Better Talk Now a seriously good spot for Wit

SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. – Considering the fact Wit is already a multiple Grade 3 winner and multiple Grade 1-placed, trainer Todd Pletcher has certainly found what appears to be a pretty cushy spot for him Sunday at Saratoga. Wit tries turf for the second time in the $135,000 Better Talk Now, a race restricted to 3-year-olds who have never won a stakes at a mile or longer other than statebred.

The one-mile Better Talk Now drew a field of nine plus one main-track-only entrant and includes Napoleonic War, who is graded stakes-placed and nicely spotted as well under the conditions of the race.

Wit began his career in sensational fashion, winning his first two starts by a combined 14 lengths, including the Grade 3 Sanford here last summer. After finishing a distant second to Gunite in the Grade 1 Hopeful and third in the Grade 1 Champagne, Wit was given some time off before returning to capture his 3-year-old debut by a hard-fought nose in the Grade 3 Bay Shore last spring at Aqeuduct.

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After Wit finished a well-beaten fourth following an eventful trip in the Grade 1 Woody Stephens, Pletcher began to experiment. He worked Wit on the turf and liked what he saw enough to try him in the Grade 2 Hall of Fame here earlier this month. Wit responded with a big effort, finishing second behind the loose-on-the-lead Ready to Purrform after dropping well off the early pace.

“That’s kind of why we’re in there, to take advantage of that restricted clause,” Pletcher said when it was suggested he’d found a very good spot for Wit’s second start on turf. “I thought he ran pretty well on the grass the first time. He kind of got shuffled back a little bit and there was no pace, but he ran well.”

As for where Wit’s future might lie, Pletcher said he felt turf might be the place for him, at least for the time being.

“I think for now we’ll keep him on the grass,” Pletcher said. “When we first put him on it, I thought it kind of sparked his interest and I was pleased with the way he ran on it. And I think two turns might be best for him, too.”

Jose Ortiz, who was aboard Wit in both the Bay Shore and Hall of Fame, will have the mount again Sunday.

Like Pletcher, trainer Chad Brown also knows his way around a condition book pretty well. On Thursday, he sent out Gina Romantica to upset the Riskaverse, the filly counterpart to the Better Talk Now, and with Napoleonic War appears to have the main danger to the likely favorite on Sunday. Napoleonic War will certainly be getting plenty of class relief after finishing second in the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge in June and a tiring 11th after forcing the pace trying to stretch to 1 1/4 miles a month later in the Grade 1 Belmont Derby.

Both Wit and Napoleonic War would appreciate some early pace help and should get it with the presence of Legends Can’t Die, who comes off a wire-to-wire allowance win just 11 days earlier; Fluid Situation; and perhaps Riot House, coming in fresh and on a two-race win streak.

Legends Can’t Die is one of two horses trainer George Weaver entered in the Better Talk Now, along with Ohtwoohthreefive, another with no shortage of stakes experience. He finished third, beaten just 2 1/4 lengths by Napoleonic War, in an allowance race on May 5 at Belmont.