Take Two for Arctic Arrogance in Withers

In Hollywood terms, take two for the $250,000 Withers Stakes (G3) will unfold Feb. 11 at Aqueduct Racetrack, where the temperatures are expected to be about 40 degrees higher than they were a week earlier when an arctic blast forced a wise cancellation of racing for a couple of days.

While the postponement of the 1 1/8-mile Kentucky Derby (G1) prep for 3-year-olds leaves only three weeks before the Gotham Stakes (G3), the next stop on New York's Road to the Triple Crown, little has changed in regards to Saturday's field.

There was originally six starters with the somewhat appropriately named Arctic Arrogance  the favorite, and now there's a field of seven with one addition and the grade 2-placed Arctic Arrogance still the one to beat.

For trainer Linda Rice, the good part of the delay was that it was announced Feb. 2, giving her time to work Chester and Mary Broman's homebred son of Frosted   on the morning of Feb. 3 before temperatures reached Antarctica-like levels.

"With the race canceled we had to adjust our plans a little bit. I breezed him Friday before the bad weather hit, not knowing what would be in front of us weather-wise," said Rice, whose 3-year-old will break from the rail Saturday after previously drawing post three. "So, we did get another work into him."

While Rice was happy that the rescheduling came well in advance of the race as opposed to the last minute, she said there's no way of telling at this time whether the delay will help, hurt, or have no impact on Arctic Arrogance, who will add blinkers for the Withers.

"Ask me that on Sunday," she said.

The New York-bred Arctic Arrogance enters Saturday's two-turn, nine-furlong test yet to finish worse than second in five career starts and closed out his 2-year-old season in December at Aqueduct by finishing second by a half-length in the 1 1/8-mile Remsen Stakes (G2). Second in the one-turn mile Jerome Stakes last month, he already has eight Kentucky Derby qualifying points and can add to that total through the Withers, which offers 20-8-6-4-2 points to the top five finishers and will vault the winner into the top five on the Kentucky Derby Leaderboard.

The newcomer is Juddmonte's Jungfrau , who heads north after breaking his maiden Dec. 31 at Gulfstream Park when he lost by a nose but was elevated to first via disqualification. The homebred son of Arrogate  is trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, who sent out Rocket Can  and Shadow Dragon  to finish 1-2 in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) last Saturday at Gulfstream Park.

In his two previous starts, the son of the Tapit   mare South Bank was fourth in maiden races at Aqueduct and Saratoga Race Course.

Gary and Mary West's homebred Hit Show  will make his New York and stakes debut after trainer Brad Cox scratched him from the Jan. 28 Southwest Stakes (G3) at Oaklawn Park.

The field also includes the New York-breds General Banker  and Andiamo a Firenze , who were third and fifth, respectively, in the Jerome; the Pennsylvania-bred Ninetyprcentmaddie ; and Prove Right .

Entries: Withers S. (G3)

Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, February 11, 2023, Race 9

• Grade III
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 3 yo
• 4:27 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	Arctic Arrogance (NY)	Jose Lezcano	118	Linda Rice	-
2	Prove Right (KY)	Jose Antonio Gomez	118	James K. Chapman	-
3	Jungfrau (KY)	Dylan Davis	118	William I. Mott	-
4	Hit Show (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	Brad H. Cox	-
5	General Banker (NY)	Eric Cancel	118	James W. Ferraro	-
6	Ninetyprcentmaddie (PA)	Abner Adorno	120	Robert E. Reid, Jr.	-
7	Andiamo a Firenze (NY)	Frankie Pennington	118	Kelly J. Breen	-