OZONE PARK, N.Y. _ Redirecting Hit Show from the Southwest Stakes at Oaklawn Park two weeks ago to Saturday’s rescheduled Withers Stakes at Aqueduct proved an award-winning move by trainer Brad Cox as Hit Show figures to earn rave reviews for his 5 1/4-length victory in Saturday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Withers. Sitting a ground-saving fifth behind a solid pace given the deep track, Hit Show, ridden by Manny Franco, was able to get off the inside turning for home, ran by pacesetting Arctic Arrogance at the eighth pole and drew clear for the emphatic score. For what it’s worth, Hit Show galloped out extremely well, needing Franco to pull him up at the end of the clubhouse turn. Arctic Arrogance, who set the pace under Jose Lezcano, finished second by 6 1/4 lengths over General Banker, who was third by 14 3/4 lengths over Andiamo a Firenze. Prove Right, Jungfrau and Ninetyprcentmaddie completed the order of finish. The Withers was originally scheduled for Feb. 4, but was pushed back a week when that day’s card was canceled due to extreme cold. :: DRF Bets players have exclusive access to FREE DRF Past Performances - Classic or Formulator! Join today.  The victory was the third from four starts for Hit Show, a son of Candy Ride out of the Tapit mare Actress. Both Tapit and Actress were graded stakes winners at 1 1/8 miles at Aqueduct, part of the reason Cox elected to send Hit Show to New York. It also earned him 20 qualifying points toward a possible start in the May 6 Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs. “I’m glad we called an audible, it certainly worked out well,” Cox said after the race by phone. “I thought he was the type of horse that would like those New York tracks. The mare won the [Grade 3] Comely.” Tapit, the sire of Actress, won the Wood Memorial here as well. The Wood Memorial, scheduled here on April 8, could very well be in Hit Show’s future. Further, Cox said he was glad he scratched Hit Show from the Southwest because he didn’t have to face the monster that is Arabian Knight, who, by any measure, is among the top Kentucky Derby prospects in the country. Hit Show still has more to do to prove he’s a serious Derby contender, but he certainly took a step in the right direction Saturday. After breaking a step inward from post 4, Hit Show got to the inside and sat comfortably behind Arctic Arrogance, who, under Jose Lezcano, had a half-length advantage over longshot Prove Right with Andiamo a Firenze a close-up third through a quarter in 23.53 seconds, a half-mile in 48.09 and six furlongs in 1:13.43. Hit Show, who raced on the inside of Ninetyprcentmaddie, was never more than 3 1/2 lengths back. Around the far turn as Prove Right and then Andiamo a Firenze retreated, Franco was able to switch Hit Show to the outside. Arctic Arrogance continued to lead until the eighth pole, when Hit Show came to and by him. Hit Show did veer in toward the inside, but was well clear. Franco said approaching the top of the stretch, he knew he had horse, he just needed room. “I had to wait a little longer because I got [Andiamo a Firenze] outside. I stayed there and when he [tired] I moved out and my horse responded well,” Franco said. Franco said the veering in was a just a sign of immaturity, but the way Hit Show galloped out was a sign “the more distance the better for him,” Franco said. Hit Show, owned and bred by Gary and Mary West, covered the 1 1/8 miles in 1:54.71 over a track that has just not produced fast times all winter. He returned $4.60 as the favorite. “I don’t know what you make of the times,” Cox said. “Overall, he ran a big race, I’m sure he’s going to get a lot out of it. He got a lot out of it from an educational standpoint, he’s a young horse still learning.” The Withers was the third straight open stakes in which the New York-bred Arctic Arrogance finished second. Trainer Linda Rice suspected Arctic Arrogance may prefer shorter distances and is likely to back him up to a one-turn mile in the Grade 3 Gotham here on March 4. “If things had gone better today, I was probably gonna skip the Gotham and go to the Wood,” Rice said. "Jose and I were just chatting and we felt he may be better at a flat mile, so we may go ahead and run in the Gotham and go from there.” :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.