Arctic Arrogance adds blinkers for Withers Stakes

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Having watched Arctic Arrogance fall just short in his last two stakes starts, trainer Linda Rice hopes the addition of blinkers helps the New York-bred colt finish second to none in Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct.

Originally scheduled for Feb. 4, the Withers was postponed one week due to extreme cold conditions that canceled that day’s card. Initially drawn with six horses, the Withers – which awards qualifying points to its top five finishers (20-8-6-4-2) to the May 6 Kentucky Derby – picked up one new player in Jungfrau.

Still, Arctic Arrogance, off half-length defeats in both the Grade 2 Remsen at 1 1/8 miles in December and the listed Jerome Stakes going a mile in January, is the likely favorite in this 1 1/8-mile test. The addition of blinkers was suggested by jockey Jose Lezcano following the Jerome, when Artic Arrogance failed to pass Lugan Knight. Rice has felt they have helped Arctic Arrogance in his training.

“He seems a bit more responsive and a little more aggressive with the blinkers on,” Rice said. “Looking at the Withers, it looks like there are more sprinters in there trying to go long, so we may not be on the lead. But I think the blinkers hopefully will help him go by horses versus run to them.”

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Rice has previously said that Arctic Arrogance is a hard horse to keep weight off of, but she feels content where the colt is weight-wise coming into the Withers.

“Last race I felt like he was too heavy, but I feel we’re in better shape this time,” she said.

Jungfrau, a son of Arrogate owned and bred by Juddmonte and trained by Bill Mott, has not yet crossed the finish line first in any of his three starts. However, he was elevated to first by the Gulfstream Park stewards when carried out two paths in the stretch by Expect More, who beat Jungfrau by a nose in that Dec. 31 maiden race.

Hit Show, trained by Brad Cox, is in from Oaklawn, where he won a first-level allowance going a two-turn mile Dec. 17. Hit Show is a son of Candy Ride out of the Tapit mare Actress, who won the nine-furlong Comley Stakes here in 2017.

“I think he has the ability to stay on, the further the better based on how he runs, the pedigree,” Cox said.

Manny Franco rides Hit Show from post 4.

Ninetyprcentmaddie was originally under consideration for the Miracle Wood, a one-turn mile race Feb. 18 at Laurel. But trainer Butch Reid said he’d prefer to find out sooner than later how the son of Weigelia will handle more ground. This will be his first start beyond seven furlongs.

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“I like the post [6], I like the way he fits in there, we’re asking a lot going from seven to a mile and an eighth, but it’s about time we found out,” Reid said.

New York-breds Andiamo a Firenze and General Banker are both sprint stakes winners who are attempting two turns for the first time.

Prove Right, a two-time winner at 5 1/2 furlongs, finished last in the Grade 2 Remsen, but trainer and part-owner James Chapman doesn’t believe that was a true indication of the colt’s ability to get a distance of ground.

The Withers goes as race 9 on a 10-race card that begins at 12:20 p.m.

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