Trainer Rudy Rodriguez recently celebrated a triumphant return to racing after serving a provisional suspension from the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Authority. His New York-bred horse, Talk to Me Jimmy, dominated the $200,000 Withers Stakes at Aqueduct on February 6, winning by 11 lengths in a Kentucky Derby prep race. Despite the suspension from December 16, 2025, to January 14, Rodriguez remained focused on caring for his horses, earning the owners’ trust to keep their horses with him. After agreeing to update his training methods and making a charitable donation, Rodriguez’s suspension was lifted, allowing Talk to Me Jimmy to earn 20 Kentucky Derby qualifying points with a time of 1:51.68 for 1 1/8 miles.

Talk to Me Jimmy, owned by SEI Thoroughbreds and Rodriguez, showed significant improvement after being equipped with blinkers, previously winning a state-bred maiden race by 5 1/2 lengths. Following the Withers victory, the horse is now aimed at the April 4 Wood Memorial Stakes. Despite a minor injury noted post-race, Rodriguez is optimistic about recovery. Other notable finishers in the Withers included Grittiness, who took second and earned 10 Derby points, and Ottinho, who finished third. Talk to Me Jimmy, a son of Modernist, is the first stakes winner for his sire and was purchased for $31,000 at the 2024 Keeneland September yearling sale.