Witty becomes a millionaire with second Ben’s Cat win
Mopo earns first stakes win in Jameela
Frank Vespe
June 20, 2026
Saturday was a something old-and-something new kinda day at Laurel Park.
Witty, meet Mopo.
Seven-year-old Witty registered his 13th career win in the $100,000 Ben’s Cat Stakes to take care of the something old portion of the day, two races after Mopo earned her first career stakes win and the third win of her career in the Jameela Stakes.
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Both the Ben’s Cat, for three-year-olds and up, and the Jameela for fillies and mares, are restricted to horses bred or sired in Maryland or Virginia.
Witty’s win, his ninth in stakes company, was his second in the Ben’s Cat and came nearly three years after his first in this event. It pushed his career bankroll past $1 million.
“It’s pretty cool; I like it,” said owner-trainer-breeder Elizabeth Merryman. “He’s a cool dude.”
Though Witty was off as the 4-5 favorite, the win still came as something of a surprise. That’s because the Ben’s Cat had overfilled the last two years, leaving Witty, who is by Maryland sire Great Notion but is a Pennsylvania-bred, on the outside looking in. In fact, Merryman had entered Witty in a race at Penn National, assuming he wouldn’t get into this contest.
“I was delighted,” Merryman said. “[Laurel Park stakes coordinator Michelle Enck] called me, like, ‘I don’t think the Ben’s Cat is really going to fill.’ So I said, ‘ You’ve got to talk to Penn and see if they’ll let me out [of the race there],’ and Penn was great. They let me out, and the rest is history.”
Under Jeiron Barbosa, Witty was away alertly and quickly settled into third, just a couple of lengths behind early leader Had to Have Him, who strolled through an opener in 23.56 seconds with a narrow advantage over Whenigettoheaven, who broke on top but then ceded the advantage to Had to Have Him.
Had to Have Him, with Jevian Toledo up, opened up on the turn, pushing the lead to 1 ½ lengths after a half-mile in 45.85 seconds.
But Witty, a half-brother to 2022 Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Caravel, was always moving comfortably, and when Barbosa asked him to quicken in the lane, he did so readily, gradually inching past a stubborn Had to Have Him to win by a half-length in 1:08.77. Had to Have Him held second by a head from the late bid of Whenigettoheaven, who was foiled in his bid for a third consecutive win in this event.
“I think he really enjoyed his longer break over the winter, and he’s just been stronger and better all over,” Merryman said. “It’s kind of showing in that he doesn’t seem to need to spot them 20 lengths now.”
Mopo, a four-year-old, Maryland-bred Great Notion filly owned by Maury Povich’s Mopo Racing, won just one of her first nine starts while finishing second six times. But following her half-length win in today’s Jameela, she has won two of three, all sprinting on the turf.
“This was a good effort from her in a restricted race,” said Mopo’s trainer Phil Capuano. “But there were some nice horses in there.”
Mopo, now 3-for-12 in her young career, has earned over $200,000.
Capuano said that following her winter break, his charge has come back better than ever, and it’s showing in the results.
“I mean, now she knows what she’s doing,” the trainer said.
Mopo broke well enough under Forest Boyce and was just at the tail of a lead clump of horses in the early running. Longshot Malibu Hooch led through an opener in 22.94 seconds, and Big Earn had taken a slight edge after a half-mile in 45.44 seconds. Mopo by then was 3 ½ lengths back in fourth.
In the lane, she ranged up wide and soon was hooked by 17-1 outsider Gift of Gab, and those two battled to the wire, with Mopo inching away to win by a half-length in 1:08.50 for six furlongs on firm turf. Gift of Gab was second, and Big Earn held third, 2 ½ lengths behind the runner-up.
Mopo paid $3.80 to win as the odds-on choice, and the exacta returned $14.90 for a one-dollar wager.
Capuano said that his next target, if all goes to plan, is the 7 1/2 -furlong Peach Bottom Delaware certified allowance at Delaware Park in late July. Though her recent success has come going short, the trainer said he’s not worried.
“I still think she can kind of do anything,” Capuano said. “The first time she ran this year, you know, on the gallop-out, he couldn’t get her hardly pulled up. She trains like that every day, I mean, just goes around there three or four times like it’s, nothing for her. So I don’t think stamina is an issue. It’s just finding the right company.”
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