Cards of Stone sold, will scratch from Withers

OZONE PARK, N.Y. – The New York-bred maiden winner Cards of Stone will scratch out of Saturday’s Grade 3 Withers after a majority interest in the gelding by Bustin Stones was sold Thursday.

Highclere America, which is a partnership managed by Rebecca Weisbord, and Adam Wachtel combined to buy a 75 percent interest in Cards of Stone from Linda McConnell and Jerry Bilinksi. The gelding will be moved from trainer James Bond to Todd Pletcher.

Cards of Stone, who won first out and finished second in his first try against winners, likely will be pointed to the $100,000 Gander Stakes for New York-breds on Feb. 6.

Bradley Weisbord, who advises his wife, Rebecca, said it was only fair to give Pletcher some time with the horse before having to run him, especially considering that the Withers is an open-company graded stakes.

“He’s a New York-bred we think we’ll have some fun with,” Bradley Weisbord said. “If he turns out to be a horse we can run in a couple of Derby preps, great, but we’re buying him to have some fun in the New York-bred races.”

Cards of Stone won his debut by 3 1/2 lengths on the front end going a one-turn mile Dec. 6. On Jan. 10, in a race run over a sloppy track and in the fog, he finished second behind Inside Straight, also trained by Pletcher.

Weisbord credited the job Bond and his staff did with Cards of Stone but added, “Todd Pletcher is our trainer.”

Pletcher could have as many as three horses in the Gander. He said Thursday that he is pointing Inside Straight and the multiple sprint stakes winner Sudden Surprise to that mile-and-70-yard race.