Mott will try to ride momentum with Jungfrau in Withers
OZONE PARK, N.Y. – Coming off major graded stakes victories on successive weekends in South Florida, Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott will try to expand his reach when he runs Jungfrau in Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct.
Jungfrau is likely to be the only new entrant to the Withers, a race for 3-year-olds that was originally scheduled for Feb. 4 but was postponed when that day’s card was canceled due to extreme cold.
Jungfrau has run three times, and though he has yet to officially cross the finish line first, he was elevated from second to first by the Gulfstream stewards in a maiden race on Dec. 31. In upper stretch of that race, Jungfrau was carried out two paths by Expect More, who finished a nose in front of Jungfrau.
Expect More, on Feb. 1, finished third as the 1-2 favorite in maiden race at Gulfstream.
Dylan Davis will ride Jungfrau, a son of Arrogate owned and bred by Juddmonte.
Mott hopes Jungfrau can continue add to the trainer’s recent success, which includes a victory in the Grade 1, $3 million Pegasus on Jan. 28 with Art Collector and a one-two finish in last Saturday’s Grade 3 Holy Bull Stakes with Rocket Can and Shadow Dragon.
Jungfrau is expected to join the original field of six – Andiamo a Firenze, Arctic Arrogance, General Banker, Hit Shot, Ninetyprcentmaddie, and Prove Right – for the Withers, which offers its top five finishers qualifying points (20-8-6-4-2) to the May 6 Kentucky Derby.
On Monday, Hit Show, worked a half-mile in 50.03 seconds over the Belmont Park training track. Under jockey Manny Franco, who will ride in the Withers, Hit Show worked outside the 3-year-old maiden winner Looms Boldly, the pair going an opening quarter in 24.61 seconds. Hit Show galloped out in 1:04.48.
Hit Show was a handful for Franco before the work, but leveled off once the breeze began.
“In the beginning, he was trying to get out, but breezing he was straight, no problem,” Franco said. “He finished up well. I liked the gallop-out.”
Assistant trainer Dustin Dugas said, “It was a good breeze over that track; it’s pretty dead. Manny had his hands full going to the pole, but he did a good job.”
Hit Show, a son of Candy Ride, has won two of three starts including an allowance going a two-turn mile at Oaklawn on Dec. 17. Hit Show is out of the Tapit mare Actress, who won the Grade 3 Comely Stakes over Aqueduct’s main track in 2017.
◗ Saturday’s card will also include the $100,000 Jimmy Winkfield Stakes for 3-year-olds going six furlongs. That field is expected to include Clubhouse, Drew’s Gold, Joey Freshwater, Kool Kathamandu, and possibly Daydreaming Boy.
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