'TDN Rising Star' Wit (Practical Joke) launches his 3-year-old campaign against nine rivals in Saturday's GIII Bay Shore S.
After beginning his career with a pair of blowout victories despite awkward breaks, led by Saratoga's GIII Sanford S., the 2-1 Bay Shore morning-line favorite was second after stumbling at the start in the GI Hopeful S. Sept. 6 and a well-beaten third in the GI Champagne S. most recently Oct. 2.
“He's doing really well,” Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher said. “We got a good work into him Sunday. Hopefully, he'll break as well as he did in his work on Sunday. 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 will also saddle second-choice Dean's List (Speightstown). Perfect in his first two starts sprinting at Gulfstream this winter, the chestnut set the pace and reported home a well-beaten second behind unbeaten GII Wood Memorial S. morning-line favorite Morello (Classic Empire) going an additional furlong in the one-turn mile GIII Gotham S. Mar. 5.
“He's run well every time,” Pletcher said. “He has natural speed and I think seven furlongs is a good distance for him. I think cutting back from a mile that hopefully he'll be ready to run his best.”
Highly Respected (Dialed In), just a $65,000 KEESEP yearling, heads right into the deep end for trainer Chad Brown following a smart local debut win Feb. 26.
Doctor Jeff (Street Boss), winner of the grassy Atlantic Beach S. last November, is likely to scratch in favor of a turf allowance next week, trainer Rudy Rodriguez told the NYRA notes team.
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