Casse on Fact-Finding Mission in Withers

With impressive Lecomte Stakes (G3) winner War of Will already in their string, owner Gary Barber and trainer Mark Casse are on a fact-finding mission with Our Braintrust in the $250,000 Withers Stakes (G3) Feb. 2 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

A private purchase this month, the Maryland-bred son of Freud  will stretch out to two turns for the first time in the 1 1/8-mile Withers, which offers qualifying points on a 10-4-2-1 basis on the Road to the Kentucky Derby.

Our Braintrust, first or second in all of his four starts, won the 2018 Tremont Stakes sprinting 5 1/2 furlongs at Belmont Park in June and finished second by 1 1/2 lengths to Mind Control in the Jan. 1 Jerome Stakes.

Barber purchased the colt from previous trainer Cathal Lynch and co-owner Stanton J. Smith after the Jerome and transferred him to Casse.

"Obviously, we haven't had Our Braintrust for very long, but he's done everything you can ask for," Casse said. "I thought he's worked well. It looks like he's pretty versatile. I know last time he came from off the speed. It's not an easy race. Everyone is trying to figure out where they fit in for the 3-year-old division. That's what you're doing in January and February—just trying to figure out who is going to mature from 2 to 3."

After winning his debut at 4 1/2 furlongs in May at Laurel Park, Our Braintrust has run at longer distances in each subsequent race. A runner-up effort in the seven-furlong Maryland Juvenile Futurity in December at Laurel was his first race in six months after he rested a nagging shin issue.

Casse called the 1 1/8-mile distance of the Withers, which has drawn a field of seven, "an unknown for everybody."

"For us, the sooner you can find out those things, the better," he said. "I'd rather find out now. And if he can't, we'll adjust and do other things. But until he proves he can't do it, we're going to try it. He's won as a (sprinter), and he can kind of do a little bit of everything. When the dust clears, his best fit may be the grass. We're still trying to learn more about him."

Jose Lezcano has the mount from post 6.

Tracy Farmer's Sir Winston has fared well at longer distances and will be shipping to Aqueduct for the first time after two wins and a third-place finish in his past three starts over the Tapeta surface at Woodbine.

Sir Winston's Withers engagement will also contribute to Casse's fact-finding mission for his promising colts. The son of Awesome Again  has improved his Beyer Speed Figures in each of his five starts, including a 79 last out in a one-length win in the Dec. 8 Display Stakes. He has been training well in Ocala, Fla.

"Sir Winston is a mystery horse for us," Casse said. "He's performed well on the synthetic. He's been training over the dirt in Ocala and training well. We're not really sure how we'll run on the dirt."

Sir Winston's second race was on the turf, where he finished ninth July 21 at Saratoga Race Course. Casse said returning to the grass could be a possibility if the dirt track isn't favorable.

"We just want to see if he can handle the dirt, and if he can't, we know he'll probably like the grass. He's run there before," Casse said. "It's all part of the puzzle and trying to figure out what pieces fit where."

Dylan Davis will be in the irons from post 2.

R.A. Hill Stable, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing, Hugh Lynch, and Corms Racing Stable's Tax, claimed for $50,000 out of a maiden-breaking win Oct. 21 at Keeneland, will make his first start since running third in the Dec. 1 Remsen Stakes (G2) going 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct.

Tax, who was making his stakes debut in just his third start, stayed off the early lead in the Remsen and finished strong, hitting the wire just behind Network Effect and winner Maximus Mischief. He earned a 93 Beyer, the highest of any Withers contender.

The Arch gelding will have jockey Junior Alvarado's services from the rail.

"He's bred to run all day. He's a well-bred horse," trainer Danny Gargan said. "Last time, we kind of chased the pace a little bit. This time, there should be enough pace in the race where we'll be able to sit off of it. Hopefully, we finish a little better. If we can get an effort like last time, we think we'll be all right."

Repole Stable and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners' Moretti will make his first stakes appearance. The Todd Pletcher trainee, who finished second in his debut Nov. 14 at Aqueduct before breaking his maiden going 1 1/8 miles on the same track Dec. 20, was purchased for $900,000 at the 2017 edition of The Saratoga Sale.

The Medaglia d'Oro  colt is a half brother to 2017 Las Vegas Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Battle of Midway. He will break from post 3 with Manny Franco.

The field is completed by Not That Brady, Admire, and Lucky Lee.

The Withers will be broadcast live on FOX Sports Saturday At The Races, airing on FS2 and produced by NYRA. The live racing telecasts, which will feature more than 24 hours of coverage in 2019, begin Saturday with a 2 1/2-hour show that will also air the Grade 2 Fasig-Tipton Holy Bull Stakes (G2) from Gulfstream Park and the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) from Santa Anita Park. Post time for the Withers is 4:30 p.m. EST.

Entries: Withers S. (G3)

Aqueduct Racetrack, Saturday, February 02, 2019, Race 9

• Grade III
• 1 1/8m
• Dirt
• $250,000
• 3 yo
• 4:30 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Tax (KY)	Junior Alvarado	118	Danny Gargan	2/1
2	2Sir Winston (KY)	Dylan Davis	120	Mark E. Casse	12/1
3	3Moretti (KY)	Manuel Franco	118	Todd A. Pletcher	3/1
4	4Admire (KY)	Eric Cancel	118	Dale L. Romans	15/1
5	5Lucky Lee (KY)	Frankie Pennington	118	John C. Servis	7/2
6	6Our Braintrust (MD)	Jose Lezcano	120	Mark E. Casse	6/1
7	7Not That Brady (NY)	Reylu Gutierrez	118	Rudy R. Rodriguez	4/1