Laurel Park: Bold Affair figures to face pressure in Thirty Eight Go Go Stakes

Barbara D. Livingston

Bold Affair will likely be a short price in Saturday's $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go Stakes.

At first glance, Bold Affair looks like a sure thing against eight other fillies and mares in Saturday’s $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go Stakes at Laurel Park.

Bold Affair has won her last three races when asked to run seven furlongs or a mile by a combined margin of 23 3/4 lengths, including her most recent outing in the Geisha a month ago. So why shouldn’t she be a lock going a one-turn mile again?

Well, there are hints that although Bold Affair is a logical favorite, she may not be an invincible one.

For starters, all three of her good races at seven furlongs or a mile came in restricted stakes. Now, she’s facing open company.

Secondly, Bold Affair must pick up six additional pounds off her last victory, a race in which she drifted in late and changed to her wrong lead in deep stretch.

Third, Bold Affair may not get the uncontested lead to which she is accustomed, thanks to the presence of fellow speedsters Whatabootie and Onepointhreekarats.

The 4-year-old Onepointhreekarats is the most viable alternative to those inclined to distrust Bold Affair at a short price. The Graham Motion-trained Onepointhreekarats has been freshened since posting back-to-back route wins at Delaware Park and Laurel. She will be making her stakes debut after winning her first start locally by 4 1/4 lengths Nov. 3.

The versatile Whatabootie has proven adept at handling both dirt and turf. She will be looking for her fourth straight win after wiring two large fields of turf runners and five opponents on dirt last time out.

Withgreatpleasure wheels back a week after running second in the six-furlong Willa On The Move. Two of her best races this season came going two turns. She was second by a length in the seven-furlong Pink Ribbon at Charles Town and a winner by a head going a mile and 70 yards in an overnight stakes at Delaware Park.

The 3-year-old Plum may be rounding into top shape for high-percentage trainer Rodney Jenkins. Making her third start of the fall in last month’s Geisha, Plum matched her career-high Beyer Speed Figure of 78 when she closed from far back to finish third behind Bold Affair.

Ms. Tiptaptoe makes her first start around two turns on dirt. Her trainer, Mike Trombetta, shows a 10-for-46 (22 percent) record the past two years with sprinters stretching out to a route.