Paired favorites hard to separate in Danzig Stakes

It’s fortunate for horseplayers that Fourth and Long is coupled with stablemate Fiendfyre in the first of two $50,000 stakes for Pennsylvania-bred sprinters on Saturday night’s card at Penn National. On paper, the two horses trained by Rodrigo Madrigal for Thomas Coulter look hard to separate in the six-furlong Danzig Stakes for 3-year-old males.

Fourth and Long, the more experienced of the pair, with three wins in eight starts, cuts back in distance following a pair of routes, including a three-length win worth an 83 Beyer Speed Figure on May 31.

Fiendfyre got an 84 Beyer for a 9 3/4-length romp over statebred maidens May 28 in his second lifetime start.

The eight-horse field also includes Maryland shipper Change of Seasons, who is a nose shy of being unbeaten in three starts. He won his first two races by three lengths or more before missing by a nose against open company in a first-level allowance at Parx Racing, earning an 83 Beyer.

The co-featured New Start Stakes for 3-year-old fillies going six furlongs features Chasing the Moon and Pixie Dust, both coming off easy wins in first-level allowances.

Chasing the Moon, a distant third in last fall’s Blue Mountain Juvenile Fillies, won her first start of the season by six lengths May 17.

Pixie Dust, a distant second in her only previous visit to Penn National in early May, crushed five rivals May 27 at Parx, earning an 86 Beyer that is the best in the New Start field.

Raging Smoke, who beat Chasing the Moon by 7 1/4 lengths in November, returns to statebred company for the first time since winning at Parx in January.

Je Suis Enchantee switches from turf to dirt and cuts back from a mile after nearly stealing the $100,000 Penn Oaks at 28-1 two weeks ago.