbly, so he was really on point that day,” said Reid, Jr., who won the Withers with Afleet Again [2010] and Uncle Heavy [2024].
Mailata’s final time of 1:27.20 earned a 73 Beyer, down from the 80 he previously received for a pace-setting score of 3 1/2 lengths in the seven-furlong Pennsylvania Nursery versus fellow state-breds on Nov. 26 at Parx Racing. He was impressed with his recent effort, improving to 3-for-3 since adding blinkers for a third-out diploma during a two-turn mile in October at Parx.
“It seems like his focus has really sharpened and he’s really paying attention to what he’s doing on the court,” Reid, Jr. said. about the blinders.
Mailata has made all five career starts at Parx, finishing third in his debut in August by sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs, followed by a fourth going 6 1/2 furlongs a month later. He is a half-brother to stakes winner Jeanne Marie out of the Medaglia d’Oro mare Bouquet of Gold and his second dam is Grade 3 winner Bouquet Booth.
Stony Pointe Stables’ Fourth and one [post 2, Jaime Rodriguez] was placed on double stakes before earning his final fourth start with the blinders off in a one-turn mile maiden against fellow New York-breds on Dec. 5 here. The Maxfield gelding, trained by Jeremiah Englehart, was second in his debut in the six-furlong Funny Cide in August at Saratoga Race Course, before a first-place second at the same distance at Belmont at the Big A and a third in the one-mile state-bred Sleepy Hollow here.
“He has some ability since he got here last summer,” Englehart said. “He’s a horse that has had to grow up a bit and mature in terms of training and racing scenarios. I think taking off the blinders has helped him. I like where he is and I’m excited to see what he can do this weekend.”
Fourth and One, bred in the Empire State by Chesapeake Farm, Rockridge Stud, Tamie Semler and John McConnell, was purchased for $240,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky February Mixed Sale. He comes from the Medaglia d’Oro mare Wajeeha, a half-sister of the multiple group-placed Zainhom.
“I thought he would probably want to stretch out,” Englehart said. “He’s made the transition from six furlongs to further in his starts. I’m not too concerned about this distance, but he’s obviously not done a mile and an eighth yet. I thought this was the right opportunity for him.”
Bran Jam Stable and David Clark’s Starsweeper [post 8, Angel Rodriguez] is cross-entered in the seven-furlong Spectacular Bid on Saturday at Parx. The Rock Your World Gray, trained by Louis Linder Jr., cruised to a 2 1/4-length victory in a 6 1/2-furlong optional claimer final Dec. 24 at Parx.
Star Sweeper graduated in his debut in a 6 1/2-furlong sprint on September 20 at Parx, before efforts off the board when he placed fifth in the two-turn Rocky Run in October at Delaware Park and eighth in the six-furlong James F. Lewis, III in November at Laurel Park.
The field is rounded out by a pair of first-time winners, including Florida-based Project Ace [post 3, Corey Lanerie]cross-entered in Saturday’s Grade 3 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park for Eclipse Award winner Dale Romans and the New York-bred Talk to me Jimmy [post 4, Ruben Silvera] for conditioner Rudy Rodriguez; as well as the girl Crustiness [post 7, Ricardo Santana, Jr., blinkers OFF] for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher – three-time Withers winner with Harlem Rocker [2008]Revolutionary [2013] and far from over [2015].
The Withers is scheduled as Race 9 on Saturday’s 10-race card, which also features the Listed $150,000 Toboggan [Race 2]the ruthless one of $135,000 [Race 4] and the rescheduled $135,000 Ladies [Race 6]. First message is 12:10 Eastern.
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