Veteran turf sprinter Witty will make his Saratoga debut Friday in the $150,000 Harvey Pack, looking to back up a strong performance in May’s Jim McKay Turf Sprint.

The 6-year-old Pennsylvania-bred grey, bred, trained, and co-owned by Elizabeth Merryman, surged from last to first to win that May 17 Pimlico stakes by 3 1/4 lengths, earning a 94 Beyer speed figure.

By Great Notion, he is a half-brother to champion mare Caravel and boasts a 31-10-11-1 record and nearly $802,000 in earnings.

“He always breaks slowly and comes running late,” said Merryman. “He usually fires but once in a while he doesn’t if the turf is firm. He’s never been the quickest leaving the gate. There was a lot of speed at Pimlico and the turf was very soft so that definitely played into his hand.”

Witty [Post 10, Dylan Davis] has done well at tighter-turn tracks like Pimlico, and Merryman believes Saratoga’s layout will suit him similarly. The gelding wore blinkers in the Jim McKay and will keep them on for the Harvey Pack.

“Last year, in the Jim McKay, I felt like he didn’t see the horse coming on the outside, so I took them off for a bit,” Merryman explained. “But I decided he was needing focus again, so I put them back on.”

Witty, co-owned by Marc Detampel, is a barn favorite, Merryman said.

“Witty is just a lovely, eye-catching horse with a lot of class and a lot of personality. He’s very cool,” the trainer said.

The Harvey Pack is Race 11 Saratoga’s Independence Day card that includes the Grade 1 Belmont Derby and three other graded or listed stakes.