Witty looks to bounce back in Laurel Dash
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Witty will return to Laurel Park to take on another stiff field in Saturday’s $100,000 Laurel Dash Stakes. The turf sprint division in the Mid-Atlantic has been supremely tough in recent years, and the 7-year-old has always been right in the thick of it.
After winning his first two starts of 2026, including the $100,000 Ben’s Cat at Laurel in June, Witty had a nightmarish time in the $150,000 Van Clief at Colonial, starting slowly before being struck across the eye with a clod. He finished eighth by two lengths.
“He didn’t get beaten very far, but it certainly wasn’t his best performance for all those reasons,” Merryman said.
Witty is one of four in the main field of 10 coming out of the Van Clief. Victory Achieved, runner-up that day for trainer Mark Casse, and the graded stakes winner Alogon scratched from the $150,000 Da Hoss at Colonial Downs last weekend.
Trainer John Salzman Jr. said he would have preferred to ship Had to Have Him to Colonial over the summer, but his talented gelding has had issues with bleeding and could not risk traveling in the summer heat.
Weighing his options, Salzman expressed deep frustration with the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority’s ban on Lasix for stakes races.
“It’s tough for us,” Salzman said. “We don’t have a lot of choices where we can run. What is the difference between a horse running in a $100,000 allowance versus a $100,000 stakes race? There’s no difference, except you’re going to hurt a horse and make them do something that they can’t do.”
Miguel Clement will bring two horses to Laurel on Saturday, including the 7-year-old gelding Senbei. The New York-bred graded stakes winner will make his 2026 debut off a nearly 11-month layoff.
Sensible Lady Turf Dash
Gerrards Cross will take on older rivals for the first time in an immensely deep edition of the $100,000 Sensible Lady Turf Dash Stakes on Saturday. The 3-year-old filly is the likely pacesetter and will need staying power in her first six-furlong test on grass.
“We’re hoping she moves forward off the 5 1/2 furlongs and goes straight to the three-quarters,” trainer Kathleen O’Connell said. “It’s a big step in both directions, but we have to test the waters because nothing else is available.”
Owned and bred in Florida by James M. Chicklo, Gerrards Cross delivered a breakout effort when she won the $100,000 Monmouth County in July. O’Connell shipped her to Saratoga in August for the $200,000 Galway. She handled herself well on the yielding course, finishing third by 1 1/2 lengths.
The filly’s likely front-running rival in the main field of 10 is Wisconsin Gal, one of two entered by Phillip Capuano. The last-out dirt allowance winner could set the table for her stablemate Mopo.
Merryman said she expects Somnium to improve with a little more ground. The 4-year-old filly is coming off a career-best effort in the $150,000 Andy Guest at Colonial, where she nearly finished second behind Roja.
Trainer Michael Simone said the goal for the 5-year-old mare Obstreperous is to keep calm in the paddock this time, as she got worked up before finishing third in the $100,000 Incredible Revenge last month.
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