Never Gone South the horse to beat in Whiteley

Two of the three $75,000 stakes Saturday at Laurel Park are for 3-year-olds. The Frank Whiteley Jr. will be run at seven furlongs, and the Marshua for fillies is at six furlongs.

Trainer Cal Lynch has the horse to beat in the Whiteley, Never Gone South. A winner of his first two starts, Never Gone South finished second in his two most recent races, beaten three-quarters of a length each time. His efforts in those Laurel stakes appear solid as the winners have returned to run well.

Vorticity, who defeated Never Gone South in the Marylander, came back to finish second in the Grade 3 Jerome at Aqueduct. Awesome Speed, the front-running winner of the James F. Lewis III Stakes, has since won the $100,000 Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream Park.

As well as Never Gone South is doing, Lynch thinks he will really hit his stride in the spring.

“He’s a very consistent type, an absolute pleasure,” Lynch said. “But honestly, I think his future will be at two turns on turf. He’s out of a Perfect Soul mare, and I think he’ll be better on grass.”

Never Gone South’s two toughest challengers are Marengo Road and Henry the King.

Marengo Road won a first-level optional race at Laurel by 9 1/4 lengths for trainer Mike Trombetta in November. He has since finished ninth in the Grade 2 Remsen at Aqueduct.

Henry the King is undefeated in two starts for trainer Greg Sacco. Although Sacco said Henry the King has been a bit of a slow learner, he clearly has a lot of potential. Sacco was pleased with Henry the King’s work at Pimlico last Saturday.

“Nik Juarez was up on him, and he went in 1:02 and galloped out in 1:15,” Sacco said.

Trainer Todd Pletcher has a pair in the Marshua Stakes, including Lost Raven, who will be favored in the six-horse field if she starts. Lost Raven is cross-entered in the $100,000 Ruthless at Aqueduct on Sunday.

Lost Raven won a $50,000 maiden claimer at Belmont Park in her debut, then shipped to Laurel to win the six-furlong Smart Halo Stakes by three lengths. Most recently, she finished fifth in the Grade 2 Demoiselle at Aqueduct going 1 1/8 miles.

Trainer John McKee has entered Aye a Song, the top 2-year-old filly at Charles Town last year. Aye a Song is 5 for 6. Her only loss came by a neck to Bullets Fever, the track’s best 2-year-old male.

McKee missed a Wednesday workout with Aye a Song because the Charles Town main track has been closed while repairs are made to a drainage-pipe leak near the outer rail. McKee has trained Aye a Song on the three-furlong training track at Charles Town this week.