BALTIMORE - At the five-sixteenths pole in Friday’s Grade 3, $250,000 Pimlico Special for 3-year-olds and up at 1 3/16 miles, Flavien Prat had favored Rattle N Roll in the clear, and on the move. They rocketed from sixth to second and set their sights on pacesetter Speed Bias. Prat would later tell Rattle N Roll’s trainer, Kenny McPeek, that he thought he was going to win by multiple lengths. Speed Bias had other ideas. After an all-out dogfight through the final three-sixteenths, Rattle N Roll did win the Pimlico Special, but just barely. He got his nose down on the wire to deny a game Speed Bias in 1:54.72 over a fast track at Pimlico. He earned a 101 Beyer Speed Figure. “That other horse really dug in,” Prat said in the winner’s circle. “I took the lead, and the other horse didn’t want to quit. It was a nice battle.” Speed Bias made the lead passing the stands for the first time, then carved out solid fractions of 23.56 and 47.58 while pressured by Keystone Field. :: Get ready to bet the Preakness! Join DRF Bets and score a $250 Deposit Match + $10 Free Bet + Free PPs - Promo code: WINNING The pacesetter tried to shake clear after six furlongs in 1:10.77, but Rattle N Roll was breathing down his neck. It was a tough beat for Speed Bias’ trainer, Ron Moquett, who told Daily Racing Form earlier this week that the colt would love the distance of the Pimlico Special. Clapton finished another 4 1/4 lengths back in third. Then came Keystone Field, Kuchar, Law Professor, and Armando R. Cooke Creek was scratched. Rattle N Roll returned $4.20 to win. “He’s a smart horse,” a relieved McPeek said. “He knows where the running starts and finishes. He doesn’t get all worked up early. That compromises his chances sometimes, but he seems to be getting a little bit better.” Rattle N Roll won the Grade 1 Breeders’ Futurity at Keeneland as a 2-year-old, and McPeek had Kentucky Derby dreams for the son of Connect. “We tried him against the higher-level 3-year-olds, and he struggled,” McPeek said. “But when we went around and placed him in really generous spots, he gets it done.” Bred in Kentucky by St. Simon Place, Rattle N Roll is owned by Lucky Seven Stable. He has captured 7 of 17 starts for earnings of $1,365,861. He came into the Pimlico Special off a victory in Keeneland’s Grade 3 Ben Ali Stakes, and has now won four of his last six starts. McPeek mentioned the Grade 3, $225,000 Blame Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Churchill Downs on June 3 as a potential next race for Rattle N Roll. “We’re never scared to run him back,” McPeek said, noting he raced Rattle N Roll in the Indiana Derby after a one-week layoff last year. Hilltop Stakes In the preceding race, Prat won the $100,000 Hilltop Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at one mile on the turf as he guided Aspray to a determined half-length victory over favored Breath Away. Earlier this week, Aspray’s trainer, Chad Brown, told Daily Racing Form that he felt the Hilltop distance might be a bit sharp for Aspray, but that “if the pace is good enough, she could close into contention near the wire going a mile.” The pace was more than good enough as After Eight rolled off to a two-length lead after a quick quarter in 22.70 seconds. After Eight continued to show the way, wheeling through a half-mile in 46.15 and three-quarters in 1:09.96. Those enervating fractions took their toll, and the closers began to kick. Aspray circled foes and made the lead in midstretch, but Breath Away, in a carbon-copy trip from her victory in Gulfstream Park’s Sanibel Island on April 1, burst through a big opening in between horses. It looked like Breath Away was going to outfinish Aspray, but the winner showed class to complete the mile in 1:34.10 seconds. She paid $10.60 to win as the third choice in the betting. Hang the Moon was another 2 1/4 lengths back in third. They were followed home by Thirty Thou Kelvin, Miss New York, After Eight, Well Into, Aunt Shirley, Ice Cube Baby, and Lil Spinner. Majestic Creed was scratched. :: DRF's Preakness Headquarters: Contenders, latest news, and more In a telephone interview following the Hilltop, Brown said he was very pleased with the pace, and was impressed with Aspray’s determination in the final quarter-mile. He mentioned the Grade 1, $500,000 Belmont Oaks Invitational at 1 1/4 miles as a potential goal for Aspray. Unbeaten in three starts with lifetime earnings of $86,210, Aspray captured an off-turn maiden special weight at Tampa Bay Downs on Jan. 14, then rolled past first-level allowance horses on turf there March 22. She is a Kentucky homebred by Quality Road owned by Ran Jan Racing. Her dam, the Galileo mare Up, won the Group 2 Blandford Stakes at 10 furlongs in Ireland. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.