Listed $200K Withers headlines stacked Friday program featuring five stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack

Friday’s 11-race card at Aqueduct Racetrack will feature five stakes, including the Listed $200,000 Withers, a nine-furlong test for sophomores offering 20-10-6-4-2 Kentucky Derby qualifying points.

To account for recent weather-related cancellations, four stakes scheduled for January 31 were moved to Friday and re-drawn, including the Withers; the Listed $150,000 Toboggan; the $135,000 Ruthless; and the $135,000 Ladies; joining the re-drawn $135,000 Interborough, which was originally slated for January 24. First post is 11:45 a.m. Eastern.

Friday’s stacked card is headlined by the Listed $200,000 Withers [Race 10] which will feature a field that includes 7-of-8 original entrants, the lone defector being the Florida-based Project Ace, who is entered in today’s Grade 3 Holy Bull at Gulfstream Park for trainer Dale Romans.

Five-time Eclipse Award-winning trainer Chad Brown sends out a pair of leading contenders in Hit The Bid Racing Stable and CMNWLTH’s Schoolyardsuperman [post 2, Manny Franco] and Three Chimneys Farm’s Kentucky homebred Ottinho [post 3, Jose Lezcano].

Schoolyardsuperman, a Practical Joke gray, boasts a field-best 86 Beyer Speed Figure from a last-out 5 3/4-length victory in a one-turn mile maiden on December 6 here when graduating at third asking. The $150,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale was bred in Kentucky by Woods Edge Farm, who bred a participant in the 2023 Kentucky Derby in Reincarnate [13th] and hopes to add another Classic contender to its resume in Schoolyardsuperman.

“He was a very good looking horse from the start,” said Peter O’Callaghan, owner of Woods Edge Farm, regarding Schoolyardsuperman. “A big, strapping gray horse. Correct horse. He moved well. He was imposing. A very, very good-looking 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 some decent standard.”

Ottinho graduated at second asking over course and distance last out on December 31 and has been followed closely as a half-brother to Hall of Famer Gun Runner out of the Grade 2-winning Giant’s Causeway mare Quiet Giant.

“He really is an exciting prospect,” said Doug Cauthen, vice chairman of Three Chimneys Farm. “He is impeccably bred and a really beautiful colt. We are hoping to see progression in each race. We’ll see. He doesn’t have to win, we just hope he runs well and moves forward, and can continue to do that because the family seems to get better with time.”

Cash is King and LC Racing’s Pennsylvania homebred Mailata [post 5, Mychel Sanchez] dominated the seven-furlong Parx Future Stars by 19 lengths on December 30 at its namesake oval. Trained by Butch Reid, Jr., the Maximus Mischief bay, who improved to 3-for-3 with blinkers, will look to validate the performance as he competes outside of Parx Racing for the first time in his sixth career start.

Completing the field are Grittiness [post 1, Ricardo Santana, Jr., blinkers OFF] for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher; Star Sweeper [post 4, Angel Rodriguez] for trainer Louis Linder, Jr.; Talk to Me Jimmy [post 6 Ruben Silvera] for trainer Rudy Rodriguez; and Fourth and One [post 7, Jaime Rodriguez] for trainer Jeremiah Englehart.

The Withers, inaugurated in 1874, honors David Dunham Withers, one of the most successful thoroughbred breeders of the 19th century. Withers was one of the founders of Monmouth Park in New Jersey and was also a member of both the New York Jockey Club and the Coney Island Jockey Club. Throughout its rich history, the Withers has been won by 30 horses that have also won an American Classic, including Triple Crown winners Sir Barton [1919] and Count Fleet [1943].

The stakes action kicks off with the $135,000 Interborough [Race 2], a seven-furlong sprint for older fillies and mares, which was originally scheduled for Saturday, January 24, and includes 3-of-8 original entrants, with the additions of Ourdaydreaminggirl [post 6, Angel Rodriguez] for trainer Louis Linder, Jr., Her Laugh [post 5, Jose Lezcano] for conditioner Riley Mott and Sultry Lass [post 2, Mychel Sanchez] for trainer Brittany Russell.

The defectors include Tipple and Curlin’s Girl [entered in Ladies] for trainer Linda Rice, Scalable [entered in the Ladies] for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, Mega Mil for conditioner John Servis and Zadorsky for trainer Whit Beckman.

Gary Barber, Pantofel Stable and Wachtel Stable’s Lucille Ball [post 3, Manny Franco] is 2-for-2 and headlines the group for trainer Chris Englehart. The 4-year-old Lord Nelson chestnut returned from a 14-month layoff to post a 10 1/4-length first-level allowance score sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs last out on January 2 here.

The performance earned a career and field-best 103 Beyer Speed Figure, improving from an 82 for a local debut graduation by 5 1/4-lengths sprinting 6 1/2 furlongs on November 8, 2024.

“She’s doing good,” Englehart said. “She’s pretty game. She’s pretty nice. She’s just got a lot of ability. She likes to do it.”

Barry K. Schwartz’s New York homebred Stonewall Star [post 4, Jaime Rodriguez] seeks a return to winning form off a fifth in the one-turn mile Listed Go for Wand on December 13 here. Trained by Horacio De Paz, the 6-year-old Flatter bay is a five-time stakes winner among a 20-6-3-4 overall record with $513,398 in earnings, most recently capturing the state-bred Bay Ridge in December 2024 over the local one-turn mile.

Completing the field is Just Katherine [post 1, Sahin Civaci] for trainer Jose Jimenez.

Multiple stakes-winner Maximus Meridius [post 7, Mychel Sanchez, 121 pounds] will look to defend his Listed $150,000 Toboggan [Race 4] title as he arrives from a pair of stakes wins at his Parx Racing base for trainer Butch Reid, Jr., who co-owns with LC Racing and Cash is King.

The 5-year-old Pennsylvania-bred son of the Reid, Jr.-trained Maximus Mischief returned from a freshening and utilized prominent tactics under returning rider Mychel Sanchez to capture both the 6 1/2-furlong Let’s Give Thanks over sloppy and sealed footing on November 26 and the seven-furlong Blitzen last out on December 31.

The ultra-consistent Maximus Meridius boasts a 21-8-6-1 ledger for purse earnings of $644,430, including back-to-back local Listed stakes scores in the six-furlong Gravesend in December 2024 over a sloppy and sealed track and a neck win in last year’s Toboggan in February over Runninsonofagun.

"One of the reasons we gave him some time in the fall this year was to make sure we have a nice fresh horse because I really think he handled that Aqueduct surface well,” Reid, Jr. said.

Reid, Jr. noted that Sanchez, who was the leading rider at Parx in each of the last three seasons from 2023-25, has developed a great partnership with Maximus Meridius, combining to win six times.

"It looks like Mychel Sanchez has figured him out. He has a good feel for him and they're getting along real well,” Reid, Jr. said. “You can't really let him relax because he'll settle down and wait on horses. He's got himself beat a couple of times that way. Mychel knows you have to keep him on his toes, and you have to keep him in the bit - if you do, he's a pretty formidable foe."

Maximus Meridius, who is cross-entered in a Wednesday optional-claimer at Parx, was bred by Westerly Farm and is out of the winning Quiet American mare Quiet Virtue.

A newcomer to the Toboggan field, which saw all previous six entrants return, is Tristar Farm’s New York-bred Doc Sullivan [post 1, Ricardo Santana, Jr., 121 pounds], who will look to complete a local all-stakes hat trick for trainer John Ortiz.

The 5-year-old Solomini gelding closed out his 2025 campaign by notching a 5 1/2-length score over sloppy and sealed footing in the seven-furlong NYSSS Thunder Rumble on November 22 and followed with a one-length victory in the state-bred Alex M. Robb traveling a one-turn mile on December 26.

Doc Sullivan has shown improvement since joining the Ortiz barn, making his first start a winning one with a head score in the seven-furlong state-bred John Morrissey on July 31 at Saratoga Race Course that earned a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure.

Ortiz said his team, which includes his brother and assistant, Daniel Ortiz, has enjoyed getting to know Doc Sullivan.

“Each horse is an individual and has their own personality. He's a character in the barn and getting to know him is more of our pleasure than anything else,” Ortiz said. “He's such a pet in the barn and you can't go by his stall without wanting to pet him.

“He's not a snuggler, he's more of a biter but it's not out of being mean - he's eager to please, he's a good boy and the more you play with him the more he rewards you,” Ortiz added. “He is a bit of a handful to train and in the paddock on race days, but that's just his excitement of how happy he is to do what he loves to do.”

Ortiz has shown confidence in Doc Sullivan’s ability by trying him in open company last year with fourth-place finishes in both the Grade 1 Forego in August at the Spa and the Grade 3 Vosburgh presented by Army Mule in September at Belmont at the Big A.

“He is what he is - he's a good horse. It doesn't matter if he's New York-bred or Indiana-bred or Arkansas-bred, I've had all those horses run in open company because they're good horses. It's just a plus, a perk, to be New York-bred,” Ortiz said.

Doc Sullivan stretched out to nine-furlongs to finish a neck second in the state-bred Empire Classic in October here and had been under consideration for last Saturday’s nine-furlong Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup.

“The horse is versatile. I don't think he's bound to any distance,” Ortiz said. “He ran a fantastic race going a mile and an eighth and I can see him repeating that when the time comes to call on him again, but as far as seven furlongs it's a good opportunity to keep him where he can thrive the best.”

Bred by Seamus Coughlan, the $59,000 OBS June 2-Year-Olds and HRA Sale purchase is out of the winning Giant’s Causeway mare Queen Frostine, who is a half-sister to stakes-placed Cibolo. Doc Sullivan’s third dam, Clever But Costly, produced multiple graded stakes-winners Sun King and Ocean Drive.

Completing the field are Light the Way [post 2, Manny Franco, 119 pounds] for trainer Mike Maker; Be You [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche, 119 pounds] for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher; Nation [post 4, Luis Rivera, Jr., 119 pounds] for trainer Bob Hess, Jr.; Over and Ollie [post 5, Ruben Silvera 119 pounds] for conditioner Rick Dutrow, Jr.; and Victory Way [post 6, Jose Lezcano, 119 pounds] for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott.

The $135,000 Ladies [Race 6], originally scheduled for Saturday, January 17, was rescheduled three times. The redrawn field saw two of its entrants – Just Katherine and Ourdaydreaminggirl – reroute to the seven-furlong Interborough, which was moved to Friday’s card after initially being scheduled for January 24.

The Linda Rice-trained Tipple, who was entered in the Ladies when it was redrawn a second time, did not re-enter. Rice instead entered last-out allowance-winner Purloin [post 6, Jose Lezcano] along with original entrant Curlin’s Girl [post 5, Sahin Civaci].

Leading the field of six in the nine-furlong route for older fillies and mares is Klaravich Stables’ Weigh the Risks [post 4, Manny Franco], who enters off three straight victories, including two local Listed stakes.

Trained by Chad Brown, the 5-year-old Mendelssohn chestnut won the Pumpkin Pie by 1 1/4 lengths on November 8 and enters from a wire-to-wire victory in the local Go for Wand by 9 3/4 lengths over the reopposing Scalable on December 13.

Brown said Weigh the Risks, who made six of her first seven outings on the turf, has thrived since switching back to dirt in November 2024 here.

“She took a while to come around. I started her on turf being by Mendelssohn, but she's really found her way now on the dirt,” Brown said. “As she's matured, she's overcome some of her physical issues that she's had so we're really seeing the best of her now.”

Completing the field are Grade 3-winner Scalable [post 3, Kendrick Carmouche] for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher, three-time state-bred stakes-winner Bernietakescharge [post 2, Ruben Silvera] for trainer Domenick Schettino and three-time winner Low Country Magic [post 1, Jaime Rodriguez] for trainer Horacio De Paz.

The $135,000 Ruthless [Race 8], a seven-furlong sprint for sophomore fillies, saw six of the original seven entrants re-enter, with the addition of debut maiden-winner Our Golden Gator [post 3, Angel Rodriguez] for trainer Michael Moore. Haunting Echoes did not re-enter.

Leading the field of eight is Fern Circle Stables’ Shilling [post 7, Chris Elliott], who won the Listed Tempted traveling a one-turn mile here on November 6. Trained by Ken McPeek, the daughter of Global Campaign was last seen setting the pace in the nine-furlong Grade 2 Demoiselle on December 6 here, finishing fourth after being overtaken in the turn.

McPeek said Shilling has trained well in New York under the watchful eye of assistant trainer and multiple Grade 1-winner Jimmy Jerkens.

“She’s been a total pro, and most of the time I would bring a horse like her south, but she’s been in a good rhythm and routine there in New York with Jimmy,” McPeek said. “I decided to leave her there because it seems like these races are lining up for her. This race in particular is ideal.”

Shilling had been entered in the Big A’s Busanda on January 3, but was scratched due to a small cut on her leg.

Titletown Racing Stables’ Kentucky homebred Interstatelovesong [post 2, Ricardo Santana, Jr.] makes her stakes debut off a strong graduation at second asking on December 26 here for trainer Tom Morley.

The daughter of Bolt d’Oro led at every point of call under returning rider Ricardo Santana, Jr. in the 6 1/2-furlong sprint, shaking off early pressure to win by five lengths in a final time of 1:19.87. She was awarded a 69 Beyer, a seven-point improvement from her seven-furlong debut second in November.

“She’s a big filly, and my only concern is, what did she beat last time,” Morley said. “She was 2-5 there, and I think she ran in an OK maiden the first time, but she’s a big girl and she’ll improve with every race.”

Completing the field are the Amelia Green-trained pair of Ivy Girl [post 1, Manny Franco] and Two Bits [post 5, Jaime Rodriguez]; Midnite Ginny [post 4, Jose Lezcano] for trainer Jose Sanchez; and Courage On Tap [post 6, Luis Ocasio] trainer Louis Linder, Jr.

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