Photo:

Jason Moran / Eclipse Sportswire

Stalking a group of frontrunners throughout the 1 1/8-mile
race, post-time favorite Captain Cook carried jockey Manny Franco to the lead
coming out of the second turn Saturday en route to about a 2 1/2-length win in
the listed, $250,000 Withers Stakes, a Kentucky Derby 2025 points prep at
Aqueduct.

Owned by Vinnie Viola’s St. Elias Stable and trained by Rick
Dutrow, Captain Cook (7-5) rated in fourth up the backstretch, chasing
pacesetters Uncle Jim (5-1) and then Mo Quality (5-2) through early splits of
24.11, 49.13 and 1:13.64 on the fast main track.

Click here for Aqueduct entries and results.

Franco took Captain Cook three wide into the homestretch,
drawing away from the vanguard through a mile in 1:39.22 with eventual
second-place finisher Surfside Moon (33-1) closing but never threatening to
catch the winner.

After a slow start from the widest post in the field of
seven 3-year-olds, Omaha Omaha (9-2) rallied to finish third. Mo Quality held
for fourth and Uncle Jim fifth.

The top five finishers earned 20-10-6-4-2 points toward
qualifying for the Kentucky Derby on May 3 at Churchill Downs.

The final time was 1:51.83. Despite the slow pace, it wound
up being the fastest running of the Withers since 2019.

Captain Cook broke his maiden last out with a 9 1/4-length
triumph going seven furlongs in the Aqueduct slop Dec. 28. That was his first
race for Dutrow, who got the Practical Joke colt after Viola bought him for $410,000
at the Keeneland November sale. Racing before that for trainer Norm Casse as a
Whitney Stables homebred, Captain Cook finished sixth in his six-furlong debut
Oct. 27 at Churchill Downs.

This story will be updated by Matt Shifman’s report from Aqueduct.