Open stakes for older runners key to late exotics

The major players in the Thirty Eight Go Go at Laurel Park on Saturday are shipping in from New York. The Dave’s Friend will match local favorite Laki against challengers from Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Florida. Together, as races 7 and 8 on the 10-race card, they form an interesting core for the Rainbow 6, late pick four, and pick five.

The $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go, a one-mile race for fillies and mares, drew 14 entrants but it is hard to get past Sower and Forever Liesl.

Sower, a 3-year-old trained by Linda Rice, enters off a solid third-place effort in the Garland of Roses at Aqueduct and a 5 1/4-length victory over Tequilita in the Pumpkin Pie at Belmont, both versus older runners.

Tequilita came out of the Pumpkin Pie to win the Grade 3 Rampart at Gulfstream Park.

Vertical Oak and Yorkiepoo Princess finished first and second in the Garland of Roses. Vertical Oak has won four stakes this year – including one at Pimlico and two at Churchill Downs – and would be odds-on in the Thirty Eight Go Go.

A rejuvenated Yorkiepoo Princess, brought a two-race win streak into the Garland of Roses but came up 1 1/4 lengths short. It was another length back to Sower.

In her last two starts, Sower has earned Beyer Speed Figures of 90 and 91. Nobody else in the field has ever run that fast.

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Forever Liesl has been rounding into the best form of her career for Michelle Nevin. She was second to favored Teresa Z in the Grade 3 Turnback the Alarm at Aqueduct in her most recent race and romped by 6 1/2 lengths in a high-level optional claimer at Delaware Park two back.

She has been working steadily during an eight-week freshening since her last start and should enjoy the turnback in distance and return to one bend Saturday. She won going a one-turn mile at Laurel in August.

Horacio Karamanos will be aboard Sower. Victor Carrasco rides Forever Liesl.

Lake Ponchatrain is an iron horse who will be making her 14th start of the year, all for trainer Ernest Haynes. She has won seven times while racing in West Virginia, Ohio, Maryland, Delaware, and her native Oklahoma. She comes into this off a win at Mahoning Valley and will undoubtedly be closing late.

To win the Dave’s Friend, you’ll have to beat Laki. His last three races, all for trainer Damon Dilodovico, have been his best, and he is 7 for 10 at Laurel, his home track.

He won the Maryland-bred Howard Bender Stakes earlier this month, finished second to Switzerland in the Grade 3 De Francis Dash in September, and was placed first by the stewards in the Polynesian at Laurel after dropping a nose decision to Lewisfield following a ferocious stretch battle.

Midtowncharlybrown ran the race of his life to win the $200,000 Fabulous Strike at Penn National on Thanksgiving Eve. He went wire to wire that night over a speed-favoring track to win by 2 3/4 lengths. Although he is 8 for 16, all for Parx-based Eddie Coletti Jr., it is questionable whether he can summon the same effort in back-to-back races.

Cautious Giant has spent the last 15 months in Florida, but owner Mark Moshe has sent him to Kieron Magee for the winter. He worked a bullet half-mile at Pimlico on Christmas Eve. The 7-year-old veteran is 9 for 42 in his career and appears to fit well in this field.

Altissimo, who ships in from Mahoning Valley, is 6 for 8 this year with five of his wins coming in Ohio-bred stakes for Richard Zielinski. He earned an eye-popping 100 Beyer in his last race while winning by 4 3/4 lengths.

Statebreds aim for repeat wins

Two of the six stakes at Laurel on Saturday are for Maryland-breds.

John Jones will shoot for a repeat win in the $75,000 Jennings, while My Magician will attempt to win the $75,000 Politely for the second year in a row. While both figure in their respective races, they will need their absolute best.

John Jones is winless in seven starts this year but just missed by a neck in the Find Stakes two races ago. His biggest challenge will come from Rockinn On Bye, who has been in good form all year but is only 1 for 11 in 2018. This is not out of character for 7-year-old Rockinn On Bye, who has a record of 65-7-22-13 and is 1 for his last 35.

Rockinn On Bye, who will be making his third start for trainer Claudio Gonzalez, should enjoy stretching out to a mile from six furlongs. In his last two starts, he has finished second to Laki and Midtowncharlybrown, who are among the favorites in the open Dave’s Friend later on the Saturday card.

My Magician is winless since last year’s Politely. Crabcakes, who is 7 for 9 and a fan favorite at Laurel, figures to be a solid favorite as she cuts back from seven furlongs to her preferred distance of six furlongs.