Pimlico: Bold Affair, Lady of Greatness in career form for Primonetta

Bold Affair and Lady of Greatness, each coming off a victory that produced the fastest Beyer Speed Figure of her career, will challenge Red’s Round Table, a three-time stakes winner last season, in Saturday’s $75,000 Primonetta Stakes at Pimlico.

The question for handicappers is whether the 4-year-old Bold Affair, who was awarded a 99 Beyer for her 6 1/2-length romp in the seven-furlong Conniver on March 10, and the 6-year-old Lady of Greatness, who earned a 101 Beyer for her wire-to-wire score over second-level optional $62,500 claimers at Gulfstream Park two weeks ago, are liable to bounce in the six-furlong Primonetta.

Statistics from DRF’s Formulator would suggest they may not. From a small sampling, Bold Affair’s trainer Howard Wolfendale is 2 for 6 with female sprinters returning after a break of 31 to 60 days following a career-best winning Beyer.

Likewise, Jamie Ness, the trainer of Lady of Greatness, shows a two-year record of 6 for 22 (27 percent) with filly and mare sprinters back within three weeks after winning a race with a career top.

Bold Affair, who won the $200,000 Jostle as a 3-year-old last season, indicated her fitness for the Primonetta by working a bullet four furlongs in 47.20 seconds last week.

Lady of Greatness, who was primarily based in the Midwest for most of her 35-race career, will be making her first start in Maryland if she runs. She is cross-entered in Saturday night's $200,000 Sugar Maple at Charles Town. Ness has gotten off to a good start at Pimlico’s meet, winning with 4 of his first 14 starters (29 percent).

Bold Affair and Lady of Greatness will have to be at their best to defeat Red’s Round Table, who won two stakes in Maryland and one in New York during her 3-year-old campaign in 2011. She has been freshened since stumbling at the start and finishing last in the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie Handicap in mid-February. She is 4 for 4 in her career when returning from a break of 31 to 60 days.

In addition, Red’s Round Table, trained by Tim Keefe, defeated Bold Affair by 4 1/4 lengths when they met in a high-priced optional claimer in January.

Among the other six entrants, the most dangerous might be the Todd Pletcher-trained Maple Forest. Last summer at Saratoga, Maple Forest was good enough to miss by a half-length in the Grade 3 Victory Ride. She is eligible to move forward making the second start of her current form cycle.