Plum Ali faces stiff competition in All Along Stakes

Grade 2 winner Plum Ali is one of several strong contenders in Saturday’s $100,000 All Along for fillies and mares traveling 1 1/8 miles on turf at Pimlico.

The All Along is one of four stakes on the Saturday Pimlico card. The others are the Grade 3, $200,000 Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup, the $100,000 Lite the Fuse, and the $75,000 Shine Again.

Plum Ali seeks her first victory since her seasonal debut, a half-length takedown of Technical Analysis in Aqueduct’s Plenty of Grace on April 16. Most recently, she finished second, beaten a length, in the restricted De La Rose at Saratoga. Both races were at one mile on turf.

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Plum Ali, 4, has won four stakes, including a Grade 2 as a juvenile.

“She’s been nice since she was a 2-year-old,” trainer Christophe Clement said.

Plum Ali’s versatility is one of her best assets. She has won on the lead, by stalking the pace, and from far back. Although she is winless in four races at 1 1/8 miles or longer, Clement said he has “no worries” about Saturday’s distance. Dylan Davis rides her in the All Along.

Capital Structure was scratched from last week’s Grade 2 Flower Bowl for this softer spot.

Very rank behind a slow pace in a second-level allowance going 1 3/8 miles on July 31 at Saratoga, she swung to the far outside and stormed down the stretch to win going away.

“A bit of a keen horse,” trainer Chad Brown said. “Training, she’s a different horse. She’s been extremely cooperative now she’s gotten older.”

Brown said he is concerned about cutting Capital Structure back in distance for the All Along.

In a Hurry enters following four consecutive stakes placings. Like Plum Ali, she is capable of racing close to the pace and could make the lead.

“We’ll play the break, but think we’ll be laying up close,” trainer Shug McGaughey said.

Lake Lucerne, third in a Grade 3 stakes at 1 1/8 miles on turf last year, looks to snap a seven-race losing streak. Gladys was third two races back in the Grade 3 Robert Dick Memorial going 1 3/8 miles at Delaware and seventh behind third-place In a Hurry last time in the TAA Old Nelson Stakes at Colonial. She has the speed to grab forward position. Champagne Toast and Youens complete the field.

Lite the Fuse Stakes

Although trainer Rudy Rodriguez went through a 3-for-94 slump at Saratoga, Wudda U Think Now gave the barn an upset victory in the John Morrissey for New York-breds there on Aug. 13. A winner in three of his last four races, Wudda U Think Now drew the rail in the Lite the Fuse, for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs on dirt, and should be close to the pace under jockey Trevor McCarthy.

Wudda U Think Now is the race’s only entrant to have earned two triple-digit Beyer Speed Figures.

Wudda U Think Now’s main rival Sibelius earned a 100 Beyer in his most recent start, a second-level allowance win at Saratoga.

“He has steadily been progressing and getting physically stronger this year,” trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer said.

Dwyer said that Sibelius has enough speed to be “on the front end or very close to it.”

“He doesn’t need the lead,” he said.

Sibelius bounced out of his allowance win well, according to Dwyer. “He put on a lot of weight very quickly,” he said.

Jaxon Traveler is a contender for trainer Steve Asmussen. The Munnings colt is 3 for 4 at Pimlico, including a gate-to-wire win in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint on May 21.

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Owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and Marvin Delfiner, Jaxon Traveler ran third in the Ben’s Cat on turf July 30 at Laurel in his last start.

“With this horse, the break is always important,” said Terry Finley, CEO of West Point Thoroughbreds. “He’s shown the ability to relax and engage the leader, but he’s better when he can control going into the far turn and scamper away.”

The 3-year-old Nimitz Class was beaten 23 lengths in the mile and 70-yard Hard Spun on July 26 at Presque Isle in his most-recent start. Nimitz Class had to check going into the first turn of that race, his first on a synthetic track and first at two turns. He ran second against fellow 3-year-olds going seven furlongs in Laurel’s Concern on July 2.

Also in the field for the Lite the Fuse are War Tocsin, second or third in three graded stakes this year; Wendell Fong, a stakes winner in 2021 who was claimed for $40,000 by Natalia Lynch out of a third-place finish at Saratoga; stakes winner Quick Tempo, claimed for $25,000 last time by Kieron Magee; and Chief Ron, who steps up in class off two victories.

Shine Again Stakes

A case could be made for the most of the 10 entrants in the six-furlong Shine Again, for fillies and mares who have not won an open stakes.

Deco Strong has won two of her last three starts, including the restricted Penn Ladies Dash on Aug. 19 at Penn National.

Swayin to and Fro had a five-race win streak snapped in a seven-furlong stakes Aug. 16 at Colonial and cuts back to her preferred distance.

Canoodle won an allowance sprint at Laurel in her last start, while Whiteknuckleflyer prevailed in her last two main-track outings.

Oxana enters off two third-place finishes in stakes and owns recent Beyers that would make her competitive in the Shine Again.