Four last-out stakes droppers meet

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Four horses coming out of stakes, including the steadily improving Ababajoni, will drop back into the allowance ranks in Friday’s $70,000 allowance feature carded for 3-year-old going a mile on the turf.

Ababajoni exits a very game second-place finish to the 3-2 Immortalised in the 7 1/2-furlong Cutler Bay Stakes just three weeks ago. Ababajoni set the pace before fighting on bravely to the wire after being headed by the rail-skimming winner entering the stretch.

Ababajoni, a son of Neolithic trained by Rohan Crichton, posted another career-best Beyer Speed Figure, an 81, for the effort, which came in his stakes debut with regular rider Anthony Thomas aboard.

Behold the King also exits the Cutler Bay. He finished a tiring seventh after prompting the pace outside Ababajoni to the stretch. It was the third straight off-the-board finish against stakes opposition for Behold the King since his popular half-length victory in the one-mile Armed Forces Stakes here during the fall of his 2-year-old campaign.

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Behold the King will be joined in the starting gate on Friday by his Mark Casse-trained stablemate Timeframe, who has been idle since finishing a disappointing fifth in the Display Stakes in his 2-year-old finale last October at Woodbine.

The lightly raced Congressional also gets some class relief after finishing fourth behind the multiple stakes winner Alpyland in the Columbia at Tampa Bay Downs on March 7. The outing was just the second for the Miguel Clement-trained youngster, who launched his career locally with a professional come-from-behind nose decision over Comprehensive going 1 1/16 miles over the turf on Jan. 17.

Nickel C, who finished fourth, beaten 2 1/2 lengths by Ababajoini, in a statebred allowance race here on March 8; Manoah’s Glory, riding a two-race winning streak against softer; and Arabia Wild complete the field.

Roger That Dana now favored

Roger That Dana went postward at odds of more than 100-1 in his last start when finishing ninth and last in the Grade 3 Tampa Bay Derby. On Friday, he figures to be the post-time favorite when taking a massive drop in class into statebred allowance company in the eighth race, which is restricted to Florida-bred 3-year-olds going a mile on the main track.

Roger That Dana was never a factor at Tampa after having finished a distant second to Florida Derby winner Commandment in the one-mile Mucho Macho Man Stakes in his 3-year-old debut. Trained by Luis Ramirez, Roger That Dana will be facing Florida-breds for the first time since finishing a distant third behind Strategic Risk in the In Reality Stakes in his 2-year-old finale.

Last-out winners Sneak Preview and Brick City, along with the speedy Hawk, are among the key contenders in a compact lineup that also includes Never Count Me Out and Camigol.

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