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Month: May 2023
Preakness Stakes Weekend Energizes Baltimore as Fans Pack Pimlico
Pimlico Race Course comes alive every year for Preakness Stakes weekend as the spotlight of the Thoroughbred racing community shifts focus to the historic Baltimore, Md. venue. The 148th edition of the Preakness Stakes, the middle jewel of the U.S. Triple Crown, is the marquee event of the weekend on Saturday, May 20.
Justify’s Arabian Lion Romps In The Sir Barton
'TDN Rising Star' Arabian Lion (Justify) was sent off the 2-5 jolly for Saturday's Sir Barton S. at Pimlico and came away in the final 150 yards to become the 11th worldwide stakes winner (sixth in the U.S.) for his outstanding young stallion.
Off extremely alertly in a scratched-down field of five, the $600,000 OBS April breezer led through a leisurely opening quarter in :24.47 under an easy John Velazquez hold, but was forced to pick it up some in the middle stages, as second choice Tapit's Conquest (Tapit) went for a middle move three off the inside in an attempt to apply bit of pressure to the leader. Arabian Lion still held the call after three-quarters in 1:11.22 and when Tapit's Conquest gave it one final crack entering the final furlong, the burly chestnut hit another gear after a right-handed reminder from Velazquez and ran out a facile winner over a track that has been yielding quick times.
Named a 'Rising Star' for a three-length debut success at Santa Anita Oct. 9, Arabian Lion nearly overcame a bobbling start in a Breeders' Cup Friday allowance at Keeneland, setting for a close second behind next-out Springboard Mile runner-up Giant Mischief (Into Mischief). Inexplicably last of five when heavily favored in the GII Los Alamitos Futurity, he was fourth of four in the GIII Robert B. Lewis S. Feb. 4 before just getting run down by would-be GI Preakness S. second favorite First Mission (Street Sense) in Keeneland's GIII Stonestreet Lexington S. Apr. 15.
“I should have run him in the Preakness!” said trainer Bob Baffert. “I didn't think he could lose in the Lexington. I was just, 'How did he get beat?' I think that race sort of helped him, and I wanted to give him one more time around two turns. He is such a beautiful horse. He is like a smaller version of Justify and I think he is just starting to wake up. What I saw today, and that time was pretty impressive, I think he [belonged] in the Preakness the way he ran today. The Belmont is a possibility with him.”
Arabian Lion is one of four winners from five to race out of a full-sister to the stakes-placed Mary Rita (Distorted Humor), whose multiple graded stakes-winning son Major Dude (Bolt d'Oro) was a bang-up third in the GII American Turf S. on the Kentucky Derby undercard. The colt, who counts the legendary Personal Ensign as his third dam, has a foal half-sister by Frosted. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
SIR BARTON S. SPONSORED BY BRANDON AND DIANNAH PERRY TO BENEFIT THE THOROUGHBRED AFTERCARE ALLIANCE, $99,000, Pimlico, 5-20, 3yo, 1 1/16m, 1:41.13 (NSR), ft.
1–ARABIAN LION, 118, c, 3, by Justify
1st Dam: Unbound (SP, $359,826), by Distorted Humor
2nd Dam: Possibility, by A.P. Indy
3rd Dam: Personal Ensign, by Private Account
1ST BLACK-TYPE WIN. ($600,000 2yo '22 OBSAPR). O-Zedan Racing Stables Inc; B-Bonne Chance Farm LLC (KY); T-Bob Baffert; J-John R Velazquez. $60,000. Lifetime Record: GSP, 6-2-2-0, $217,600.
2–Tapit's Conquest, 118, c, 3, Tapit–Conquest Lil Miss, by Horse Greeley. 1ST BLACK-TYPE. ($350,000 Ylg '21 KEESEP). O-Robert V LaPenta, e Five Racing Thoroughbreds & Madaket Stables LLC; B-WinStar Farm LLC & Tapit Syndicate (KY); T-Brad H Cox. $20,000.
3–Denington, 118, c, 3, Gun Runner–Stronger Than Ever, by Congrats. O/B-Fern Circle Stables & Magdalena Racing (Sherri McPeek) (KY); T-Kenneth G McPeek. $10,000.
Margins: 4, 6HF, 2 1/4. Odds: 0.40, 3.00, 3.50.
Also Ran: Sheriff Ronnie, Feeling Woozy. Scratched: Masterwork.
The post Justify’s Arabian Lion Romps In The Sir Barton appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.
With New Stitches, Mage Continues Chase For History In Preakness Stakes
The Triple Crown season has already had a high attrition rate when it comes to scratches in the days prior to the big races, so when Kentucky Derby winner and overwhelming Preakness Stakes favorite Mage's name started getting passed around the grounds at Pimlico Race Course, anxiety was understandably high.
Fortunately, Mage's scratch was of the superficial variety.
The colt suffered a cut above his right eye after bumping his head in his stall on Thursday at Pimlico, and after a few stitches, he is set for Saturday afternoon's race with no interruptions.
The story was reported by BloodHorse on Saturday morning, and confirmed by co-owner Ramiro Restrepo on social media.
Restrepo said in his social media post that Mage was treated by the Maryland state veterinarian, and the issue did not interfere with the Good Magic colt's training schedule.
Restrepo further confirmed that Mage has been reviewed by the state veterinarians in the days after he received the stitches, and the colt will be ready to race.
Mage will face a field of seven in the Preakness, following Friday morning's scratch of Grade 3 Lexington Stakes winner and second choice on the morning line First Mission following a hind-leg issue that trainer Brad Cox and a team of veterinarians couldn't nail down in time for the race. First Mission will head to Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital in Kentucky for further evaluation.
Without the horse expected to soak up much of the betting pool that didn't go to Mage, one would expect the Derby winner would be an insurmountable favorite on the tote board, but his odds have actually floated up to 2-1, as of 11:30 a.m. Saturday morning.
No horse was higher than double-digit odds through the late morning, with Mage's closest competitor being West Coast-based National Treasure. Breaking from the inside post, the son of Quality Road finished third in last year's Breeders' Cup Juvenile, and he enters the Preakness off a fourth-place effort in the G1 Santa Anita Derby.
Rounding out the field, from the inside, is Chase the Chaos (7-1), Mage (2-1), Coffeewithchris (8-1), Red Route One (6-1), Perform (7-1), and Blazing Sevens (9-2).
A sunny day is unlikely for this year's Preakness. The sky was overcast through the late morning, and The Weather Channel lists a 59 percent chance of rain in Baltimore, Md., around the race's 7:01 p.m. post time.
For horseplayers seeking entries with prior success over a wet track, only Blazing Sevens breaking from the outside post has won a race on a main track not rated “fast.”
The Preakness undercard will be broadcast on CNBC from 1 p.m. Eastern to 4:30 p.m., then coverage switches to the flagship NBC from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The races can also be streamed on NBCSports.com, the NBC Sports app, and on Peacock.
The post With New Stitches, Mage Continues Chase For History In Preakness Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
