By Xpressbet
PREAKNESS STAKES1/ST Preakness Wager Guide | daily updates | free access EXTRA INCENTIVES$10,000 Exacta-Thon | Laurel Full-Card | Friday (Black-Eyed Susan Day)$10 Money-Back Special | Black-Eyed Susan Stakes | Laurel Race 13 Friday$10,000 Exacta-Thon | Laurel Full-Card | Saturday (Preakness Day)$10 Money-Back Special | Preakness Stakes | Laurel Race 13 SaturdaySCHEDULE NOTESLaurel Park | 11:30 am ET early first post for Black-Eyed Susan DaySPECIAL WAGERSLaurel Preakness Saturday Advance Wagering | remains open todayCoast-to-Coast Pick 5 | Gulfstream Races 8-9; Santa Anita Races 3-4-5Sunset 6 | Gulfstream Races 7-8-9; Santa Anita Races 7-8-9TOURNAMENT TIME$100 Laurel Feeder | details$40 Santa Anita Feeder | detailsNOTABLE CARRYOVERSSuper Hi 5 | $22,400 | Churchill Downs | Race 2 | 1:14 pm ETJackpot Pick 6 | $92,976 | Churchill Downs | begins Race 4 | 2:13 pm ETSunset 6 | $23,111 | Gulfstream/Santa Anita | begins GP Race 7 | 4:04 pm ETJackpot Pick 6 | $63,664 | Charles Town | begins Race 4 | 8:32 pm ETKEY RACESLaurel | Race 8 | 3:20 pm ET | Miss Preakness StakesLaurel | Race 9 | 3:54 pm ET | Hilltop StakesLaurel | Race 10 | 4:28 pm ET | DuPont Distaff StakesLaurel | Race 11 | 5:02 pm ET | The Very One StakesLaurel | Race 12 | 5:37 pm ET | Pimlico Special StakesLaurel | Race 13 | 6:14 pm ET | Black-Eyed Susan StakesPrairie Meadows | Race 6 | 9:15 pm ET | Goldfinch StakesLONGSHOT RACE ALERT FROM BETMIXLaurel | Race 5 | 1:41 pm ETAqueduct | Race 8 | 5:16 pm ETEvangeline Downs | Race 5 | 8:18 pm ETTRAINERS TO WATCHMark Casse | Gulfstream Park, Woodbine, Aqueduct | 5 of 6 entrants 9-2 or less oddsDID YOU SEE?Yesterday | Evangeline Downs | nation’s highest paying winner, exacta, trifecta in 3 separate racesPUT US ON YOUR HANDICAPPING TEAMFrank Carulli: Laurel Park Friday Exacta-Thon PlaysJeremy Plonk: Laurel Park Full Stakes Picks for FridayFrank Carulli & Brian W. Spencer best bets today in Xpressbet.com member’s section
By Al Cimaglia
The Meadowlands has a 14-race card and the Early Pick 4 starts in Race 6. The sequence has a $50,000 guaranteed pool, and it will be my focus. Comments and selections below are based on a fast trackRace 6 (8:40 PM EDT)5-Mr Mouton (4-1)-Dexter Dunn steers for Ake Svansted and they post 26% winners when they combine. Will use off the 5-1 qualifier, when it was driven aggressively and gave way down the lane. Has hit the board in 3 of 4 at M1 and should be forwardly placed.7-Bravo Angel S (5/2)-Fired hot off the bench, won its debut at M1, then beat the Invites at Yonkers twice. Jason Bartlett is at the controls, and it has won 3-times in 15 races at East Rutherford. Could beat this crew coming off cover as the fractions should be lively.Race 7 (9:05 PM EDT)4-Reamarkable De Vie (6-1)-Beat easier handily coming off cover and missed a start due to a sick scratch. Has hit the board in 6 of 13 at M1 with 2 pictures. This will be a test, but the price is right to take a swing.5-Calderone (5/2)-Finished a beaten 3rd and went a 55.3 back half but the fractions were slow, they went to the half in .58. This is a softer spot and could be sitting on a big try.7-Cal Miles N Shell (6-1)-Recent form has been dull but did show some life at Phl in last. Tried to go gate to wire and faded. Drops to a competitive level, tries a large oval and Dunn gets the call. Should be a good price, could get a close-up seat and be in the mix down the lane.Race 8 (9:30 PM EDT)2-Miki In Luv (5/2)-Comes off a powerful mile leaving from post 8. Set a new mark of 150.3 and sealed it off with a 27.3 last panel. Takes on better but if brings the same effort it should lead to another picture.8-Blue Point (10-1)-Comes off 2 sharp efforts at Philly which were the initial starts this year. Looks like a price shot that should be a big # with this post draw. This mare has won 2 of 3 at M1 and had a 150.2 mark here in 2025. Can take some air and fits with this crew.Race 9 (9:55 PM EDT)7-My Philomene (9/2)-Qualified on 4-3 and didn't race until 5-2. Put in a good effort considering it was its 1st race this year and faced stakes company. Scott Zeron steers again, had breaking issues last year and stayed flat in a quick mile in its season debut. Showed good speed last time and will look for an even better effort in her 5th lifetime start at a square price.$2 Late Pick 45,7/4,5,7/2,8/7Total Bet=$24Check me out on X!
By Scott Shapiro
The second leg of the Triple Crown is upon us, but as many of you know at a different home in 2026. Laurel Race Course will play host to the Preakness Stakes for the first time since 1908. The 14-race extravaganza should be a fun one with a plethora of stakes events on the undercard, a slew of horizontal opportunities, and of course a couple of promotions at 1/ST BET and Xpressbet. The big race goes as Race 13 and will be one of two opportunities at the Preakness Weekend Money-Back Special. For those that plan to play the entire card, there is the $20,000 Preakness Weekend Exacta-Thon. Head on over to the promotions page/tab to get full details.Grade Descriptions: A= Highest Degree of Confidence, B= Solid Play, C= Least Preferred or Pass, X= Likely Winner but at odds probably too short to wager on.Race 1:Grade: BUse: 3 Cairo Street/1 Sally’s Gold; 8 Gift of GabForecast: #3 Cairo Street appears a solid gamble to kick off the card. This daughter of Cairo Prince makes her first start off the layoff, but instead of going long, trainer Lacey Gaudet has opted to cut the mare back in distance. When we saw her last, she broke from the outside and made a middle move in a race that fell apart late. If she breaks well off the bench and then relaxes comfortably off the early speeds, she has a big chance to out finish this group.Race 2:Grade: C+Use: 3 Wickeddivine; 10 Dean Delivers; 9 Uncle CatForecast: I am going to take a small swing in this second-level allowance over the main track against the heavily favored coupled entry of #1 Call Me Andy and #1A Blue Kingdom. It remains to be seen if both run for Jamie Ness, but I will use three horses, including top choice #3 Wickeddivine. He comes into his fourth start of the year having done little wrong thus far.Race 3:Grade: B-Use: 5 Scanner; 1 LimoForecast: 5-2-morning line favorite #1 Limo moves back to the grass after three starts over the main track this winter. His last turf route at Aqueduct is better than looks making him the deserving top choice, but I expect a good run first out from #5 Scanner. The son of Blame is out of an Unbridled’s Song mare that finished second in the 2008 Pucker Up. Trainer Graham Motion is 2 for 6 since 2022 when debuting 3YOs in turf routes in Maryland. He attracts Irad Ortiz. I will bet to him to win and back it up with a 1-5-exacta, which also would help me in the Exacta-Thon.Race 4: SkipatGrade: B-Use: 4 Benedetta; 2 Passage East; 7 Modo; 3 Kappa KappaForecast: The first stakes race of the afternoon in Maryland could be more wide-open than the morning line suggests. 9-5-ML favorite #7 Modo comes in off a pair of easy wins, but they came loose on the lead in Texas. Things are likely to be tougher this time for the daughter of Liam’s Map. #2 Passage East is the most logical on paper to take advantage of the potential early battle, but I prefer the value #4 Benedetta should offer. The City of Light mare has been freshened up by Steve Asmussen after a pair of disappointing efforts in Arkansas to start her 5YO campaign. She appears to be training well after the time off and gets a huge rider switch to Jose Ortiz. Hopefully, we can get her into the exacta to help the wallet immediately and knock another one down in the Exacta-Thon.Race 5:Grade: CUse: 1 Nick’s Notion; 4 SassariForecast: The last non-stake race until after the second jewel of the Triple Crown is a first-level allowance event at two-turns over the grass where #4 Sassari was made the 5-2 ML favorite off a dominant front running score on debut at odds-on. She clearly has unlimited upside, but taking a short price off a filly that just galloped as the chalk on the lead is not a winning long-term strategy. I landed on #1 Nick’s Notion as the filly with an upset chance. She ran down the lone speed runner in a state-bred allowance off a 10-month break on April 26 and draws favorably along the inside. She can finish if she gets some pace to chase.Race 6: Sir BartonGrade: XUse: 7 Reagan’s HonorForecast: #7 Reagan’s Honor disappointed when trying to earn a spot in the Kentucky Derby in early April, but things are likely to be different for him in Maryland. He was beaten to the punch in the Blue Grass (G1) and never got comfortable. Perhaps it was the lack of Lasix, but the fact Cherie DeVaux brings him back without it and just six weeks later leads me to believe he is doing just fine. DeVaux is 7 for 20 with a $5.47 ROI (boosted by Golden Tempo) over the last 30 days. I am not interested in trying to beat him.Race 7: Chick LangGrade: XUse: 4 ObliterationForecast: The same is true with the 6-5-ML favorite in this year’s Chick Lang. Steve Asmussen has won this race more than any other trainer. #4 Obliteration travelled overseas and ran great to earn second in the Saudi Derby (G3). He gets back to a more preferred distance and lures the hottest rider in the game.Race 8: Maryland Sprint (G3)Grade: B+Use: 5 Floodlites; 7 Hymn; 4 HaileysfirstnotionForecast: One race I am looking forward to attacking from an exacta perspective is this 6-furlong dash over the main track where I am hoping to get #7 Hymn into the number. The son of McKinzie is on the improve for Ron Moquett and should get a contentious pace to run at. Whether he is good enough to win will be determined, but he is 12-1 on the ML and should be in a great spot at the very least to pick up the pieces. Both #4 Haileysfirstnotion and #5 Floodlites enter the Maryland Sprint (G3) in top form. The problem is both of them and a few others do their best running towards the front. I prefer Floodlites slightly, but will use them both with Hymn in hopes of a solid score to kick off the second half of the day.Race 9: James W. MurphyGrade: B+Use: 6 Turf Star/3 ZihnalForecast: The uncoupled Graham Motion entry of #5 Proton and #6 Turf Star are likely to take a lot of the public’s money in this one-mile turf race for 3YOs. I much prefer Turf Star. Proton has struggled to relax and had little excuse in his first two starts of the year. Turf Star ran poorly in the Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3), but has kept better company overall. Plus, two-back in the Kitten’s Joy his effort was forgivable when forced 3-wide and bumped on the first turn. Jorge Ruiz will try his hand on the Calumet Farm homebred for the first time.Race 10: Dinner Party (G3)Grade: A-Use: 3 Cruise the NileForecast: I love the chances of the Jersey-bred #3 Cruise the Nile in this year’s Dinner Party. The Hope Jones homebred has rattled off four consecutive wins since moving to the grass and displayed the versatility only really good horses show in the Henry Clark to get the money last month. There is little reason to not use his speed in this spot, but perhaps he will hope for a target once again. Either way, he is a gelding on the rise for Graham Motion.Race 11: Gallorette (G3)Grade: C+Use: 1 Mahra’s Love; 6 Cheetah Lady; 4 WarmingForecast: I could make a case for most of the field in this year’s Gallorette, which explains my overall lack of confidence. However, I do think the logicals are vulnerable. The Chad Brown trainees will be underlays win or lose and #5 Austere was poor last out despite having everything her way on the front end at Keeneland. I will use prices in the horizontals in hopes of separating from the public.Race 12: Jim McKay Turf SprintGrade: BUse: 3 Jean Valjean/2 Determined Kingdom, 11 Had to Have Him; 4 Chasing LibertyForecast: I am going to lean on #3 Jean Valjean in this year’s ultra-competitive Jim McKay Turf Sprint. The 7YO gelding has won 8 of 19 career races and ran much better than it appears on paper two-back versus several of his rivals in this spot. The Pennsylvania-bred battled early from the outside and easily disposed of the other speed at odds of 28-1 before being run over in a race that totally collapsed in the end. He came back two weeks later and won going away. Trainer Elizabeth Merryman calls on one of the best riders on the continent and should see a race flow that favors those forwardly placed. 5-1 seems fair and another chance to hit a solid exacta as well.Race 13: Preakness (G1)Grade: B-Use: 2 Ocelli; 6 Chip Honcho; 12 Incredibolt/5 Talkin; 1 Taj Mahal; 10 Napoleon Solo; 13 Great WhiteForecast: For those of you reading this on the blog, I recommend checking out the Preakness Wager Guide for detailed information on all riders in the big race and much more. I am expecting a fast pace in the second jewel of the Triple Crown. If we get it, I am hopeful it is #2 Ocelli making the last move. One can certainly question his will to win, but I think a perfectly timed move like Golden Tempo’s in the Derby will be good enough to get this bunch.#12 Incredibolt is as likely as anyone to benefit from a fast early tempo. Trainer Riley Mott must love the way his colt is training to run him back last minute off of 2 weeks rest. #6 Chip Honcho will likely have to either relax off the pace or deal with a lot of contention early, but his best puts him squarely in the mix. The addition of Jose Ortiz is a huge positive since has been pulling all the right strings of late. I can see the Steve Asmussen trainee hanging around for a slice at the very least. #1 Taj Mahal and #10 Napoleon Solo may have the highest ceilings in the field, but also have a big chance to compromise each other’s chances early. If one somehow shakes loose early though, they could be a handful to run down. Of all the horses drawn to the outside, #13 Great White may be the one least impacted. Not to say a wide trip will work out well, but he is a massive horse. Being down on the inside was unlikely to be his ticket to victory.Race 14:Grade: C+Use: 6 Grant the Great; 9 Mister Monday Nite; 4 Bruno; 8 Holy Moly MitoleForecast: The Preakness Day festivities conclude with a 6-furlong MSW over the main track for 3YOs where a trio of second-time starters make sense, but do not snooze on #9 Mister Monday Nite. They spent $75k for this son of Enticed. He comes in off a steady series of drills for trainer Jamie Ness.
By Jeremy Plonk
Handicapper Jeremy Plonk tackles the 6 stakes races on Friday's Black-Eyed Susan Day card at Laurel Park as well as the entire, 14-race program for Preakness Saturday. Check out his selections, race notes and key play notations. Advance wagering opened Thursday for all races on both days. Download PDF here.
By Xpressbet
PREAKNESS STAKES1/ST Preakness Wager Guide | daily updates | free access Update: Video Analyses & Wagers from Millie Ball, Scott Shapiro, Jeremy Plonk | now postedUpdate: Friday Full-Stakes Picks | Saturday Full-Card Picks | coming todayEXTRA INCENTIVES$10,000 Exacta-Thon | Laurel Full-Card | Friday (Black-Eyed Susan Day)$10 Money-Back Special | Black-Eyed Susan Stakes | Laurel Race 13 Friday$10,000 Exacta-Thon | Laurel Full-Card | Saturday (Preakness Day)$10 Money-Back Special | Preakness Stakes | Laurel Race 13 SaturdaySCHEDULE NOTESChurchill Downs | twilight racing | first post 5:00 pm ETSPECIAL WAGERSLaurel Black-Eyed Susan Friday Advance Wagering | full-card opens todayLaurel Preakness Saturday Advance Wagering | full-card opens todayTOURNAMENT TIME$100 Laurel Feeder | detailsNOTABLE CARRYOVERSSuper Hi 5 | $7,738 | Horseshoe Indianapolis | Race 6 | 4:51 pm ETSuper Hi 5 | $10,040 | Churchill Downs | Race 1 | 5:00 pm ETJackpot Pick 6 | $57,998 | Charles Town | begins Race 4 | 8:25 pm ETLONGSHOT RACE ALERT FROM BETMIXLaurel | Race 5 | 1:56 pm ETChurchill Downs | Race 8 | 8:23 pm ETEvangeline Downs | Race 8 | 9:24 pm ETTRAINERS TO WATCHBill Mott | Aqueduct, Churchill Downs | 5 of 6 entrants 9-2 or less oddsDID YOU SEE?Yesterday | Horseshoe Indianapolis | favorites went 0-for-11 on the cardPUT US ON YOUR HANDICAPPING TEAMScott Shapiro: Laurel Preakness Week Kickoff Thursday Spot PlaysFrank Carulli & Brian W. Spencer best bets today in Xpressbet.com member’s section
By Frank Carulli
There is an exact – err exacta – science to betting on Laurel Park’s races this Preakness weekend. If you register to play in Xpressbet’s Exacta-Thon promotion, you are eligible to win up to $10,000 in bonus money Friday and/or Saturday, May 15-16. The Preakness is on Saturday, but the picks below will focus on Friday’s 14-race Black-Eyed Susan card at Laurel Park. The rules are simple: If you wager the $2 base minimum on six winning exacta combinations, you will win or share $8,000 in prize money. The contestant(s) with the most winning exactas will win or share an additional $2,000. The exacta payout amounts have no bearing on the outcome. Bet on six winning exactas and you win, plain and simple. We’ll try to get you started with four exactas on the Friday card listed below that will cost $60 to play: Laurel Park 2nd Race (12:03 p.m. EST)Like the way BIG TANKNESS looked in his first start on turf. He put away the pace setter in early stretch, repelled a strong challenge by Rye Diggity Dog (14/3-4-1, $89k on turf) in mid-stretch and widened the winning margin on the gallop out. He has enough speed to navigate post 11 and appears set for another big effort in his third start this year for a 24-percent ‘repeat’ barn. BUILT BY KHOZAN, WITHOUT BORDERS and PARKES all had trouble lines and were separated by 1-1/2 lengths behind the winner in a 5-1/2F turf sprint that timed faster than a 2X allowance on the same card. BUILT BY KHOZAN will be ridden by Laurel Park leader Yedsit Hazlewood, WITHOUT BORDERS by reigning Eclipse Award-winner Flavien Prat and PARKES by Kentucky Derby-winning jockey Jose Ortiz Jr. Include longshot BOASTFULLY IRISH on the ticket as he gets Lasix and is fired a bullet workout for his seasonal debut.$2 Exacta-Thon Wagers: 11-1, 11-7, 11-8, 11-10 (Cost $8) Laurel Park 5th Race (1:41 p.m. EST)To be clear, the winning prices for Exacta-Thon purposes matter only if you assume bigger payouts translate to fewer winning tickets. That being said, shoot for some longshots in this 5-1/2F maiden claiming turf sprint. COUNTRY BUMPKIN is the top pick off an eye-catching middle move as the beaten favorite in his seasonal debut. But he has never raced on turf and he can ill-afford another slow start from the rail. His sire, Divining Rod, was multiple graded stakes placed at 7F and beyond and one of his top siblings, namely Previous Avary, earned $238k on turf. TYPHOON COON chased his speedy stablemate in a race won by the 2-to-5 class dropper. He posted a bullet workout since then and his dam, Weather Girl, was 6-28 with a $171k grass bankroll. GOLF CART RYDER is another longshot consideration. He took money but was well-beaten in a pair of turf-to-dirt sprints to start his career. He returns as a gelding and gets Lasix for trainer Michael Trombetta, who is 122-for-704 (17 percent) in turf sprints in the last 2-1/2 years with a $10 average win payout. RED SEA draws post 13 for his seasonal debut, but he improved each start as a 3-year-old and faced five eventual allowance winners in his three starts at Saratoga and Aqueduct.$2 Exacta-Thon Wager: Box 1-11-12-13 (Cost: $24) Laurel Park 8th Race (3:20 p.m. EST)LIGHTS OUT LENI, a $300,000 sales buy, ran lights out in her debut at Aqueduct and might be good enough to take on three multiple stakes-winning sprinters in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness Stakes. She sped away to a clear lead into the turn and simply was never threatened in a visually impressive 6-1/2F Maiden Special Weight romp. LATE NIGHT TEXT arrives off a form-reversing, Maiden Special Weight win at 7F for new trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. She gets plenty of pace to rally into and is a viable longshot for Exacta-Thon price hunters. The path to the winners’ circle won’t be easy with the likes of LITTLE MISS CURLIN, who won all five starts on a fast track by a combined 21 lengths, and locally-based Peach Tree, who fell a head short of seven consecutive wins on conventional dirt, in the field.$2 Exacta-Thon Wagers: 3-ALL and 6-1, 6-2, 6-3 (Cost: $20) Laurel Park 9th Race (3:54 p.m. EST)ULTIMATE LOVE, a ground-saving sixth on the backstretch as the favorite in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf, ranged up on the final turn but was out-kicked in the stretch. She returns to her home base for the $125,000 Hilltop Stakes and is clearly the one to beat if ready off a strong series of workouts for her 3-year-old debut.$2 Exacta-Thon Wagers: 2-1, 2-3, 2-4, 2-7 (Cost: $8)
By Jeremy Plonk
The Lead:Saturday’s Preakness Day card at Laurel is loaded with stakes up and down the 14-race lineup. We’ve got you covered in the middle jewel of the Triple Crown via the 1/ST Preakness Stakes Wager Guide. The undercard headliner annually is the Grade 3 $250,000 Dinner Party Stakes at 1-1/8 miles on turf. It’s Race 10 on Saturday (4:11 pm ET post time) and makes its first appearance on the expansive Laurel Park turf course. The Dinner Party kicks off an all-stakes pick 4 ending in the Preakness.Players at 1/ST BET and Xpressbet be sure to play in the $20,000 Exacta-Thon promotion this weekend both Friday and Saturday for Laurel’s full-card. And also note up to a $10 money-back special if your win bet finishes second or third in either the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes (Friday) or Preakness Stakes (Saturday).Field Depth:Grade 1 winner FORT WASHINGTON is defending champ in his race and has the field’s other signature score. DRESDEN ROW is a Grade 3 winner and Grade 2-placed. Other graded stakes-placed entrants include HARROW and WHAT SAY THEE among the field of 7.Pace:The pace picture is murky with CRUISE THE NILE capable of setting the tone if sent along but won the local prep from off the pace. THUNDERING and DRESDEN ROW project to be forward in a race should not clip along very fast. Deep closers could be at a disadvantage.Our Eyes:Here are my horse-by-horse notes.1-WHAT SAY THEE: Added blinkers when winning an April 17 Laurel allowance fresh off the claim that day for Horacio DePaz. The 8-year-old was picked up for $25,000 at Turfway when oddly dropped in price off a $40,000 claiming win just prior. He’s earned just shy of $500K and is 3-for-7 at the distance.2-THUNDERING: Maryland-bred makes his first trip home after racing in Canada, New York and Florida through 14 starts. He’s well-drawn in post 2 to take advantage of a rather paceless race and putting speed-friendly jockey Paco Lopez aboard would indicate that intent – even if this gelding has never made the lead in any start so far. He’s 0-6 in stakes, however, so I prefer others even if he gets the trip.3-CRUISE THE NILE: The good news is that he’s won 4 in a row, including the local prep, the Henry S. Clark. The bad news is that trainer Graham Motion indicated immediately after the Clark that he’s more inclined not to stretch him out to 1-1/8 miles in the Dinner Party just yet and always thought he’s a miler. The field came up a bit light on numbers and here they are, but he feels like an underlay price for this distance and further class rise.4-FORT WASHINGTON: Last year’s Dinner Party winner was the record-padding sixth in this race for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey. The ‘title defense’ loses some of its handicapping relevance with the venue change from Pimlico to Laurel as we can’t necessarily check the box that he’ll run as well in his local debut. The pace scenario works against the late-running 7-year-old as does history. No horse has repeated in this race in exactly 100 years – sine Sarazen in 1925-’26.5-A BOURBON FOR TOBY: With all the clamor about running back on 14 days for the Preakness, nobody told trainer Tom Morley that his Dinner Party colt didn’t belong just 9 days after an Aqueduct allowance third. The son of 2006 Preakness winner Bernardini was a late bloomer, winning 2 of 3 since losing his first 10 starts. He’ll pick up Irad Ortiz Jr.6-DRESDEN ROW: Good-looking Keeneland allowance winner April 8 after 5 months away should be perfectly prepped for the re-rise in class. In the last dozen years, more winners of this race exited Keeneland (4) bids than any other venue. Trainer Todd Pletcher has only 1 starter Friday at Laurel and just this 1 on Saturday’s Preakness Day card. Plenty of reasons to skip if this wasn’t a perfect spot. Catches a soft pace set-up and should be anywhere Flavien Prat wants him to be. Highly effective over 9 furlongs on synthetic at Woodbine when with Lorne Richards, though this will be his longest race on turf. Horses adding distance have been very effective in the Dinner Party in recent history.7-HARROW: Late-runner failed to make a big dent in 2 Gulfstream allowance miles earlier this year and takes a step up in class after being left on the Churchill also-eligible list for an allowance race Thursday. The extra distance should help the Barbados Gold Cup winner for Saffie Joseph Jr., who also is stakes-placed stateside; but he won’t get any pace help here.Most Likely Exotics Contender:DRESDEN ROW is 16-for-16 in the trifecta lifetime and should get a comfortable trip near the front. Hard to see him giving that fully away and missing the board.Best Longshot Contender:None projected, though 12-1 ML offering WHAT SAY THEE has handled the course and responded to the equipment change last out.Sending it in ($100 bankroll):Confident top tab, not so much for the underneath runners. Turn to a $100 daily double DRESDEN ROW to Race 11 Gallorette Stakes pick #2 RIBALTAGAI, one of my key plays on the Saturday card.
By Scott Shapiro
Preakness Stakes week kicks off on Thursday afternoon at Laurel Park where they have a 9-race card that gets started at 12PM eastern. The Preakness will be run at Laurel for the first time since 1908 due to construction at Pimlico, so it should be a great chance if you have not yet done so to get familiar with a racetrack that will have a quicker run into the first turn for the second level of the Triple Crown and a bit shorter stretch than we are accustomed to. Here are a few horses I am most interested in to kick off the 3-day Preakness weekend.Race 5:This open $20k claimer at one-mile over the grass kicks off the late Pick 5 where I like the chances of #8 Barnstorming. The son of Quality Road was claimed by trainer Bruce Brown at Saratoga last summer. Brown raised the 6YO gelding up in class once at Saratoga where he won at 22-1 before heading to the sidelines for over 6 months. Brown brought him back on the main track at Aqueduct, which did not go well, but he moved Barnstorming back to the grass in late April where he tried to win a race over this course during the middle stages with a 3-wide middle move. That run was turned away relatively easily by the eventual gate-to-wire winner, but is not the kind of trip that stands much of a chance in most turf routes. The speed looks far less underwhelming in this spot and the cutback from 9-furlongs should benefit his chances. Hopefully, jockey Mychel Sanchez gives Barnstorming a better chance in his second time aboard.Play: #8 Barnstorming (5-1 ML)Race 7:The pace should be fast and contentious in this allowance event at 6-furlongs over the main track given the presence of #2 Poor Peanut, #3 Laysen, and #6 Caseofthemondays. I am hopeful it is #1 Palacios that benefits. The son of Enticed makes his third start off the layoff after breaking slowly, making a 4-wide middle move, and understandably tiring over the final sixteenth of a mile. Trainer John Salzman Jr. should have the 3YO gelding set for his best third off the layoff in a race where he should get the right setup. If Joe Rocco Jr. can avoid losing too many lengths at the start he should be able to save ground early and have enough energy late to get by the tiring speeds and earn his third lifetime score.Play: #1 Palacios (9-2 ML)Race 9:The card concludes with this 5.5-furlong turf dash for MSW foes where I landed on #8 Clearly Sophia. The On Your Left Racing filly makes the second start of her 3YO campaign after a solid third to shake off the rust on April 10. In that similar spot over this course, the daughter of Caravaggio broke from well from the inside, but was forced to take back because she was not as fast to the front as the eventual gate-to-wire winner. In her second start off the layoff, Clearly Sophia draws more favorably to the far outside in this compact group of 8. This should give jockey Raul Mena the ability to play the break and base his tactics on the runners to his inside. The Michael Gorham trainee should get a stress free trip early, which should allow her to finish the deal late for the first time in her career at what appears to be a playable price based on the morning line.Play: #8 Clearly Sophia (5-1 ML)