Bon Amigo, Ginger Ale sharp for Potomac

A pair of horses with sharp recent form but unproven stakes ability will face a multiple stakes winner who is coming off a long layoff in Saturday night's $35,000 Potomac Stakes at Charles Town.

The seven-furlong Potomac, for West Virginia-bred 3-year-olds and up, is the first stakes race of the season at the track.

The prime contenders appear to be recent winners Ginger Ale and Bon Amigo, plus back-class horse Adams Tribe.

Ginger Ale, a 4-year-old colt trained by James W. Casey, showed tremendous improvement March 21 in his first start of the year, when he won a nonwinners-of-three allowance race by three lengths. His 70 Beyer Speed Figure was more than 25 points higher than any of the three races he ran last year.

Bon Amigo, a 6-year-old horse who was running for a $5,000 claiming tag as recently as last fall, comes into the Potomac with the two best recent Beyers in the field. Bon Amigo earned an 85 Beyer for his win against $5,000 starter-allowance horses March 17. A month earlier, he beat $10,000 claimers by 2 3/4 lengths, an effort worth a 77 Beyer.

Adams Tribe, a 4-year-old trained by Charles Schneider, won 4 of 10 starts last season, including the West Virginia Lottery Breeders' Cup and the R.G. Leavitt Memorial, both at seven furlongs. He will be making his first start since December.