Chief Lion takes another shot at Fabulous Strike
Penn National will usher in the Thanksgiving holiday Wednesday evening with the premier race of its fall season, the $200,000 Fabulous Strike, a six-furlong stakes for 3-year-olds and up.
The Fabulous Strike is carded as race 4 and will be preceded by the $100,000 Swatara, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and up, and the $100,000 Blue Mountain Juvenile Fillies, a six-furlong stakes for Pennsylvania-bred 2-year-old fillies.
There will be a pick four beginning on race 1, a first-level allowance, which will go off at 6:05 p.m. Eastern. Rolling daily doubles start on race 1 and rolling pick threes begin on race 2. The Fabulous Strike has a post time of 7:27 p.m.
The entire program will be streamed live on DRF.com.
:: Watch Wednesday's Penn National card live, beginning 6:05 p.m. ET
Trainer David Jacobson entered Stallwalkin’ Dude and Chief Lion in the Fabulous Strike but will keep Stallwalkin’ Dude in New York for the Fall Highweight on Thursday.
Martin Garcia, who recently relocated to New York from California, has the mount on Chief Lion, who will take another shot at the Fabulous Strike after coming close to stealing it on the lead a year ago. Following a 43.68-second half-mile, he was caught in deep stretch after opening a five-length lead and finished third, beaten three-quarters of a length.
The pace Wednesday night should again be hot when Chief Lion takes on 2015 Fabulous Strike winner Favorite Tale, Blu Moon Ace, and Awesome Banner.
Favorite Tale has started only three times since his 2015 victory. He injured a knee while making his next start in a March 2016 allowance at Parx Racing and was off until this September. He finished a hard-trying second that day and most recently tired to seventh in the Grade 2 Phoenix at Keeneland.
He should hit hard at this level for trainer Lupe Preciado and jockey Paco Lopez.
Blu Moon Ace was claimed out of a win by trainer Kevin Patterson at Delaware Park in July and has been terrific in his three races since.
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He won the $97,000 Coalition Stakes at Timonium in late August, set the pace until deep stretch in the Grade 3 De Francis Dash at Laurel Park before being caught by a neck, and was much the best last out in the $100,000 Maryland Million Sprint.
Julian Pimentel keeps the mount.
Awesome Banner is unlucky to be winless this year and has run some strong races for trainer Kenneth Decker.
He was nailed on the wire by Whitmore and beaten a nose in the Phoenix. He also has finished second to El Deal in the Grade 1 Vanderbilt at Saratoga and second to Imperial Hint in the Grade 3 Smile Sprint at Gulfstream Park.
“We were a nose away from going to the Breeders’ Cup,” Decker said of the Phoenix, a Win and You’re In for the BC Sprint.
Awesome Banner’s worst two performances of the year came at Aqueduct. He finished ninth in the Grade 1 Carter in April and ninth in the Grade 3 Bold Ruler on Oct. 28.
“The two races at Aqueduct have kind of been his downfall,” Decker said. “I don’t know if it’s the track or what.”
Awesome Banner drew the outside post in the seven-horse Fabulous Strike, and jockey Feargal Lynch should be able to read the strategy of his chief challengers.
“I like the outside for him,” Decker said. “That way he can kind of get his feet underneath him. Hopefully, it will be our day.”
