Laurel Park: Costas Fiftieth gets start at home in Dancing Count Stakes

Maryland-based colts Costas Fiftieth and The Camden Comet have run some powerful races out of state, combining for three victories by a collective margin of 22 3/4 lengths. Saturday, the two colts will get to strut their stuff at their home track of Laurel Park while stepping up to stakes company for the $100,000 Dancing Count.

The six-furlong Dancing Count, the first stakes of the winter meet at Laurel, drew an evenly matched field of seven 3-year-olds.

Costas Fiftieth is among four two-time winners in the lineup. He crushed Pennsylvania-bred maidens at Penn National by 11 1/2 lengths in his first try on dirt in mid-October and two starts later cruised by 4 1/2 lengths in a starter allowance contested over a muddy track at Monmouth Park.

Although he has yet to race at Laurel, Costas Fiftieth shows a series of good workouts over the local course, including a four-furlong breeze in 48.60 seconds on Jan. 14, the third best of 62 that morning. His trainer, Dale Capuano, is off to a hot start at the current meet with 6 wins from his first 21 starters.

The Camden Comet has raced just twice, both times facing Pennsylvania-bred maidens at Penn National. He has been off since coming from off the pace to score by 6 3/4 lengths on Dec. 9. He shows three excellent workouts this month, including a bullet three furlongs in 35.40 and a four-furlong move in 47.60 seconds on Jan. 20.

A pair of New York shippers, Brooklyn Red and Beggarthyneighbor, may vie for favoritism. Brooklyn Red, unbeaten in two sprint starts, returns to six furlongs following a failed one-race experiment around two turns. Trainer Gary Contessa is adding blinkers to Brooklyn Red’s equipment and presumably he was wearing them for his two most recent swift workouts, highlighted by a 47-second bullet Tuesday.

Beggarthyneighbor owns the best last-race Beyer Speed Figure, an 80 for his neck victory over maidens on New Year’s Day at Aqueduct.

Trippi’s Secret, third in the Dave’s Friend in November, returns to Laurel following a five-length win going 6 1/2 furlongs at Charles Town almost six weeks ago.

Ill Conceived, first or second in 4 of 6 lifetime starts, shortens to six furlongs for the first time since just missing against Pennsylvania-bred first-level allowance foes in early November. Most recently, Ill Conceived led wire to wire against open company going a flat mile at Penn National.