Witty rallies late to win Ben’s Cat Stakes, tops $1 million

Witty kept doing what he does best at Laurel Park: sit off it, launch late and finish the job. The 7-year-old gelding rallied from the second flight to win the $100,000 Ben’s Cat Stakes by half a length on June 20, a trademark turf sprint that pushed his career earnings past $1 million and further stamped him as one of the Mid-Atlantic’s most dependable speed merchants.

The six-furlong race on the Fort Marcy Turf Course was restricted to Maryland-bred or Virginia-bred horses, and Witty made the most of the conditions on firm ground. Sent off as the odds-on favorite, he covered the distance in 1:08.77 and returned $3.80 to win under Jeiron Barbosa for trainer Elizabeth Merryman. It was the kind of performance that fits the horse’s profile perfectly: not flashy early, but brutally effective when the real running starts.

The pace gave him something to chase. Had to Have Him controlled the opening quarter in 23.56 seconds while racing outside Whenigettoheaven, and Witty was allowed to settle before Barbosa began inching him forward. By the time the field turned for home, the favorite had enough in reserve to wear down Had to Have Him and hold a narrow but decisive edge. Whenigettoheaven finished third, just a head behind the runner-up, with Tidewater and Thataway completing the minor placings.

For Merryman and co-owner Marc Detampel, the victory was about more than another stakes trophy. Witty’s time off after a wrenched ankle appears to have helped him come back stronger, and Merryman pointed to his improved behavior at the break as a sign the gelding is easier to handle and more efficient when the gates open. That matters in a race like this, where a clean start and a patient ride can be the difference between getting buried and getting paid.

Barbosa said he had been told not to rush the horse, and Witty rewarded that restraint with the same late punch that has become his signature. In a regional turf sprint division that often rewards consistency over fireworks, he is now not just a familiar face but a million-dollar one, with a résumé that says his ceiling may be higher than the Maryland and Virginia circuits that shaped him.