Trained by Hall of Famer Shug McGaughey, Perform worked just after the renovation break under partly cloudy skies and temperatures in the mid-60s, completing his exercise to the outside of his maiden workmate Weyhill Road (Quality Road).

McGaughey said the work was just what he hoped to see ahead of the colt's graded stakes debut.

“I was very pleased with the way he worked and they did exactly what I wanted,” said McGaughey. “I said to let them go in :25 and change [for the first quarter-mile] and let them finish up, and that's what they did. They galloped out good and I thought they were going along very easy.”

Perform, a maiden winner while making his two-turn debut at Tampa Bay Downs Mar. 11 in his sixth start, earned a spot in the Preakness with a late-running victory in the Federico Tesio S. at Laurel Apr. 15. Ridden by Feargal Lynch, who will return to ride in the Preakness, Perform stumbled at the break of the Tesio and rallied from as far as 10 lengths off the pace to roll home late and nail Ninetyprcentmaddie (Weigelia) at the wire by a head in a final time of 1:52.18. The effort was awarded a career-best 85 Beyer Speed Figure.

“I think he grew up in that race,” said McGaughey. “I'm very pleased with the way he's doing and I'm excited about going down there to see what happens.”

McGaughey said maturity and stretching out to two turns has made the difference for the improving Perform.

“As a 2-year-old, he didn't really train that way,” said McGaughey. “I thought he was a sprinter and I ran him on the Fourth of July weekend where he ran second. I was a little bit disappointed in his races after that. But I think the sprint races helped get him to the long races.”

McGaughey said the extra half-furlong will benefit Perform, who was supplemented to the Preakness for a fee of $150,000.

“I don't think it will hurt him,” McGaughey said of the 1 3/16-mile distance.

Perform is scheduled to ship to Pimlico Tuesday.

Also working for the Preakness Sunday, Winchell Thoroughbreds homebred Red Route One (Gun Runner) went a half-mile in :49.20 (19/39) at Churchill Downs for trainer Steve Asmussen.

Red Route One earned his first stakes victory in his last start, taking Oaklawn Park's Bath House Row to earn a fees-paid berth in the Preakness.

Stablemate Disarm (Gun Runner), coming off a fourth-place effort in the GI Kentucky Derby, galloped at Churchill Downs Sunday and is expected to work Monday.

Both colts are scheduled to ship to Maryland Tuesday.

Kentucky Derby hero Mage (Good Magic) arrived at Pimlico Sunday morning following an overnight van ride from Churchill Downs.

“We stopped for gas and we stopped to check [Mage's] water,” Gustavo Delgado, Jr., assistant trainer to his father, said. “We left when we did because we wanted to beat traffic. It was a good, smooth trip. He is a good traveler.”

After arriving at Pimlico at 6 a.m., Mage walked after exiting the van and laid down in his new stall for a bit. By 8:30, he was up and alert, checking out his new surroundings. The plan is for Mage to make his first appearance on the track early Monday morning.

   Blazing Sevens (Good Magic) shipped down from trainer Chad Brown's Belmont base Sunday morning, while National Treasure (Quality Road) arrived at Pimlico Saturday evening for trainer Bob Baffert.

The post Perform, Red Route One Tune Up For Preakness; Mage Arrives at Pimlico appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Named for President Biden, a longtime family friend of owner-breeder Stuart Grant, and trained by Mike Trombetta, Joe extended his win streak to three races with a popular 2 ½-length triumph in his sophomore debut Jan. 23 at Laurel Park.

The connections opted for the 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance over the seven-furlong Spectacular Bid, Maryland's first stakes of the season for 3-year-olds, to try Joe around two turns. The next stakes in the series is the $100,000 Miracle Wood, contested at a one-turn mile, Feb. 19.

Following the Miracle Wood, the 3-year-old series continues with the $100,000 Private Terms going 1 1/16 miles March 19 and the $125,000 Tesio at 1 1/8 miles April 16. For the seventh straight year, the Tesio will serve as a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the May 21 Preakness at historic Pimlico Race Course.

“We're still deciding what's next. Obviously there's a race coming up at Laurel in another couple weeks, but I don't know if that's bringing him back a little too quick,” Grant said. “Our path is targeting the Tesio, and if we're fortunate enough to win the Tesio, then the Preakness would be the next step from there.

“We're going to take a little different path than the traditional 'I'm on the Derby trail.' We are not on the Derby trail,” he added. “We will see how this horse develops, but we will target him in a way that if he develops the way that we would like him to, then maybe we will sneak into the Preakness with a fresh horse and see if we can surprise some people.”

Joe has raced exclusively at Laurel, running fifth in his unveiling last October. He hasn't lost since, including an impressive 1 ½-length victory from off the pace in the seven-furlong Maryland Juvenile Dec. 18 to cap his 2-year-old season.

“Mike's doing a great job. We have had some long discussions,” Grant said. “It's always tempting to put a horse on that trail but if you think over the years about the horses that have been put on that trail … it makes it a long year on that horse. I think we have a good one. We don't know how good, but we're going to sort of develop this way and maybe not have as much pressure. Maybe we'll learn that we're not that good early on and we'll sort of reset our sights, but for now that's what we're going to do.”

A decision is also forthcoming on Grade 3 winner Wondrwherecraigis, who launched his comeback with an emphatic 3 ¾-length triumph in the Jan. 29 Fire Plug at Laurel. It was his first race since overcoming a foot issue following his victory in the Oct. 31 Bold Ruler (G3) at Belmont Park.

The Fire Plug was the third stakes win for the 5-year-old gelding, each at different tracks, also capturing the 2021 Tale of the Cat at Saratoga. He has finished first in each of the last five, but was disqualified to second for interference in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) last fall.

Overall the Brittany Russell trainee, owned in partnership by Grant, Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables, has seven wins, one second and one third from 11 lifetime starts.

“I have been thrilled with his last five races. He is a throwback. He's sort of a hard-working, blue-collar horse. He will continue to get it done and he will continue to run in good races,” Grant said. “Brittany does a really good job and keeps the horse well. The horse is ready to run each time. He had a quarter crack so he had to miss a race, but she took care of that. She won't run him unless he's ready to run and we've seen the results.”

Next up for older sprinters in Maryland is the $250,000 General George (G3) Feb. 19 at Laurel, one of six stakes worth $900,000 on a program that also includes the $250,000 Barbara Fritchie (G3).

“The horse will tell us whether it's too quick [back] for him. I don't think we're ruling that out but we are also not having our heart set on it so that we're subject to disappointment or we push him into a race that is a not a good race for him,” Grant said. “We are conscious of it. He is a strong horse and he's been training well and we will see. He may wind up there. The horse will tell Brittany and Brittany will share it with us.”

Also in the conversation among Russell and the ownership group for Wondrwherecraigis is the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen (G1) March 26 at Meydan.

“We are talking and we are talking with Brittany and we are trying to figure out what would be best for the horse and what would be best for us. Yes, there's a certain excitement to winning a Dubai race like that; on the other hand, we have a gelding and all of a sudden the grade of the race or the prestige of the race might not be that important,” Grant said. “With a gelding you're really thinking, 'Ok, how can I maximize his purse money, say, through the end of the year?' That becomes a tough decision.

“If you take him overseas, there's a certain amount of wear and tear that happens on a horse, albeit with an older horse maybe the wear and tear isn't quite as great but it's still there. You just worry if you bring him over there and if he doesn't run well, is he still the same horse when he gets back here?” he added. “Or, do I keep him running in the Mid-Atlantic, say at Laurel and Aqueduct and Belmont and maybe take him up to Saratoga, and between those four racecourses, which isn't more than a four-hour ship from the farthest to the shortest, do I maximize his ability to run in some nice races every six weeks? That's the discussion that's going on.”

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Laki breezed an easy half-mile in :50.40 Sunday at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., his first work following a fourth-place finish in Pimlico's six-furlong Challedon July 31, where he was beaten less than two lengths by Mucho.

“I was happy with it. He just ran a few weeks ago so I wasn't looking for too much. I just wanted to expand his lungs a little bit,” trainer Damon Dilodovico said. “It ended up being on the slower side, but we never really push him anyway.”

The six-furlong De Francis for 3-year-olds and up headlines a Sept. 18 program of four stakes worth $500,000 in purses. The 8-year-old gelding Laki is nominated to the $100,000 Chesapeake, contested under the same conditions Aug. 23 at Colonial Downs.

Laki emerged from a three-way photo finish a nose ahead of Eastern Bay in the 2020 De Francis, held on a Grade 1 Preakness Stakes undercard delayed to October amid the coronavirus pandemic. He skipped the race in 2019 after running second to Switzerland in 2018. Dilodovico also won the De Francis with Immortal Eyes in 2013 when the race held listed status.

By winning his sixth career stakes in the six-furlong Frank Y. Whiteley April 24 at Pimlico, Laki extended his streak to five consecutive seasons with at least one stakes victory.

“I'm not sure if we're going to be doing Colonial or just move on to the De Francis. We'll decide in the next few days,” Dilodovico said. “[The De Francis] is a graded race, so we'll get some shippers there. We'll see. If he's good, maybe we'll just keep going with it.”

Also among several horses Dilodovico breezed Sunday at Pimlico was Phillip Ward's 3-year-old ridgling Tiz Mandate. He was clocked in :49 for four furlongs, ranking fifth of 30 horses.

Tiz Mandate ran in four consecutive stakes last winter and spring, finishing second in the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 20 at Laurel. He went to the sidelines after running eighth in the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio April 24 at Pimlico, returning to be sixth in a six-furlong Parx allowance July 28.

“He's coming around. I took him up to Parx and he really just never kind of got into the race,” Dilodovico said. “I don't know if it was just from being away for a while, but I was very happy with his breeze today. He just sat off a horse, sitting there comfortably, and when it came time he picked up the reins and moved right by.”

Dilodovico said he has not settled on the next spot for Tiz Mandate.

The post Dilodovico Considering De Francis Dash, Chesapeake Stakes For Laki appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Owned by Flanagan Racing, The Reds arrived at the nine-furlong Pennine Ridge off a victory, via disqualification, in the Federico Tesio at Pimlico Race Course on April 24. Kimmel said he was hoping Saturday's test would be a prep for the Grade 1, $1 million Belmont Derby Invitational on July 10. But when inclement weather forced the race to the main track, he said that the chestnut colt's turf debut will likely have to wait.

“Had we gotten to test him out on the grass maybe we could have tried the Belmont Derby, but I'm not really sure now,” said Kimmel. “I think running a mile and an eighth on dirt for a half-million against some of the big class citizens might be a better option for him.”

The Reds was a maiden winner at fifth asking on January 31 over the main track at Aqueduct before finishing fifth in the Grade 3 Gotham at the Big A.

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The 40^th running of the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio headlined an 11-race Spring Stakes Spectacular program featuring six stakes worth $650,000 in purses. For the sixth straight year, the Tesio offered Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds and automatic berth in the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 at Pimlico.

Saturday marked the return of the Tesio to Pimlico, where it debuted in 1981 and stayed every year but two through 2015. Named for the noted Italian breeder, owner and trainer whose homebreds Nearco and Ribot dominate Thoroughbred bloodlines around the world, the Tesio was held at Laurel Park in 1987 and 1989 and each year since 2016.

Sent off the 9-5 favorite in a field of eight that included stakes winners Shackled Love, Hello Hot Rod and his former stablemate Maythehorsebwithu, The Reds ($5.80) gave both local jockey Victor Carrasco and New York-based trainer John Kimmel their first Tesio victory.

“I thought he showed tremendous courage, really,” Kimmel said by phone. “He got squeezed at the start so he ended up losing his spot. He should have been much closer. Then he had a terrible trip getting to where he was when the horse came out on him, which was a call I thought was deserved. We were just very fortunate.”

Shackled Love, who edged Maythehorsebwithu in the March 13 Private Terms at Laurel, broke side-by-side from the two outermost posts and both were intent on the lead, going the first quarter-mile in 24.13 seconds and a half in 48.12 with Excellorator and jockey Angel Cruz tracking in third. Six furlongs went in 1:11.50 with the top two still in front, though Excellorator was closing the gap.

Neither leader was able to maintain their momentum and began to drop back as they came into the stretch, leaving Excellorator to inherit the lead. Meanwhile The Reds, shuffled back between Royal Number and Hello Hot Rod early and steadied on the far turn, got straightened out and was coming with a run when Excellorator drifted out under Cruz's left-handed urging. The Reds was forced to alter his path and had Royal Number closing on his outside.

Once on a straight path, Excellorator dug in and held off The Reds by a head after completing the distance in 1:49.98 over a fast main track. Following a lengthy stewards' inquiry and objections from both Carrasco on Cruz and Royal Number jockey Julian Pimentel on Carrasco, Excellorator was taken down and placed second behind The Reds.

“Not too disappointed really, because the horse ran a wonderful race,” Excellorator's trainer, Hugh McMahon, said. “We did our part. There's just so much we can do, but there's so many external variables that influence these kinds of outcomes.”

The remaining order of finish was unchanged. Royal Number was third, followed by Hello Hot Rod, Maythehorsebwithu, Shackled Love, Zertz and Tiz Mandate.

“He broke good. You could see going into the turn, I'm trying to get him to relax. We had a great outside post and I wanted no part of dueling for the first three-quarters,” jockey Sheldon Russell, aboard Maythehorsebwithu, said. “I'm making every effort to sort of break his stride and get him to relax. We do a lot of work trying to teach them to relax in the afternoon, but we probably had him a little too fresh today. He just ran his race early on. We'll regroup and see how he comes out.”

By Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Tonalist, The Reds broke his maiden in his fifth career start and second this year, a 1 1/8-mile maiden special weight Jan. 31 at Aqueduct. Last time out, he ran fifth in the one-mile Gotham (G3) March 6, also at the Big A.

The Reds is not Triple Crown-nominated, but can be supplemented to the 1 3/16-mile Preakness at the time of entry, May 10.

“This horse is really suited to run further. He's got that kind of temperament. He settles really well,” Kimmel said. “I'm not sure if we'll come back in three weeks but we'll see how the Derby and the participants in the Preakness shakes out and we'll go from there.”

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The $125,000 Federico Tesio headlines seven stakes worth $750,000 in purses on the Spring Stakes Spectacular program Saturday, April 24, originally scheduled to be run at Laurel Park. With the ongoing evaluation of Laurel's main track, live racing has been shifted to Pimlico effective Thursday, April 22.

Laurel's spring meet, delayed seven days to an April 8 opening amid an equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) quarantine, was scheduled to run through May 2. The Preakness Meet at Pimlico is scheduled for Thursdays through Sundays through May 31, with no live racing Sunday, May 16, or Thursday, May 27, and a special Memorial Day holiday program Monday, May 31.

The 1 1/8-mile Tesio – named for the noted Italian breeder, owner and trainer whose homebreds Nearco and Ribot dominate Thoroughbred bloodlines around the world – debuted at Pimlico in 1981 and stayed every year but two through 2015. Laurel Park hosted the Tesio in 1987 and 1989 and each year since 2016.

For the sixth straight year, the Tesio will serve as a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds to the 1 3/16-mile Preakness Stakes Saturday, May 15. Among the horses under consideration are Grade 2 winner Brooklyn Strong, Grade 3-placed Tarantino, stakes winners Hello Hot Rod and Maythehorsebwithu, and stakes-placed Tiz Mandate.

All five horses are Triple Crown nominated, with Laurel Park-based Maythehorsebwithu and Tiz Mandate's eligibility coming at the late March 29 deadline. Shackled Love, another Laurel horse that beat Maythehorsebwithu in the March 13 Private Terms, is also being pointed to the Tesio.

Laurel-based trainer Lacey Gaudet was an assistant to her late father when Eddie Gaudet won the 2011 Tesio at Pimlico with Maryland-bred Concealed Identity, owned by his wife, Lacey's mother Linda, along with Morris Bailey. Sheldon Russell, still part of Maryland's jockey colony, was the rider.

The Tesio was actually the second straight win at Pimlico for Concealed Identity, a two-length triumph over Ruler On Ice, who would go on to capture the Belmont Stakes (G1). It would be the only Preakness appearance for Eddie Gaudet, patriarch of one of Maryland's best-known and respected racing families.

“I remember my mom and I discussing, 'OK, this is our goal. If he can win going two turns, and then win the Tesio, we'll go to the Preakness. It was the local prep and it we decided that if we won it, we'd go,” Lacey Gaudet said. “It was fairly cool. There was a lot of personal sentiment at the time. Sheldon had rode him for us and if you watch the replay when he comes past where we stand in the regular winner's circle at the wire, Sheldon kind of pointed over at us.

“He won convincingly,” she added. “Sheldon pointed at us as he crossed the wire for the Tesio because it was like, 'OK, guys. We get to have fun now.' It was really cool and it definitely gave us a confidence booster that he won over the racetrack. He was essentially the only horse going into the Preakness winning two in a row and at the track. It was exciting.”

Serving as the Tesio's co-headliner on the Spring Stakes Spectacular program is the $125,000 Weber City Miss, a 'Win and In' qualifier for 3-year-old fillies to the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) Friday, May 14 at Pimlico. Each of the first four Weber City Miss winners since its 2016 debut have gone on to run in the Black-Eyed Susan including Lights of Medina, second by a head in 2017. Grand Cru Classe did not race in last year's Black-Eyed Susan.

Spring Stakes Spectacular includes a pair of $100,0000 dirt sprints, Frank Y. Whiteley for 3-year-olds and up and Primonetta for fillies and mares 3 and older. With the change in venue, the Whiteley has been shortened from seven to six furlongs, same as the Primonetta.

Also scheduled are the first three turf stakes of the year – the $100,000 Henry S. Clark for 3-year-olds and up and $100,000 Dahlia for females 3 and older, both at a mile, and $100,000 King T. Leatherbury for 3-year-olds and up, carded for 5 ½ furlongs at Laurel but to be contested at five furlongs at Pimlico.

The Preakness highlights a program of 10 stakes, six graded, worth $2.25 million Saturday, May 15 that includes the 120^th edition of the $250,000 Dinner Party (G2) for 3-year-olds and up on turf, Pimlico's oldest stakes race and the eighth-oldest in the country, debuting in 1870.

Other graded-stakes on the Preakness undercard are the $200,000 Chick Lang (G3) for 3-year-olds sprinting six furlongs, $150,000 Gallorette (G3) for fillies and mares 3 and up going 1 1/16 miles on the grass, $150,000 Maryland Sprint (G3) at six furlongs for 3-year-olds and up, and $100,000 Arabian Derby (G1) for Arabian 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles.

A total of six stakes, four graded, worth $1 million in purses help comprise the May 14 Black-Eyed Susan Day card, including the historic $250,000 Pimlico Special (G3) for 3-year-olds and up at 1 3/16 miles, $150,000 Miss Preakness (G3) for 3-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs, and $150,000 Allaire du Pont (G3) for fillies and mares 3 and up going 1 1/8 miles.

The post Federico Tesio, A ‘Win And In’ Race For Preakness, Returning To Pimlico appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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First race post time is 12:40 p.m.

A total of 83 horses were entered on the program, an average of 9.22 starters per race. The feature comes in Race 6, a second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up going around two turns at about 1 1/16 miles.

Among the overflow field of 11 are 2019 Remsen (G2) winner Shotski, most recently third in a similar spot Feb. 25 at Laurel; Silent Malice, riding a two-race win streak; Oxide, a winner of three of his last five races; Mischief Afoot and Awesome DJ, both exiting Laurel's Harrison E. Johnson Memorial March 13; 2020 A Huevo Stakes winner V.I.P. Ticket; and stakes-placed Dinar.

Race 8 is an entry-level allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting seven furlongs that drew a field of nine including 2020 Malvern Rose runner-up Remain Anonymous, second in each of her three 2021 starts; Tweet Away Robin, who had a two-race win streak snapped last out March 20 at Laurel; and Queen of Tomorrow for leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez, whose last starter at Laurel came March 7.

Laurel's spring meet runs Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays through May 2. Saturday, April 24 is the Spring Stakes Spectacular featuring seven stakes worth $750,000 in purses led by the $125,000 Federico Tesio for 3-year-olds and $125,000 Weber City Miss for 3-year-old fillies.

The 1 1/8-mile Tesio is a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 at Pimlico Race Course. The Weber City Miss, at about 1 1/16 miles, is a 'Win and In' event for the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) on Preakness eve, May 14, at Pimlico.

There will be special post times of 12:15 p.m. for both the Spring Stakes Spectacular and Kentucky Derby (G1) day, Saturday, May 1.

Maythehorsebwithu Breezes for Tesio on Busy Saturday at Laurel
Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables' Maythehorsebwithu, easy winner of the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 20, returned to the work tab with an easy half-mile breeze in 50.40 seconds over Laurel Park's main track Saturday.

It was the first work for the sophomore son of 2009 Whitney (G1) winner Bullsbay since running second in the March 13 Private Terms at Laurel, his two-turn debut, beaten a half-length by 21-1 long shot Shackled Love.

Maythehorsebwithu, nominated to the Triple Crown by the final March 29 deadline, is being pointed to the $125,000 Federico Tesio April 24 at Laurel, a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds to the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 at Pimlico Race Course.

Joel Politi's Littlestitious, who snapped favored Street Lute's five-stakes win streak in the one-mile Beyond the Wire March 13 at Laurel, went a half-mile in 50.20 seconds Saturday. The 3-year-old filly, possible for the $125,000 Weber City Miss April 24, also breezed the same distance in an identical time March 27.

The Weber City Miss is a 'Win and In' qualifier for the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 14 at Pimlico.

Hillside Equestrian Meadows' Laki, a six-time career stakes winner including the 2020 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3), breezed four furlongs in 49.20 seconds. It was his first timed work since running third in the General George (G3) Feb. 20 at Laurel.

The post Maryland Racing Set To Resume Thursday When Laurel Launches Spring Meet appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The 1 1/8-mile Tesio, headlining a program of seven stakes worth $750,000 in purses, once again serves as a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the $1 million Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 at Pimlico Race Course.

Neither Shackled Love nor Maythehorsebwithu were among the 326 horses nominated to the Triple Crown for $300 by the initial Jan. 23 deadline. Horses can be nominated again by Monday, March 29 for a $6,000 fee.

Trainer Gary Capuano said that ZWP Stable, Inc. and Non Stop Stable's Maryland homebred Shackled Love, a son of 2011 Preakness winner Shackleford, emerged from the race well. It was the first stakes attempt for the bay gelding, who was the second-longest shot in the seven-horse Private Terms at odds of 21-1.

“He's good. He came out of the race good. It was a good race, a good effort,” Capuano said. “He's a good-feeling, nice kind of horse. He's definitely been improving quite a bit.

“It's amazing how things sometimes work out,” he added. “We stuck him in and looked at the race. His numbers fit with the race and he's been improving, so it was worth taking a shot. He had a good post position, the whole thing. It looked like he could be competitive in there if he ran his race.”

After winning in debut last fall at Delaware Park, Shackled Love had lost four straight races with back-to-back seconds entering the Private Terms. He pressed pacesetting even-money favorite Maythehorsebwithu from the gate, took a narrow lead in mid-stretch and dug in to the wire.

“He had been training good. It was a solid field and his numbers had been improving each race even though he's been beat,” Capuano said. “He got beat by a couple of those but he's been improving and training well, so it was worth taking a shot at it. We would have liked going through another condition first, but it works out better this way. If you're going to lose your condition you might as well lose it in a stake for $100,000. It's all good.”

Next up for Shackled Love is the Tesio, a race Capuano won in 2003 with Cherokee's Boy, also bred and owned by ZWP Stable. Cherokee's Boy won 19 times, 14 in stakes including the 2005 Salvator Mile Handicap (G3), from 48 starts and more than $1 million in purse earnings, and ran eighth in the Preakness.

“I would think so, as long as he comes out of race good and trains good. I don't see why we wouldn't,” Capuano said. “There's no other races for 3-year-olds, you have to run in a stake anyway. He's in the same boat as Shackqueenking and Brittany's horse. You have to run in the stake or you don't run for a while.”

Pocket 3's Racing's Shackqueenking, nose winner of the 1 1/16-mile Howard County to cap his juvenile season, moved into a contending position on the far turn but was unable to gain any ground and wound up fourth, beaten a total of 3 ½ lengths.

“He ran good. He just hung there the last part. He had every opportunity turning for home, but the other two they were just running comfortable,” Capuano said. “He's got a tendency to hang a little bit the last eight of a mile anyway, so we tried to get him moving so we could get some momentum and he did that but then he just kind of hung there the last part. He got beat three or four lengths which wasn't terrible.”

Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables' Maythehorsebwithu was making his two-turn debut in the about 1 1/16-mile Private Terms off a dominant four-length score over multiple stakes winner Kenny Had a Notion – trained by Capuano's older brother, Dale – in the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 20.

Ridden by Sheldon Russell, Maythehorsebwithu set a pace of 23.97 and 47.44 seconds before grudgingly yielding the lead, then came back on again after being passed.

“I thought he had him and then you see Gary's horse like, 'No, not now. I've got you.' It was a good horse race. You have to give them both a lot of credit. They both ran big,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “Absolutely, we're delighted. Another big effort. He's consistent and he runs hard every time, so what's not to be happy about?”

Maythehorsebwithu has done his best running at Laurel, with two wins and two seconds from four starts. He was beaten a neck by Kenny Had a Notion in the seven-furlong Spectacular Bid Jan. 16 to kick off his sophomore season and is also headed toward the Tesio.

“More than likely. We'll get him back to the track and see how he is. I'm definitely going to give him an easy couple weeks here, if he allows it,” Brittany Russell said. “This morning, he was laying down in his stall. He was exhausted. That's probably the first time I've noticed him do that after a run. We'll just let him kind of catch his breath and make a plan, but why wouldn't we try? He's doing nothing wrong in the afternoon.”

Russell reported that Madaket Stables, Ten Strike Racing, Michael Kisber and Black Cloud Racing Stable's Whereshetoldmetogo was doing well after opening his 6-year-old campaign with a victory in Saturday's $75,000 Not For Love for Maryland-bred/sired horses that marked his third consecutive win, all in stakes.

Despite never switching over to his right lead, Whereshetoldmetogo ran six furlongs in 1:09.82 to win the Not For Love by 2 ½ lengths as the 1-5 favorite in a field of seven.

“He's the greatest. We love him. He ran so good. It's tough because you watch these races sometimes where you're the heavy favorite like that and it just seems like you're not a lock,” Russell said. “Things can happen. Regardless, he steps up and gets the job done. Left lead and all, he did it.”

Next up for local sprinters is the $100,000 Frank Y. Whiteley going seven furlongs on the Tesio undercard April 17. Whereshetoldmetogo won the Whiteley, contested at six furlongs and rescheduled to Nov. 28 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“I haven't spoken to anybody yet but I would love to keep him home,” Russell said. “He obviously likes it here, and keep a good thing going.”

Joel Politi's Littlestitious, a determined half-length winner of Saturday's $100,000 Beyond the Wire for 3-year-old fillies, remains at Laurel after shipping in from Louisiana for trainer Tom Amoss to earn her second career stakes victory.

Laurel has been under restrictions after a horse tested positive for the equine herpesvirus March 8, but no additional cases of EHV1 have been identified by the Maryland Jockey Club.

“She came out of the race in good shape. I spoke to the barn early this morning. We're trying to determine what stage we're in with the herpes [virus],” Amoss said. “That's going to have a lot to do with what our plans are. We know that we're there for another week, minimum with the horse, but that's just a logistics thing.

“Other than that, she came out of the race in good shape. We're really pleased with the way she ran. We think that there's a real future there as the races go a little further in distance and she transitions back to two turns, which is what we're going to do in the next start.”

The next local race for 3-year-old fillies is the $125,000 Weber City Miss, contested around two turns at about 1 1/16 miles April 17 and an automatic qualifier to the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 14 at Pimlico.

Littlestitious, under Sheldon Russell, came with a steady run down the center of the track after tracking pacesetting favorites Street Lute and Fraudulent Charge, and edged the latter in the final sixteenth of a mile to win by a half-length. Street Lute, a six-time stakes winner including five in a row, wound up third as the 3-5 favorite in her first race beyond seven furlongs.

“I had great respect for the favorite in that race. I mean, what a record she had going in. I did not know how the race was going to play out [but was] confident in the sense that I thought our horse would run her race, but whether it was good enough against the other horses there, that was unclear,” Amoss said. “Watching the race unfold and watching the way she ran, I give a great deal of credit to the rider. He rode her really, really well.”

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The 19-day spring meet opens Apr. 1 and runs through May 2. Racing will be conducted Thursday through Sunday during the spring meet, with the exception of Easter Sunday, Apr. 4. Post time will be 12:40 p.m., with a special 12:15 p.m. post Kentucky Derby day, May 1.

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The 1 3/16-mile Preakness, run this year as the final jewel in a refashioned Triple Crown while serving as a “Win and You're In” qualifier for the Breeders' Cup Classic (G1), anchors a weekend of 16 stakes, nine graded, worth $3.35 million in purses Oct. 1-3.

Monday Morning Qb earned his lone stakes victory last December in the seven-furlong Heft at Laurel Park and was briefly on the Triple Crown trail, finishing fourth in the 1 1/8-mile Withers (G3) Feb. 1 at Aqueduct. The sizeable Maryland-bred son of Imagining was given time after that race to mature and develop, returning to trainer Robert E. 'Butch' Reid Jr. last month.

He was entered but unable to draw into the field for a one-mile turf allowance Aug. 28 at Laurel and wound up launching his comeback in the 1 1/8-mile Tesio, the traditional local prep for the Preakness. He set solid fractions of 24.76 seconds, 48.82 and 1:13.13 before being overtaken at the head of the stretch by Happy Saver but battled on despite failing to switch leads, finishing 1 ½ lengths behind the winner but nine lengths clear of Big City Bob in third.

“He ran very well considering the layoff. To come back going a mile and an eighth was not an easy task, so we were very pleased with his effort,” Reid said. “He came out of it well. He's been back to the track and he looks happy and raring to go. He was definitely tired afterwards but after a couple days he bounced right back. We're real happy with him.

“I think if he switched leads, I'm not saying we would have beat that horse but he'd have been a lot closer I believe,” he added. “He's got a little bit of a concentration problem that we have to work on to get him to switch leads turning for home. He's kind of always had that habit. It's unfortunate because he does it perfectly in the morning.”

The Tesio was Monday Morning Qb's second straight race at two turns. His sire was a multiple graded-stakes winner going long on the grass including the 2014 Man o' War (G1) for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, and earned nearly $1.2 million in purses.

“We felt all along he'd get two turns,” Reid said. “We really think he's going to route on turf is what he's going to end up being. We'll think about getting him on the turf. I would like to try that before the end of the year, for sure.”

To that end, Reid said the connections are also considering the $100,000 James W. Murphy on the Preakness undercard. The Murphy, also for 3-year-olds, is contested at a mile on the grass.

“We're looking at both races. We still haven't ruled out the Preakness, to be honest with you,” Reid said. “The Murphy for straight 3-year-olds going a mile on the turf [is interesting]. We'll definitely make him eligible for both of those races and pick our best spot from there.”

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