BALTIMORE – A graded turf race that directly precedes a Triple Crown event is almost always one of consequence. So it is with the Grade 1 Old Forester before the Kentucky Derby and the Grade 1 Manhattan before the Belmont Stakes. The Grade 2 Dinner Party, the traditional lead-in to the Preakness at Pimlico, doesn’t quite pack the oomph of those other signature races in the older-horse turf division, but it’s not one you’d mind winning. Chad Brown, who has dominated the upper ranks of American turf racing in recent years, will be out to prove that’s as true for himself as anyone when he saddles Sacred Life as a solid wagering choice for the $250,000 Dinner Party. Sacred Life, owned by a four-way partnership, will have Javier Castellano aboard when he breaks from post 5 in a field of eight in the 1 1/16-mile Dinner Party, which most likely will be run over firm going, given the forecast of more ideal weather. The French-bred 6-year-old earned a career-high 101 Beyer Speed Figure returning from a seven-month layoff to finish a late-closing third in the Grade 1 Maker’s Mark Mile in his most recent start April 9 at Keene-land. :: Join DRF Bets and get ready to watch and wager on the Preakness with a $250 first deposit bonus  “I thought he ran great and should move forward off that race,” said Brown. “He came out of it very well.” Brown has a second starter here in Kuramata (post 3, Irad Ortiz), who will be making his stakes debut after knocking out his maiden and first allowance condition in his only two starts since coming under Brown’s care. The Irish-bred 4-year-old could be as low as second choice in what appears to be a very well-matched group this side of the favorite. Graham Motion, ever popular among local fans as a longstanding supporter of Maryland racing, will counter with a pair of his own in English Bee (post 2, Joel Rosario) and Bye Bye Melvin (post 8, John Velazquez). Both are late-running types with substantial stakes experience. English Bee, a 5-year-old Calumet Farm homebred, had never had a break from racing until this past winter, “and I’m really pleased with how he’s come back,” said Motion, who won this race in 2006 with the iconic gelding Better Talk Now. “He’s a hard-knocking, blue-collar horse who always seems to give his all,” Motion said of English Bee. “I’m looking forward to getting him back, and it was a bonus to pick up Joel.” Bye Bye Melvin, a 4-year-old Alex Campbell Jr. homebred, is “coming off an unlucky beat at Keeneland,” said Motion, referring to a neck defeat in an April 15 allowance in his first start in more than five months. Motion added the colt may eventually want more distance, “but the timing of this race is good and he’s doing well.” Midnight Tea Time (post 4, Luis Saez), also bred by Campbell, edged Bye Bye Melvin in that Keeneland race last month, so it’s logical to also consider him a threat here. Joe Sharp trains the 6-year-old gelding for Bella Cavello Stables. There’s sufficient pace signed on here to help late-runners such as Sacred Life and a few others, with Flying Scotsman (post 7, Ricardo Santana Jr.), likely to set sail early, probably with the cleverly named New York-bred Somelikeithotbrown (post 1, Jose Ortiz) giving closest chase. A February upset of a Gulfstream allowance by Flying Scotsman remains an outlier, given how he was nowhere to be found in two subsequent tries, so his role here likely will be as pacesetter for more reliable finishers. :: Get Daily Racing Form past performances, featuring exclusive Beyer Speed Figures - the gold standard in horse racing  Somelikeithotbrown, runner-up in this race last fall, has been something of an enigma, having posted a couple of 105 Beyers while quickly ascending the divisional ranks last year for Mike Maker, but his last two starts have been decidedly subpar, meaning a form reversal will be required for him to factor in here. Rounding out the cast is Talk Or Listen (post 6, Flavien Prat), a hard-trying gray gelding with one win from five starts on this continent, all for the Lael Stables of Barbaro fame. The Dinner Party is Pimlico’s oldest stakes race, having first been run in 1870 when the colt named Preakness was the winner. It eventually became known as the Dixie Handicap for many years, and it wasn’t until the 2020 running that track management restored the original name of Dinner Party. Factor This, since retired, won the renamed race last October for Brad Cox with a 110 Beyer Speed Figure, tops on turf in North America in 2020. The Dinner Party goes as race 12 on a 14-race card, with post time set for 5:38 p.m. Eastern..