OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Led by Courvoisier, the top three finishers from Saturday’s $150,000 Jerome Stakes are expected to meet again in the Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes on Feb. 5 at Aqueduct. Courvoisier won the Jerome by 1 1/4 lengths over Smarten Up, who finished three-quarters of a length in front of Cooke Creek. The race was run over an extremely sloppy surface, and jockey Jose Ortiz, riding Courvoisier for the first time, hustled the horse into contention as per instructions from trainer Kelly Breen. It wasn’t until the final sixteenth when Courvoisier began to edge clear. Smarten Up did well to finish second, rallying from last, eight lengths back after a half-mile, on a track that wasn’t particularly kind to closers. Courvoisier, a son of Tapit out of the Grade 1-winning mare Take Charge Brandi, earned a 73 Beyer Speed Figure for the Jerome victory. He earned 10 qualifying points toward the Kentucky Derby. The Withers also offers its winner 10 Derby points. The Withers, run at 1 1/8 miles around two turns, was on Courvoisier’s schedule since he won a maiden race here at the same distance on Dec. 2. The start in the Jerome was an entry-day decision suggested by Breen, who noted that the horse was doing too well to stay in the barn and that he might benefit from another race. That suggestion was made to owner John Sikura, who gave his stamp of approval. :: DRF Bets players get free Daily Racing Form Past Performances and up to 5% weekly cashback. Click to learn more. “Kelly has done such a great job with this horse,” Sikura told the New York Racing Association. “The best trainers are intuitive people that don’t feel pressure from an owner or other things.” With a 2-for-2 record at Aqueduct and Breen’s belief that Courvoisier is better at two turns, Breen said, “The writing’s on the wall for him to run in the Withers.” Alfredo Velazquez, trainer of Smarten Up, told NYRA publicity that Smarten Up suffered a cut on a front leg, the result of brushing with another horse early in the race. Smarten Up also resented getting mud in his face, according to Velazquez. “He had never had mud in the face before and that intimidated him for a little while,” Velazquez said. “The jockey had to get after him a little bit because when the mud hit the face, he didn’t want any part of that. But as soon as he took him outside, he started to run. He’s a nice horse.” Cooke Creek, the favorite in the Jerome off a second-place finish in the Nashua, didn’t seem to relish the off going, according to trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer, who believes his horse will appreciate the distance and two turns of the Withers. Constitutionlawyer eyes Withers The weekend may have produced another Withers starter in Constitutionlawyer, who splashed his way to a 3 1/2-length maiden victory going 1 1/8 miles on Sunday. He covered 1 1/8 miles in 1:52.29 and earned an 84 Beyer Speed Figure for the effort. Constitutionlawyer, a son of Constitution trained by Ray Handal, was making his third start. He had finished fourth behind Mo Donegal in a 1 1/16-mile maiden race on Oct. 21 at Belmont, and was third, 3 1/2 lengths behind Courvoisier, in a Dec. 2 maiden race. Mo Donegal won the Grade 2 Remsen in his next start, while Courvoisier won the Jerome. Handal thought Constitutionlaywer was hampered in his first two starts by poor breaks. In the Dec. 2 race, he was last early behind a slow pace and made a long, sustained, wide bid to finish third. :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2022: Point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Sunday, under Dylan Davis, Constiutionlawyer was much sharper away from the gate and took advantage of an inside- and speed-favoring surface to record the front-running victory. “He’s been a little slow to learn. He’s been green coming away from the gate. We’ve been working with him doing that,” Handal said after the race. “I thought if he broke sharp he’d be tough today.” Constitutionlawyer is one of several 3-year-olds he has pointed to spots at Aqueduct. Mischievous Diane, who won a maiden race by three lengths on Dec. 11, is pointing to the $100,000 Ruthless Stakes on Feb. 6. “She’s pretty legit,” Handal said. “She’s got distance limitations. Probably Ruthless, then Cicada. Ideally, I wish they were six” furlongs. Thinking It Over, a New York-bred filly who won an off-the-turf maiden race on Nov. 12, is pointing to the $100,000 Franklin Square Stakes for New York-breds on Jan. 15. Fromanothamutha, who as a maiden finished seventh in the Remsen Stakes, is likely to return to the maiden ranks on Jan. 13. “We took a shot, rolled in the dice in the Remsen. He doesn’t want to go that far,” Handal said. “He’s got a lot of speed. I think seven-eighths will hit him in the head. Hopefully, we can break his maiden and then try the Gotham” on March 5. Brisk claiming business Activity has been hot and heavy at the claim box. Over the last eight racing days, there have been 56 horses claimed for $1,504,000. There have been three 11-way shakes – Answer In (taken for $40,000 by Robert Falcone), Customerexperience (taken for $25,000 by William Morey), and Dark Storm (taken for $25,000 by Jeffrey Englehart). Three horses – Prioritize, Battle Bling, and Vegas Weekend – were each taken for $62,500.