Pace battle likely to be fierce in Lincoln Stakes

HALLANDALE BEACH, Fla. – Attempting to select the winner of Saturday’s $75,000 Lincoln overnight stakes could prove to be a daunting task. In fact, trying to predict who’ll be on the lead in the five-furlong turf dash might take a crystal ball and a measure of good fortune.

Five of the 10 members of the Lincoln lineup are coming off wire-to-wire victories on turf. That group includes Bold Thunder, the likely favorite, who captured the similarly conditioned Silks Run overnight stakes here Feb. 26, when leading throughout for a 2 1/2-length decision over such formidable, stakes-winning turf-sprint specialists as Varsity and Wicked Tune.

Bold Thunder earned a career-best 101 Beyer Speed Figure for his triumph in the Silks Run. He also registered a wire-to-wire, 1 3/4-length optional-claiming win going five furlongs earlier in the meet. As was the case in both of those victories, Paco Lopez will have the mount Saturday.

Jo Jo’s Comet has never been headed for the lead in any of his nine starts. He has won three of those races, including a midlevel optional-claiming race going 5 1/2 furlongs Feb. 16 at Fair Grounds in his last start. Jo Jo’s Comet has done all his racing in Louisiana with trainer Morris Nicks, who transferred the Florida-bred speedster to his son, Ralph Nicks, several weeks ago in preparation for the Lincoln.

Hold On Smokey ships down from Tampa Bay Downs for trainer Joyce Kielty, and he, too, exits a wire-to-wire optional-claiming victory this winter. The 91 Beyer he posted for his most recent win at Tampa was just one point shy of a career best for the 9-year-old veteran, who has won 18 of 54 lifetime starts.

Both Full Moon’s Back and Trev also led at every call to defeat lesser, entry-level allowance opposition in their most recent starts.

All the speed in the Lincoln could set up the race for proven closers like Stormy Rush or Bon Accord. Stormy Rush rallied to a 1 1/4-length optional-claiming win four weeks ago and was second behind Bold Thunder when the pair met for the first time Jan. 2. Bon Accord makes just his second start since finishing fourth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and his first since tiring to finish eighth in his 2-year-old finale in the Grade 3 Dania Beach Stakes. Bon Accord rallied from near the rear of the field to capture the five-furlong Calder Dash earlier at 2.

Bon Accord is among three 3-year-olds taking on their elders in the Lincoln. The others are Can’t Stop the Kid, who turns back in distance and returns to turf after facing stakes competition going seven furlongs over the main track in each of his last two starts, and Bluegrass Derby, who finished second behind Bon Accord after contesting the pace in the Calder Dash.