Samraat Battles Uncle Sigh for the Win at the 2014 Withers Stakes

Samraat Battles Uncle Sigh for the Win at the 2014 Withers Stakes: The unchallenged previous three time starts winner, Samraat, took the victory at the 2014 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct! This was a race for 3 year-old colts and the purse was $250,000. This is another big race on the pathway to the Kentucky Derby, giving Samraat 10 qualifying points towards the Derby in May.

It wasn’t an easy feat for Samraat taking the Withers Stakes win at Aqueduct; he battled hard against second place winner Uncle Sigh. Samraat and Uncle Sigh were the two morning line favorites coming into the race and they certainly proved their worth. The two remained pretty close in the race and neck and neck at times, but Samraat was able to take the win with one length and a posted time of 1:46.11 for 1 1/16 miles on a fast track. Though Uncle Sigh had the early lead, and held a small lead all the way through the race, midway on the final turn, jockey Jose Orits was able to push Samraat pass Uncle Sigh and pressed the pace, eventually passing Uncle Sigh.

Samraat is trained in Florida at the Palm Meadows Training Center by Rick Violette, and had easier victories in three races prior to the 2014 Withers Stakes, Violette stated “This was a tough race…You’ve got to have a tough race before you get to the bigger races. They have to learn how to fight.”

Violette certainly wants Samraat to learn how to race hard and perform well at bigger races especially in preparation for the Kentucky Derby. Possible races for Samraat before the big Derby are the Gotham Stakes or the Wood Memorial or the Louisiana Derby.

Scotland rounded out the top three in the 2014 Withers Stakes with a third place finish that was 10 1/2 lengths behind Uncle Sigh.

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2014 Withers Stakes Results and Payouts
5 Samraat $4.30 to Win, $2.50 to Place, $2.10 to Show
1 Uncle Sigh $2.60 to Place, $2.20 to Show
3 Scotland $3.10 to Show
Also ran: 4 – Classic Giacnroll , 6 – Honorable Judge , 2 – Street Gent

Withers Stakes 2014 Replay:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J9vfRIajcZg&feature=c4-overview&list=UUxRmRUB3kX-X-_9YsNFhq3g