The Withers (Grade 3) (KYD)- $250.000 Purse
AQU- For Three Year Olds
One Mile and One Eighth on the Dirt
February 3, 2018

After being named Trainer Of The Year for 2017, in the recent HRP Awards that got absolutely no fanfare whatsoever, Mb Stables is off to prove that he is the top contender to win that distinction again in 2018. A good way to do to that is with TC runners, and the Withers definitely went his way, as he saddled not only the winning Dream Controlled, but the runner up in Charleys Agent, as well. It ends up being his first such win in the stake, shrinking the list of races Mb Stables has not won, and it is also the first Withers win for jockey J Talamo. The time of the win was 1:48.32, a sharp time, but can’t be compared to any other editions of the race since it was the first one run at nine furlongs. Congratulations to the winners! Let’s take a look at it!

(½ Mile- :47.51)– Ocala Jim is strong out of the gate for John Henry, and jumps out very quickly to a length advantage before the field enters the opening turn. This burst enables him to efficiently get to the rail. In a stalking position at this point would be Smokey Stover’s Residue, and our eventual winner, Dream Controlled from Mb Stables. Charleys Agent, also from Mb Stables broke well on the rail as well, and was fourth. Running into the backstretch, Residue was the first to put a run on Ocala Jim, and Dream Controlled would stay with him. They were a length back here, running to the pacesetters outside, while Charley Agent was another half length back. Then it was a pretty big gap of three lengths to a threesome running three wide as Expedition Everest (Sanny Village) was to the inside of Bandito (TwinTowersRacing) and Local Hero (D J C Racing Stables). It was another length and a half to Estero Farms’ Regret Nothing, while trailing the field were Delta Ursae Majoris (Blushing Meadows) and La Grande Terre (Drabfantasy). They were about eight lengths from the lead.

(3/4 Mile- 1:11.32)- Just two furlongs have gone by, but Dream Controlled is already giving the field the slip. This gelding is used to running on the lead, so he wasted no time in passing the pacesetting Ocala Jim, while outkicking Residue in the process. Before we have even hit the top of the final turn, Dream Controlled has an undisputed hold on the lead by a length. Residue moved into second, but not as convincingly, and Ocala Jim was trying to hang on for third, but was looking a bit winded now. This meant that Charleys Agent had to move off the rail, and follow those familiar silks of his stablemate on through. As far as the rest of the pack was concerned, there was not much going on with the exception of La Grande Terre beginning to look for his lane. He seemed full of run and one to watch out for.

(Top Of Stretch- 1.5F To Go)- We’re done folks. Dream Controlled has said goodbye to the rest of the field, pulling away as they moved around the turn, and emerging at the top of the stretch with a three length advantage. There was no one coming from behind that was close enough to catch him. All that was left was to see who finish out the exacta. As for that, Charleys Agent was just a head in front of Residue for the second position and seemed to be the one with the greater shot. As Ocala Jim bowed out, we looked to see if Local Hero, or Bandito, or someone else would have a push, but still the only real legitimate push was that of La Grande Terre. While he had a clear lane, he wasn’t actually the easiest of paths for him to squeeze on through the pack. He wasn’t going to catch Dream Controlled, but second was up for grabs.

(Finish- 1:48.32)- Despite being overlooked by most in the grandstands at odds of 17/1, Dream Controlled was unstoppable in this race. There was no one in the stretch that could catch him, so we could all just enjoy watching him run to the wire and wonder what his future may hold after this race. Stablemate Charleys Agent maintained a steady stride while along the rail, and that was enough to beat La Grand Terre in a very tight photo for this second position. Bandito found some drive late, but waited too long. After all, he was ahead of La Grand Terre at the top of the stretch. Local Hero looked like he may have something going in the stretch, but fizzled in the final half furlong, finishing 6th, one spot behind Residue, who was flat in the stretch. The others did not make their presence known today. Rounding out the order, its Regret Nothing, Expedition Everest, Delta Ursae Majoris, and Ocala Jim.

About The Winner– Dream Controlled, trained by Mb Stables and ridden by J Talamo, is a three year old gelding by Controlled Hook and out of the late Misty Dreams. He was bred as a yearling in California by LionKing Stables, and acquired by Mb Stables in private sales from Kopites in May 2017 for $50.000. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his third in six starts, and its his first stake win of any type. His career earnings are now $188.440.

Track: Fast
Time: :47²  1:11¹  1:35²  1:48¹

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 6 – 1 Paid 274.70
$1 Trifecta: 6 – 1 – 5 Paid 1,361.60

Scratched: Secret To Success

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES