OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Ottinho has a powerful pedigree and in his lone victory demonstrated serious determination. Whether he’s able to join the upper crust of the 3-year-old division on the Triple Crown trail remains to be seen and likely won’t be known even if he wins Friday’s $200,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct. Regardless of its status as a Kentucky Derby points-scoring race, the Withers is the race that makes the most sense for Ottinho’s first start after a maiden win Dec. 31. He is likely to be favored in a field of seven set to contest 1 1/8 miles in the Withers. The race was rescheduled from last Saturday due to extreme cold weather that has been responsible for the cancellation of that card and five others on this circuit so far in 2026. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Ottinho is a half-brother to Gun Runner, the 2017 Horse of the Year who finished third in the 2016 Kentucky Derby. Ottinho, a son of Quality Road owned and bred by Three Chimneys Farm, comes into the Withers off a gutsy head victory over stablemate Hadrian’s Wall in a 1 1/8-mile maiden race. In that race, he took pressure from his outside by longshot Grey Bull from the middle of the backstretch to the three-sixteenths pole. After putting him away, Ottinho was confronted by Hadrian’s Wall, but he turned back that challenge, too. “It was very solid, he fought back,” trainer Chad Brown said. “He’s always trained like a mile-and-an-eighth, mile-and-a-quarter horse. It didn’t surprise me he was able to stay a little longer.” Brown acknowledged that even before the recent spell of cold winter weather that forced the cancellation of some training, Ottinho had missed training shortly after his race. “He’s got to overcome some missed training,” Brown said. Ottinho will be ridden by Jose Lezcano from post 3. Flavien Prat, originally named to ride last week, has engagements at Oaklawn Park on Friday. Brown, who has twice won the Withers, also has Schoolyardsuperman in this year’s edition. Schoolyardsuperman clipped heels and fell in his well-bet debut at Aqueduct in September and didn’t get his maiden victory until Dec. 6, when he rolled to a 5 3/4-length score going one mile. Though Schoolyardsuperman is by Practical Joke – a horse Brown trained who had more success around one turn than two – Brown believes he can get the two turns. “He always trained like he wants a mile and an eighth, to be honest,” said Brown, who trains Schoolyardsuperman for Hit the Bid Racing Stable. “I don’t think he’s going to have any problem with the distance. He’s a well-bred horse – I know he’s by Practical Joke, but he got beat a head in the Haskell – out of a Tiznow mare and he’s got a lot of leg on him.” The most accomplished horse in the field is Mailata, who has won three straight races, including the Pennsylvania Nursery on Nov. 26 and the Future Stars Stakes, a race he won by 19 lengths against two rivals Dec. 30. Both of those races, run at Parx Racing, were at seven furlongs. Mailata is by Maximus Mischief, who won the Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct going 1 1/8 miles. Trainer Butch Reid, who trained Maximus Mischief, has won the Withers twice, including in 2024 with Uncle Heavy. “It’s a little bit of a fact-finding mission, but not without some knowledge,” Reid said. “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 three wins, rides him Friday from post 5. Star Sweeper scratched out of Wednesday’s Spectacular Bid Stakes at Laurel, presumably to run in the Withers, for which he was entered last weekend. Grittiness is a maiden who trainer Todd Pletcher believes wants to run 1 1/8 miles. Since a maiden race didn’t fill at the distance, he is back in here after a fifth-place finish in the Remsen. New York-bred maiden winners Fourth and One and Talk to Me Jimmy round out the field for the Withers, which offers its top five finishers qualifying points (20-10-6-4-2) to the May 2 Kentucky Derby. The Withers will go as race 10 on an 11-race card that begins at 11:45 a.m. and includes four other stakes, three of which were scheduled last Saturday plus the Interborough, brought back from Jan. 24. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.