Ottinho has a powerful pedigree and a win at the distance. Whether or not he’s ready to jump into stakes company – and potentially onto the Kentucky Derby trail – will be answered when he runs in the $200,000 Withers Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct. As of Thursday, the Withers – a race that awards its top five finishers points (20-10-6-4-2) to the May 2 Kentucky Derby – is still scheduled for Saturday. But the bone-chilling temperatures that have prevented racing at Aqueduct since Jan. 23, don’t appear to be going away. So, it’s not definite the Withers – or any of the three other stakes scheduled for Saturday’s 10-race card – will be run or pushed back until next week. Ottinho, trained by Chad Brown, is a half-brother to Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year, who got better as he went longer and got older. Ottinho, by Quality Road, has only run twice, finishing third in a one-mile maiden race on Nov. 23 before coming back with a game, front-running victory over stablemate Hadrian’s Wall at 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct on Dec. 31. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Ottinho has only worked once since that race, a half-mile move in 48.60 seconds on Jan. 23. “He missed a few days of training a couple of weeks ago, got over it. I was able to get one work into the horse and give him a chance,” Brown said. “He actually worked really good so I entered him to take a look. I hate that he missed a few days of training but I do think the horse is pretty fit.” Ottinho missed a few more days of training last weekend, when the Belmont Park training track was closed due to the cold and then snow that fell last Sunday. Obviously, he was not alone. With Oaklawn Park closed Saturday, Flavien Prat will be able to ride Ottinho in the Withers if it’s run. Brown, who has twice won the Withers, also sends out Schoolyardsuperman who won his maiden going a mile by 5 3/4 lengths on Dec. 6 in what was his third career start. “It’s first start around two turns and a mile and an eighth but he’s acting like he can get at least that,” Brown said. “I’m not sure about a mile and a quarter, but he acts like he’d be able get a mile and an eighth.” Manny Franco rides Schooyardsuperman from the rail. Mailata, trained by Butch Reid, is the most accomplished horse in the Withers. After losing his first two starts, Reid equipped Mailata with blinkers and he has won three straight, including the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes over a sloppy track and the Future Stars Stakes, both seven-furlong races at Parx. He won the latter by 19 lengths, but only faced two horses. Mailata is stretching out to 1 1/8 miles from seven-eighths, something his father, Maximus Mischief – also trained by Reid – did in winning the 2018 Remsen Stakes at Aqueduct. “It’s a little bit of a fact-finding mission but without some knowledge,” said Reid, who won the Withers in 2024 with Uncle Heavy. He also won the Withers with Afleet Again in 2010, when the race was run at one mile. “I think he will get the distance. Maximus Mischief handled Aqueduct and that was some of the impetus for taking a shot.” Mychel Sanchez, aboard for Mailata’s last three starts, rides from post 5. Star Sweeper, trained by Louis Linder Jr., is also in from Parx. He is coming off a solid first-level allowance win at Parx, albeit at 6 1/2 furlongs. Fourth One and Talk to Me Jimmy are both coming off wins going one mile against New York-bred competition. Grittiness is a maiden who finished fifth in the Grade 2 Remsen Stakes. Trainer Todd Pletcher, who is removing blinkers from the colt’s equipment, was hoping to enter him back in a 1 1/8-mile maiden race for Sunday. Project Ace, trained by Dale Romans, is cross-entered in Saturday’s Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream Park and was expected to run there. At the very least, Romans knows the Holy Bull will be run Saturday. The Withers? Stay tuned. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.