Mo Quality looking to boost Midwest form in Withers

Jan 27, 2025 Vance Hanson/Brisnet.com

Aqueduct (Photo by Coglianese Photography)

If his recent form line with Coal Battle remains a productive one, Mo Quality might prove tough to beat in the $250,000 Withers S. at Aqueduct on Saturday.

The 1 1/8-mile Withers is the second of four Road to the Kentucky Derby series preps held at Aqueduct this winter and spring. The one-mile Jerome S. was held in early January, while the one-mile Gotham (G3) will be held in March and the nine-furlong Wood Memorial (G2) in April.

Mo Quality, currently based at Turfway Park, has raced exclusively in Kentucky and Arkansas. Second in his debut at Keeneland, he rebounded to break his maiden at Churchill Downs in late November going 6 1/2 furlongs. But it was his most recent start that's key.

Stretching out to 1 1/16 miles in the Jan. 4 Smarty Jones S. at Oaklawn, Mo Quality finished second, four lengths behind Coal Battle. The Smarty Jones was Coal Battle's second Derby prep win after claiming the Remington Springboard Mile in December.

'I thought we let the horse get away on the easy lead and I think we should have pressed the pace and gone a little bit faster, to make the race a little more honest,' trainer Chris Davis said. 'I don't want to take anything away from the winner, who is proven and kicked away a little bit, but I think we kind of took our horse out of what he wants to do.'

Losing to Coal Battle has hardly been a detriment to his recent foes. Springboard Mile runner-up Speed King came back to claim the Southwest (G3) at Oaklawn last weekend, while Smarty Jones third-place finisher Kale's Angel recently landed the Renaissance S., also at Oaklawn.

'We are trying to teach him to go two turns. Going from six and a half, to a mile and a sixteenth, it was a big difference, but I don't think it was the distance – it was overall the way the race set up for us,' Davis said.

Stakes newcomer Captain Cook comes off a dominating maiden win in late December at Aqueduct. In his second career start but first for Derby-winning trainer Rick Dutrow, Captain Cook skipped over the sloppy surface to win by 9 1/4 lengths while registering a 92 Brisnet Speed rating.

Deep-closing Omaha Omaha was second best in the Jan. 4 Jerome to Cyclone State, who received little early pressure. Omaha Omaha previously beat maiden company at Delaware Park and allowance rivals at Laurel. The Brad Cox-trained Uncle Jim also has a form line with Cyclone State, having finished third to that rival in a one-mile allowance at Aqueduct in his most recent start two months ago.

The Withers field is rounded out by Parx stakes winner Global Steve and maiden winners Surfside Moon and Corvus.

The Withers offers Kentucky Derby qualifying points of 20-10-6-4-2 to the respective top five finishers. The scheduled post time is 3:46 p.m. ET and it can be watched and wagered on at TwinSpires.com.

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