Witty has turned a popular Maryland story into a seven-figure one after landing the $100,000 Ben’s Cat Stakes at Laurel Park.
The seven-year-old gelding, bred and trained by Elizabeth Merryman, came from just off a slow pace on Saturday to win the six-furlong turf sprint under Jeiron Barbosa and lift his career earnings to $1,007,882.
It was another timely Laurel Park success for a horse whose profile has already stretched well beyond the local circuit, and it came only weeks after his winning return at the same track. ReadHorseRacing recently covered another notable Laurel Park comeback win, and Witty’s latest effort added a different kind of veteran sparkle to the Maryland programme.
Witty Gets The Better Of Had To Have Him
Had to Have Him made the running in steady fractions, with Whenigettoheaven also prominent, before Barbosa allowed Witty to creep closer on the turn. Once the field straightened for the second-wire finish, Witty found enough to master Had to Have Him by half a length.
Whenigettoheaven finished third, only a head behind the runner-up, with Tidewater and Thataway following them home. Witty, sent off odds-on, stopped the clock in 1:08.77 on firm going and returned $3.80 to win.
The result mattered beyond the purse. Witty had already won the Ben’s Cat when it was run at Pimlico and has now collected stakes wins at Parx, Laurel, Delaware, Pimlico and Colonial Downs. For a horse whose career has included an eye scare from kickback and a later ankle setback, this was a sharp reminder of his toughness as much as his class.
Merryman’s Gelding Keeps Rewarding Patience
Barbosa was instructed not to rush Witty, and the ride matched the horse. He broke cleanly, settled, then produced the kick that has made him such a reliable turf sprinter.
Merryman has credited Witty’s extended break from early September through the end of last year’s turf season with helping him return stronger. That patience is now being paid back by a gelding who has won 13 of 36 starts, with 11 seconds and two thirds.
His background adds another layer. Witty is by Great Notion out of Zeezee Zoomzoom, making him a half-brother to Caravel, the dual Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner. He has not matched her Grade 1 achievements, but his consistency and durability have given him a following of his own.
The wider Maryland setting remains important, too. Laurel has carried major attention this season, from the track’s temporary Triple Crown role, explained in our guide to why the Preakness Stakes was run at Laurel Park, to the state’s recent move over Preakness intellectual property rights.
Witty’s next option could be a defence of the Van Clief Stakes at Colonial Downs on August 1. Wherever Merryman points him, the Ben’s Cat has already given him a place among racing’s millionaires, and he reached it the hard way: by keeping his form, his appetite and his late kick intact.
