Pletcher Has Pair of Contenders in Bay Shore Stakes
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Photo: Coglianese Photos/Ryan Thompson
Dean's List (right) races at Gulfstream Park
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher will saddle a pair of formidable contenders in Wit and Dean's List in the April 9 $200,000 Bay Shore Stakes (G3), a seven-furlong sprint for sophomores at Aqueduct Racetrack.
Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable, and Gainesway Stable's Wit will make his seasonal debut after a six-month layoff. The Practical Joke colt, a $575,000 2020 Keeneland September Yearling Sale purchase, graduated on debut in June at Belmont Park with a six-length victory in a $90,000 maiden special weight. He followed that with an eight-length romp in the six-furlong Sanford Stakes (G3) on July 17 at Saratoga Race Course.
The dark bay stumbled at the start of the seven-furlong Hopeful Stakes (G1) in September at Saratoga, settling for second behind Gunite . He completed his campaign in October at Belmont with a distant third in the Champagne Stakes (G1), a one-turn mile won by Jack Christopher .
Wit has breezed extensively at Palm Beach Downs, including a half-mile effort from the gate Sunday in :50.28.
"He's doing really well. We got a good work into him Sunday. Hopefully, he'll break as well as he did in his work on Sunday," Pletcher said. "He was putting himself in a compromised position in his last couple of starts. Hopefully, he gets away cleanly with the field and not give himself too much to do. It's good to have him back."
Pletcher said a good effort Saturday could propel Wit to the $400,000 Woody Stephens Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun (G1), a seven-furlong sprint on the June 11 Belmont Stakes (G1) card.
"We feel he's best suited to one-turn and races between six furlongs and a mile," Pletcher said. "We'll see how this goes and if he does really well, we might lock in on the Woody Stephens."
WinStar Farm and Siena Farm's Dean's List, a Speightstown colt, made his first two career starts sprinting six furlongs at Gulfstream Park, graduating on debut in December ahead of a narrow allowance optional claiming score Jan. 8.
Dean's List enters from a runner-up effort to Morello in the one-mile Gotham Stakes (G3) March 5 at Aqueduct in which he was bumped at the break before setting the pace.
Pletcher said the turn back in distance should suit Dean's List.
"He's run well every time. He has natural speed and I think seven furlongs is a good distance for him," said Pletcher, who won the Bay Shore with Forest Danger (2004) and National Flag (2018). "I think cutting back from a mile that, hopefully, he'll be ready to run his best."
A WinStar homebred out of the multiple stakes-winning Sharp Humor mare Mildly Offensive , Dean's List has breezed back three times over the Belmont dirt training track, including a half-mile April 2 in :50.32.
Jose Ortiz has the call aboard Wit, assigned a field-high 123 pounds, from post 9, while Joel Rosario will pilot Dean's List from post 5.
Meanwhile, Klaravich Stables' Highly Respected , by Dialed In , enters from an impressive 1 1/4-length score in a six-furlong maiden special weight contested over a good Aqueduct main track on Feb. 26.
"It's a big jump going in a graded stakes like that. He's running against his own age group, so we're taking a shot in here," trainer Chad Brown said of Highly Respected.
Manny Franco retains the mount from post 6.
E.V. Racing Stable's Life Is Great ; Fromanothamutha , trained and co-owned by Ray Handal with Blue Lion Thoroughbreds, Diamond T Racing, Craig Taylor, and Peter Rinato; Nicholas Cammarano Jr.'s Scaramouche ; Marshall E. Dowell's Outkissed ; Perez Stables' Juggler ; Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso's Doctor Jeff ; and Scott Zimmerman's Runninsonofagun complete the field.
The Bay Shore is slated as the final race on Saturday's 11-race card. First post is 12:50 p.m. Eastern.
Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, April 09, 2022, Race 11Entries: Bay Shore S. (G3)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Fromanothamutha (KY)
Dylan Davis
118
Raymond Handal
12/1
2
2Runninsonofagun (KY)
Kendrick Carmouche
118
John T. Toscano, Jr.
15/1
3
3Doctor Jeff (KY)
Jose Lezcano
118
Rudy R. Rodriguez
12/1
4
4Juggler (NY)
Frankie Pennington
118
Juan C. Vazquez
50/1
5
5Dean's List (KY)
Joel Rosario
118
Todd A. Pletcher
5/2
6
6Highly Respected (KY)
Manuel Franco
118
Chad C. Brown
4/1
7
7Outkissed (KY)
Forest Boyce
118
W. Robert Bailes
30/1
8
8Scaramouche (KY)
Trevor McCarthy
120
Guadalupe Preciado
20/1
9
9Wit (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
123
Todd A. Pletcher
2/1
10
10Life Is Great (FL)
Eric Cancel
118
Robert P. Klesaris
6/1
