A New Game for Wit: He Tries the Grass for First Time

As a 2-year-old, Wit , owned by Repole Stable, St. Elias Stable, and Gainesway Stable, had a solid juvenile season. 

The son of Practical Joke   won two of four starts last year, including the Sanford Stakes (G3) at Saratoga Race Course in his second start. He would go on to finish second in the Hopeful Stakes (G1), also at Saratoga, and then third in the Champagne Stakes (G1) at Belmont Park behind the formidable Jack Christopher  and stablemate Commandperformance .

In his second start as a 3-year-old, he tried Jack Christopher again, finishing fourth, beaten 14 lengths in the Woody Stephens Stakes Presented by Mohegan Sun (G1) at Belmont on Belmont Stakes day.

On Aug. 5, Wit will try something new as Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher moves him to the grass for the first time. Wit is one of nine horses entered to run in the $200,000 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (G2T).

The reason for the surface shift is easy enough to understand. 

"It seemed like he kind of plateaued a bit on the dirt," Pletcher said. "He is out of a Medaglia d'Oro   mare and we said, 'You know what? Let's give him a breeze on the grass and see how he takes to it.' He really seemed to like it."

Wit worked on the Oklahoma Training Track's turf course at Saratoga for the first time on July 22 and went four furlongs in :47.95, the fastest of 63 recorded works at the distance. He also worked on the Oklahoma grass July 30 and went another four furlongs in :50.29.

Pletcher doesn't think the National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame is an ambitious spot for his colt, who will be facing established runners on the grass.

"He has been running in graded stakes since he broke his maiden," Pletcher said.

Wit will be ridden by Jose Ortiz, who has been on board for two of his starts, both wins. The other four races Wit has run in, his brother Irad Ortiz Jr. has been the pilot.

Also entered in the mile race on the inner turf are, in post position order, Wit's stablemate Chanceux , owned by Harrell Ventures; Michael McLoughlin's Dowagiac Chief , trained by Tom Amoss; Wit; Jeremy Brooks' Wow Whata Summer , who won the Penn Mile Stakes (G2) at Penn National at odds of 83-1 June 3; Three Diamonds Farm and Deuce Greathouse's Stolen Base , trained by Mike Maker; Jerry Crawford's Donegal Racing's Ready to Purrform , trained by Brad Cox; Calumet Farms' Double Clutch , trained by Rusty Arnold II; Stuart S. Janney III's Celestial City , trained by Shug McGaughey; and Sherri McPeek's Magdalena Racing's Tiz the Bomb , trained by Kenny McPeek.

Tiz the Bomb has won two of four starts on the grass. He won the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf (G1T) at Del Mar via disqualification. Since then, he has raced on synthetic surfaces and dirt, finishing ninth in the Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve (G1).

In his last start, the son of Hit It a Bomb   was ninth in the Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational Stakes (G1T) on July 9.