Hall of Fame coach Todd Pletcher will guide a formidable pair of opponents in Craftiness and List of Deans on April 9, $200,000 at the Bay Shore Stakes (G3), a seven-time sprint for sophomores at Aqueduct race track.
Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable, and Gainesway Stable’s Wit will be making their seasonal debuts after a six-month hiatus. The Realistic jokes colt, a September 2020 Keeneland purchase of $575,000, graduated to launch in June at Belmont Park with a six-time win in the $90,000 special maiden weight class. He follows that with an eight-minute race in the six-hair Sanford Stakes (G3) on July 17 at Racecourse Saratoga.
Dark Bay stumbled at the start of the Seven-Feathed Chain of Hope (G1) in September in Saratoga, placing in second place behind Gunite . He completed his campaign in October in Belmont with a distant third in Champagne Stakes (G1), a mile-by-one win Jack Christopher .
Wit skimmed a lot at the Palm Beach Downs, including the half-mile effort from the gate on Sunday at: 50.28.
“He is doing very well. We appreciated him on Sunday. Hopefully he will break as well as he did at his job on Sunday,” Pletcher said. “He’s put himself in a vulnerable position in his last few games. Hopefully he comes out clean and doesn’t give himself too much work. It’s good to have him. it’s back.”
Pletcher says a good push on Saturday could push Wit to $400,000 Woody Stephens Shares presented by Mohegan Sun (G1), a seven-part sprint on the May 11 Belmont Stakes (G1) card. 6.
“We felt he was best suited for single-track races and running from six to a mile,” says Pletcher. “We’ll see how this plays out and if he really does well we can lock down Woody Stephens.”
WinStar Farm and Siena Farm’s Dean’s List, a Sightstown the chestnut colt, had the first two times of his career start sprinting with six stretches at Gulfstream Parkgraduate launches in December before having a limited allowable option requirement score on January 8.
Dean’s List came in from a runner-up attempt to Morelo during the one-mile Gotham Stakes (G3) March 5 at the Aqueduct, during which he was hit at a break before setting speed.
Pletcher says that returning over long distances should fit on Dean’s List.
“He runs well all the time. He has a natural pace and I think seven stretches is a good distance for him,” said Pletcher, who won the Bay Shore with Forest Danger (2004) and Ensign (2018). “I think the cut from a mile, hopefully he’ll be ready to run at his best.”
A hybrid of WinStar in addition to winning a lot of bets Sharp humor mare Light attack Dean’s List crossed three times on the Belmont dirt track, including the half mile on April 2 in: 50.32.
Jose Ortiz has a call on board the Wit, assigned a towering 123 pounds, from lesson 9, while Joel Rosario will pilot Dean’s List from lesson 5.
Meanwhile, Klaravich Stables’ Highly respected via Dialed Reaching an impressive 1/4 of the length in the six-feather special maiden weight test competed for the good Aqueduct main track on February 26.
Coach Chad Brown said of Highly Respect: “It’s a huge leap to rank like that. He’s up against his age group, so we’re coming in here,” coach Chad Brown said of Highly Respect.
Manny Franco still has the mount from lesson 6.
EV Racing Stable’s Life is wonderful ; Fromanothamutha , coached and co-owned by Ray Handal with Blue Lion Thoroughbreds, Diamond T Racing, Craig Taylor and Peter Rinato; By Nicholas Cammarano Jr. Scaramouche ; Marshall E. Dowell’s Eliminated ; Perez’s barn Juggling artist ; Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso’s Dr. Jeff ; and Scott Zimmerman’s Runninsonofagun complete this field.
The Bay Shore is scheduled to be the last of Saturday’s 11-race card. The first lesson is 12:50 pm Eastern.
Item: Bay Shore S. (G3)
Aqueduct race trackSaturday, April 9, 2022, Race 11
- Level III
- 7f
- Dust
- 200,000 dollars
- 3 yo
- 6:29pm (local)
