Caesar's Wish Stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

Mrs. Orb Surges Late To Win Caesar’s Wish At Pimlico

Ruggeri Stable, Richard Coburn, Script R Farm, and trainer Michael Miceli's Mrs. Orb, a two-time New York-bred stakes winner, came with a steady run down the center of the track to reel in Trolley Ride and surge past late for a popular half-length triumph in Sunday's $100,000 Caesar's Wish at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The 1 1/16-mile Caesar's Wish for fillies and mares 3 and up was the third of four stakes worth $375,000 in purses on the Independence Day holiday program and part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

Favored at 2-1 in a field of seven, Mrs. Orb ($6.20) rated in fourth under jockey Horacio Karamanos as multiple stakes winner Artful Splatter was eager to go on from Post 3 and led through fractions of :23.32 and :46.63 seconds, with Midwest shipper His Glory in closest pursuit.

Trolley Ride, who swept into contention from well back on the far outside to challenge the leaders and was followed by Mrs. Orb, who dogged Trolley Ride into deep stretch before edging clear. Trolley Ride was 2 ½ lengths clear of Sweet Sammi D in third, followed by Artful Splatter, His Glory, Suggestive Honor and Gracetown. Landing Zone was scratched.

“She's done that before. Usually she's kind of a position-type mare, and today she was a little farther back. But she can come from that far back. It's just how the race unfolds for her,” Miceli said.

“She's a tough gal and not the easiest to train, but you don't mind when they can run,” he added. “She's a little temperamental and you've just kind of got to cater to her needs. If you do that, it goes a long way.”

The Caesar's Wish debuted in 1978 at old Bowie Race Course and was held at both Pimlico and Laurel before it was renamed the Beyond the Wire for 2018. It honors the Maryland-bred mare that won 11 of 16 starts over two seasons including the 1978 Grade 1 Mother Goose and Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan and 1977 Grade 2 Demoiselle and Grade 3 Villager. Her winning time in the Mother Goose broke Hall of Famer Ruffian's stakes record and stood until 1994.

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MATCH Series: Veteran Artful Splatter Seeks Fortune Reversal In Caesar’s Wish

James Wolf's durable Artful Splatter, an eight-time career winner from 29 lifetime starts, will attempt to reverse her recent fortunes and become a stakes winner for the third time in Sunday's $100,000 Caesar's Wish at historic Pimlico Race Course.

The 1 1/16-mile Caesar's Wish for fillies and mares 3 and up is among four stakes worth $375,000 in purses on an 11-race Independence Day holiday program. It and the $100,000 Lite the Fuse for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs are part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

Other stakes are the $100,000 Concern for 3-year-olds going six furlongs and $75,000 Jameela for Maryland-bred/sired fillies and mares 3 and up scheduled for five furlongs on the grass. Sunday's program, which begins at 12:40 p.m., also includes a mandatory payout of the Rainbow 6, which carries a Maryland state record carryover jackpot of $1.351 million into the return of live racing Friday.

Post time Sunday is 12:40 p.m.

Artful Splatter made her first six career starts on the main track before being moved to the grass for five straight when she was claimed by trainer Kieron Magee out of a runner-up finish Sept. 7, 2019. The 5-year-old daughter of 2014 General George (G3) winner Bandbox reeled off five straight wins including the Geisha over 11-time stakes winner Anna's Bandit to open 2020.

“We claimed her toward the end of grass season,” Magee said. “We claimed her thinking she'd run on the dirt, but she hadn't been getting the chance.”

Since her streak ended, Artful Splatter has won two of 13 starts including a 10 ¼-length romp in an off-the-turf George Rosenberger Memorial last fall at Delaware Park and placed in three others, among them a second in the 2020 Twixt and third in the Feb. 20 Nellie Morse, both at Laurel Park.

“We claimed her for [$16,000] and she's done very well. She won five in a row off that and she's done everything we've asked of her,” Magee said. “Anytime you have a girl that goes long it's tough to find spots.

“She always runs her race. She always tries hard,” he added. “We've put her in some spots that we shouldn't have put her in, but she still shows up.”

Maryland's overall leading trainer from 2014-16, the 60-year-old Magee is currently tied for second in the extended Preakness Meet standings with 12 wins at Pimlico, where the Ireland native and one-time exercise rider for fellow trainer Dale Capuano is based year-round.

“I've been around Pimlico most of my life. I love Pimlico. Absolutely,” he said. “Off all the tracks, Pimlico is home for me. I'm hoping we're here for a few more months.”

Charlie Marquez rides Artful Splatter from Post 3 of eight at co-topweight of 126 pounds.

Bred in Pennsylvania by Kim Eshleman and campaigned in the name of her husband, James, Trolley Ride enters the Caesar's Wish off a gutsy half-length victory in the Lyphard against fellow state-breds May 28 at Penn National. Originally scheduled for the turf, it was run over a sloppy track at 1 1/16 miles.

It was the second win in three starts for the 6-year-old Flashy Bull mare, who capped 2020 with an optional claiming allowance win and opened 2021 running fourth to undefeated Chub Wagon in the Unique Bella April 27, both sprinting seven furlongs at Parx.

“We were just kind of getting her ready the first time back. I do think she wants to go two turns because she has that kick at the end as long as she's steady the first part,” trainer Bernie Houghton said. “She needs the backside to get her stride. That was a tough filly that won.

“She's doing very good,” he added. “She had a good breeze [Tuesday]. She worked great, galloped out good and she's doing good. I have a race picked out at the end of July so this works from a timing standpoint. It's a good spot.”

Houghton has had Trolley Ride throughout a 26-race career that includes nine wins, two seconds, four thirds and $323,654 in purse earnings. She was born on his family's Sylmar Farm, which also foaled and raised multiple Grade 1 winner Princess of Sylmar, named for the 300-acre spread founded by his parents.

“She's done very well,” he said. “Kim has been our assistant at the farm for 40 years. She came in when she was real young and stayed with us. It's very special for her.”

Inoel Beato, aboard for her stakes win, gets a return call from Post 2.

“She doesn't mind the slop. She loves it. We'll see what happens Sunday,” Houghton said. “I'm sure it's going to be tougher than her last spot, for sure.”

Haymarket Farm's Gracetown will be making her stakes debut in the Caesar's Wish. The 5-year-old Into Mischief mare has two wins and two seconds in her last four starts dating back to a one-mile allowance triumph last November at Laurel. Runner-up in her next two races, she exits a 1 ¾-length victory in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance May 7 at Pimlico.

“She's doing well for us as we've stretched her out. She's been going around two turns very well,” trainer Jerry O'Dwyer said. “She's a lovely, big mare with a nice pedigree. The owner wanted to breed her at the end of this year so we're trying to pick up a little bit of black type for her along the line to enhance her value for the breeding shed.

“She's been working well. I had her up at Delaware. I was going to run her in a stake or two up there but I'm not sure that she's quite in love with the deep surface up there,” he added. “She's won at the distance on the track, so that's in her favor. She's going to have to take a step up again, numbers-wise.”

Sheldon Russell gets the assignment from Post 1.

Mrs. Orb, a two-time New York-bred stakes winner and runner-up in the 2020 Turnback the Alarm (G3); multiple stakes-placed Landing Zone, most recently third in the Lady's Secret June 6 at Monmouth Park; Suggestive Honor, Group 3-placed in her native Argentina last winter; His Glory and Sweet Sami D, third in the 2019 Monmouth Oaks (G3) and fifth in the Lady's Secret, round out the field.

The Caesar's Wish debuted in 1978 at old Bowie Race Course and was held at both Pimlico and Laurel before it was renamed the Beyond the Wire for 2018. It honors the Maryland-bred mare that won 11 of 16 starts over two seasons including the 1978 Mother Goose (G1) and Black-Eyed Susan (G2) and 1977 Demoiselle (G2) and Villager (G3). Her winning time in the Mother Goose broke Hall of Famer Ruffian's stakes record and stood until 1994.

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Mighty Mischief, Street Lute Among Nominees For Four Stakes On Independence Day Card At Pimlico

Four horses from the May 15 Grade 3 Chick Lang Stakes, including impressive winner Mighty Mischief and third-place finisher Hemp, are among 25 3-year-olds nominated to the $100,000 Concern Stakes Sunday, July 4 at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The six-furlong Concern, named for the only Maryland-bred winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic in 1994 and trained by Dickie Small, is among four stakes worth $375,000 in purses scheduled for the Independence Day holiday program.

Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt's homebred Mighty Mischief was making his stakes debut in the G3 Chick Lang Stakes, on the undercard of the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1), following maiden and allowance wins at Oaklawn Park. The bay Into Mischief colt led from start to finish to extend his win streak to three with a 1 ¼-length triumph over multiple stakes-winning stablemate Jaxon Traveler.

Narrow Leaf Farm's Hemp came with a three-wide move to be third in the G3 Chick Lang, 2 ½ lengths behind Jaxon Traveler, following an impressive allowance win in the mud on April 10 at Laurel Park. He ran fourth after breaking a step slow in the five-furlong Ben's Cat Stakes June 13 at Pimlico, a race originally carded for the turf.

Palatial Times, fifth in the G3 Chick Lang, came back to be second by less than a length facing older horses in a six-furlong starter optional claimer June 12 at Pimlico. Shackled Love, winner of the 1 1/16-mile Private Terms Stakes March 13 at Laurel, has not raced since running last of six in the G3 Chick Lang.

Also prominent among Concern nominees are Beren, riding a three-stakes win streak for Parx-based trainer Robert E. 'Butch' Reid Jr.; Good With People, a two-time California-bred stakes winner trained by Peter Miller; 2020 Sapling Stakes winner Waist Deep; Momos, graded-stakes placed on both the turf and dirt last fall as a 2-year-old; stakes-placed Awesome Gerry, Dalton, Doubleoseven, Love My Jimmy, Roderick, Rolling Fork, Singlino, Three Two Zone; and Marvalous Mike, a winner of three straight.

Two stakes are part of the 24-race Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series – the $100,000 Lite the Fuse Stakes for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs and $100,000 Caesar's Wish Stakes for fillies and mares going 1 1/16 miles, both on the main track.

The Lite the Fuse, honoring the two-time Grade 1 Carter Handicap and Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G2) winner, was last run in 2002 at Laurel. It was most popular among horsemen with 33 nominations led by Yaupon, record-setting winner of the 2020 Chick Lang unraced since the Grade 1 Dubai Golden Shaheen March 27 and also owned by the Heiligbrodts and trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

Also nominated were Jan. 30 Grade 3 Toboggan Stakes winner American Power, second to Grade 1 winner Firenze Fire in the June 4 Grade 3 True North Stakes; March 6 Grade 3 Tom Fool Stakes winner Chateau, also runner-up to Firenze Fire in the May 8 Grade 2 Runhappy Stakes; 2019 Grade 3 Fall Highweight Handicap winner Happy Farm, a two-time claiming winner this year who ran fifth in the G3 Tom Fool; 2020 De Francis winner Laki; 2020 Grade 3 Fred Hooper Stakes winner Phat Man, fifth in the True North; and multiple stakes winner Whereshetoldmetogo.

Among 20 nominees to the Caesar's Wish were multiple stakes winners Miss Leslie, most recently fifth in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes May 14 at Pimlico, Artful Splatter, and Mrs. Orb; Our Super Freak, winner of the 2019 Shine Again Stakes at Laurel who has placed in back-to-back graded-stakes including a second to champion Monomoy Girl in the Grade 3 Bayakoa Stakes Feb. 28; Water White, second by a length over Our Super Freak in the May 2 Grade 2 Ruffian Stakes; 2020 Treasure Chest winner Gibberish and Landing Zone, respectively 2-3 in the June 6 Lady's Secret Stakes at Monmouth Park; and Sosua, undefeated in three starts including a May 20 allowance win at Pimlico.

The Caesar's Wish debuted in 1978 at old Bowie Race Course and was also contested at both Pimlico and Laurel before being renamed the Beyond the Wire in 2018.

Stablemates Anna's Bandit, an 11-time stakes winner who ran fifth in the June 13 Shine Again in her season debut, and Street Lute head 24 nominees to the Jameela Stakes, a five-furlong turf sprint for Maryland-bred/sired fillies and mares 3 and up. A 7-year-old Great Notion mare bred, owned, and trained by Jerry Robb, Anna's Bandit is winless in three career tries on grass. Lucky 7 Stables' Street Lute earned her seventh stakes win from 11 starts in the off-the-turf Stormy Blues Stakes, also June 13 at Pimlico.

Epic Idea, winless in two starts this year since her mild upset of the Maryland Million Ladies last fall at Laurel; five-time stakes winner Hello Beautiful, second in three lifetime turf races; Introduced, a three-time turf winner with two stakes wins on dirt; Never Enough Time, twice a stakes winner over the main track; and Wicked Hot, who followed a 12-length maiden score May 28 with a half-length allowance score over older horses June 20, both at Pimlico for trainer Graham Motion, are also nominated.

The Jameela Stakes has had all but four of its first 32 editions at Laurel Park and was last held at Pimlico in 2001.

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