Hit Show Comes With 'Withering' Run at the Big A

The betting public got it right in Saturday's GIII Withers S. at Aqueduct, rescheduled from Feb. 4 due to extreme cold, as Gary and Mary West's Hit Show (Candy Ride {Arg}) sat a golden trip beneath Manny Franco and shot clear from 8-5 second-elect Arctic Arrogance (Frosted) to take the Triple Crown prep by about four lengths.

Looking to build on a strong 3 1/2-length allowance victory going Oaklawn's short-stretch mile Dec. 17, the homebred gray was quietly ridden and was content to save ground after a clean break, as Arctic Arrogance–runner-up in the local GII Remsen S. and Jerome S. in his two most recent appearances–set a pressured pace from 80-1 Prove Right (Justify) and 'TDN Rising Star' Andiamo a Firenze (Speightstown) over the heavy surface. Working his way into it nicely with an inside move leaving the three-furlong marker, Hit Show had his sights set on the pacemaker as they hit the stretch, grabbed him at the eighth pole and drew off while weaving in and out to the line.

Hit Show was a fast-finishing, 5 1/2-length debut winner going seven furlongs at Keeneland Oct. 9 and bobbled at the start of his first two-turn try at Churchill Nov. 26, running on some to be fourth as the favorite behind the promising Confidence Game (Candy Ride–Eblouissante)–subsequently third in the GIII Lecomte S.–and Rocket Can (Into Mischief), winner of the GIII Holy Bull S. on his sophomore debut Feb. 4.

“We're all proud of the horse, proud of the performance,” said trainer Brad Cox, whose charge picked up 20 Kentucky Derby points. “He had an opportunity to breeze at Belmont on Monday and we're happy with how the horse was doing leading up to the race. He had plenty of time to recover from his last one at Oaklawn in December and it set up well. He ran a big race.”

Pedigree Notes:

Hit Show is the 109th stakes winner and 52nd graded winner for Candy Ride and is the first graded stakes winner (five stakes winners overall) bred on the cross of Candy Ride over Tapit mares. Twirling Candy is the sire of Grade III winner Gear Jockey, who is out of a Tapit dam.

The Wests also bred and raced Hit Show's dam, winner of the GII Black-Eyed Susan S. and this track's GIII Comely S. at three and placed twice at the graded level in 2018. A daughter of Sovereign Award-winning 3-year-old filly Milwaukee Appeal, herself a three-time stakes winner and placed in the GI Alabama S. and GI Juddmonte Spinster S., Hit Show is kin to the winning 4-year-old filly Hot Rumor (Medaglia d'Oro), a juvenile filly by Curlin and a yearling filly by Medaglia d'Oro. Actress is due for a full-sibling to Hit Show this season.

Saturday, Aqueduct
WITHERS S.-GIII, $250,000, Aqueduct, 2-11, 3yo, 1 1/8m, 1:54.71, ft.
1–HIT SHOW, 118, c, 3, by Candy Ride (Arg)
                1st Dam: Actress (MGSW, $545,150), by Tapit
                2nd Dam: Milwaukee Appeal, by Milwaukee Brew
                3rd Dam: Appealing Forum, by Open Forum
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN. O/B-Gary &
Mary West Stables Inc. (KY); T-Brad H. Cox; J-Manuel Franco.
$137,500. Lifetime Record: 4-3-0-0, $264,375. Werk Nick
Rating: A+++. *Triple Plus*
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree. Click for the
free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–Arctic Arrogance, 118, c, 3, Frosted–Modest Maven,
by Uncle Mo. O/B-Chester & Mary R. Broman (NY); T-Linda
Rice. $50,000.
3–General Banker, 118, c, 3, Central Banker–Elusive Jozi,
by Johannesburg. 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE. O/B-Seacoast
Thoroughbreds of New England (NY); T-James W. Ferraro.
$30,000.
Margins: 5HF, 6 1/4, 14 3/4. Odds: 1.30, 1.75, 8.80.
Also Ran: Andiamo a Firenze, Prove Right, Jungfrau, Ninetyprcentmaddie.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.