Talk to Me Jimmy blitzes foes in Withers upset

Overlooked at 12-1, Talk to Me Jimmy sped to the lead at the break and drew off spectacularly in Friday’s $200,000 Withers S., recording an 11-length victory in the Road to the Kentucky Derby Challenge series race at Aqueduct. Trained by Rudy Rodriguez, the New York-bred son of Modernist tackled open competition for the first time, winning a restricted November maiden in his previous outing, and Ruben Silvera guided the speedy colt in his first two-turn start.

“I told Ruben, we got the inside horse (Schoolyardsuperman) that has a lot of speed, but we’ve got speed, too,” Rodriguez said. “I told Ruben to take it from there, but don’t let him slow it down. Let’s see what we’ve got. Today was a test to find out what we’ve got, and I think he passed the test.”

Talk to Me Jimmy faced early pressure from 3-2 favorite Schoolyardsuperman, dictating terms on a short lead through opening splits in :23.96 and :48.18. He began to edge away rounding the far turn, reaching the top of the stretch with a widening advantage, and completed 1 1/8 miles in 1:51.68. 

“It was his first time at the distance,” Silvera said. “I saw a lot of speed in the race. Let me break and see what happens in the beginning because I don't want to rush too much. My horse breaks good. I tried holding, I tried waiting until the stretch, but I feel like I have a lot of horse at the three-eighths, so I wait a little, but in the stretch (we go)."

Campaigned by SEI Thoroughbreds and Rodriguez, Talk to Me Jimmy earned 20 points toward a Kentucky Derby berth. The next four finishers received points on a 10-6-4-2 basis.

Grittiness, who was off at 5-1 following a fifth in the Remsen (G2), rallied from last for second, getting up in deep stretch to edge last-out maiden scorer Ottinho by a half-length. It was another length to Schoolyardsuperman in fourth. Star Sweeper came next in fifth and was followed by Fourth and One and Mailata.

Talk to Me Jimmy made his career debut in an off-the-turf maiden special weight for New York-breds over a mile at Aqueduct in late September, and he returned to break his maiden in frontrunning fashion over the same distance six weeks later. A $31,000 yearling purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September sale, Talk Jimmy to Me was bred by Majestic View Farms and is the first stakes winner out of the Trippi mare Prairie Trip. This is the immediate female family of Marckie’s Water, winner of the 2019 Charles Whittingham (G2) over 1 1/4 miles on turf.

“We always thought he wants to go long,” Rodriguez said. “He’s a nice, solid little horse.”

Talk to Me Jimmy will be pointed to the $750,000 Wood Memorial (G2) at Aqueduct on April 4.