Classy group headlines Preakness undercard stakes

A competitive field of 12 entered Saturday’s Grade 3, $500,000 Dinner Party Stakes for 3-year-olds and upward at 1 1/8 miles on the Pimlico turf.

Emmanuel (post 10, Jose Ortiz), a five-time graded stakes winner, drops out of the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile, a race where he set the pace before fading to fifth, 7 1/2 lengths behind reigning Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Master of The Seas. Emmanuel finished third in the Dinner Party last year, off a seventh-place finish in the Maker's Mark Mile.

Graham Motion entered two quality performers in Highland Chief (post 1, Jorge Ruiz) and English Bee (post 2, Kevin Gomez). The former won the Grade 1 Man o’ War at Belmont in 2022, recently returned from a lengthy layoff to place fifth behind razor-sharp Silver Knott in Keeneland’s Grade 2 Elkhorn on April 20.

English Bee might have hinted at a return to form when second in Laurel’s Henry Clark Stakes on April 20. The 8-year-old seeks his first win since the beginning of 2023.

Millionaire Atone (post 4, Luis Saez) looks for his first victory since the Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Turf in 2023.

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The Dinner Party field, from the rail out, consists of Highland Chief, English Bee, Balnikhov (Frankie Dettori), Atone, Running Bee (Tyler Gaffalione), Crabs N Beer (Javier Castellano), Adhamo (Flavien Prat), Helms Deep (Raul Mena), Beatbox (Joel Rosario), Emmanuel, Eons (Victor Carrasco), and Funtasic Again (John Velazquez).

The winner of this year’s Dinner Party is eligible for a $2.5 million bonus from 1/ST Racing if he can then win the Grade 2, $750,000 John Henry on Sept. 28 at Santa Anita and the Grade 1, $1 million Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational in January 2025 at Gulfstream Park.

Fluffy Socks leads field of nine for Gallorette

Nine fillies and mares entered the Grade 3, $100,000 Gallorette for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles on turf.

Millionaire Fluffy Socks (post 7, Irad Ortiz Jr.) drops in class after a sixth-place effort in Keeneland’s Grade 1 Jenny Wiley last month.

Five Towns (post 6, Jorge Ruiz) has won her last two races, including Laurel’s Dahlia at a mile on April 20.

The Gallorette winner receives an automatic entry and travel incentive for the Group 1 Prix Jean Romanet on Aug. 18 at Deauville.

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Witty tops Jim McKay Turf Sprint

The popular Witty (post 11, Tyler Gaffalione) tries his luck in the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds and upward at five furlongs.

A half-brother to Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint winner Caravel, Witty is strong in his own right, entering the Jim McKay following a rallying score in the King T. Leatherbury at Laurel.

Carotari (post 2, Luis Saez) won this race in 2022 and looks to regain his best form after finishing off the board in his last three races. He’ll face Beer Can Man (post 12, Flavien Prat), the 2023 Jim McKay winner, who finished tenth in his seasonal debut last month at Keeneland.

The winner of the Jim McKay Turf Sprint received an automatic entry into the Group 1 July Cup at Newmarket on July 13.

* Coastal Mission (post 1, Arnaldo Bocachica), Jaxon Traveler (post 4, Flavien Prat), and Prince of Jericho (post 6, Sheldon Russell) look like prime contenders for the Grade 3, $100,000 Maryland Sprint at six furlongs for 3-year-olds and upward.

* Real Macho (post 2, Irad Ortiz), fourth in the Grade 2 Fountain of Youth earlier this year, gets some class relief in the $100,000 Sir Barton for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles.

The Sir Barton, restricted to horses which have never won an open stakes race, also features stakes-placed Imperial Gun (post 10, Joel Rosario) and Tuscan Sky (post 8, Luis Saez), who recently was seventh at 5-2 odds in Aqueduct’s Grade 2 Wood Memorial.

* Pimlico’s Preakness undercard is also highlighted by the Grade 3, $200,000 Chick Lang Stakes for 3-year-olds at six furlongs, the $100,000 Skipat Stakes for fillies and mares at six furlongs, and the $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes for 3-year-olds at one mile on turf.

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