Shackled Love's fitness a concern in Tesio Stakes

Pimlico’s Preakness meet begins in earnest on Spring Stakes Spectacular Saturday with six stakes worth $650,000 in purses. The $125,000 Federico Tesio Stakes for 3-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles, a Win and You’re In for the Preakness in three weeks, is the co-feature on the program.

The Pimlico meet was originally scheduled to start May 6, but was pushed forward two weeks when Laurel Park’s main track required evaluation and renovation. The condition of the Laurel surface, coupled with a previous quarantine put in place due to an outbreak of equine herpesvirus, has wreaked havoc with some training schedules.

The interruptions concern Gary Capuano, trainer of Private Terms winner and Tesio starter Shackled Love.

“We missed some training,” Capuano said Thursday morning. “We missed works with him. I’m still up in the air as to whether or not he’s tight and ready for the race or not. I have him at Delaware right now and did something with him yesterday to see where he’s at. He’s close, but I just don’t think he’s 100 percent fit and ready for the mile and an eighth. We’re trying to catch up a little bit.”

Conversely, Maythehorsebwithu’s training regimen hasn’t been hindered, according to trainer Brittany Russell. The barn has 15 stalls at Pimlico, giving Russell the option of training over the surface.

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“We’ve been fortunate. We haven’t missed a beat,” she said.

Maythehorsebwithu battled Shackled Love all the way around the track in the Private Terms only to come up a half-length short. He’ll race nine furlongs for the first time.

“I’m not concerned,” Russell said about the distance. “Each time, the steady progression of him stretching out each time, it’s not like he’s stopped running at the end.”

Hello Hot Rod was trained by Russell to win three of his first four starts, including the Jimmy Winkfield at Aqueduct. Nine days after that race, Hello Hot Rod was purchased by George Sharp for $335,000 at the Fasig-Tipton Kentucky mixed sale. Transferred to trainer Shawn Davis, the Tesio will be Hello Hot Rod’s first start in 83 days and first run around two turns. Although the colt missed some early training time due to ice storms, Davis is pleased with Hello Hot Rod’s recent workouts and overall quality. Despite being close to the pace in his three victories, Davis mentioned that he doesn’t necessarily want Hello Hot Rod on the lead Saturday.

Stakes-placed runners Excellorator and Tiz Mandate; New York shipper The Reds; and Royal Number and Zertz complete the field.

Rematch in Weber City Miss

The $125,000 Weber City Miss Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles features a rematch between Littlestitious and Fraudulent Charge, the one-two finishers of the Beyond the Wire Stakes going a one-turn mile March 13 at Laurel.

Littlestitious, trained by Tom Amoss, faced the likes of Kentucky Oaks-bound Clairiere and Travel Column when fourth in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra at Fair Grounds. After winning the Beyond the Wire, Littlestitious remained in Russell’s care due to the quarantine situation.

“I’m extremely confident in how the horse is doing,” Amoss said. “The program I put forth between the two races has gone without an issue.”

Russell concurred. “She hasn’t missed a beat,” she said. “She actually worked with Maythehorsebwithu the other day at Pimlico. It was a very pretty work, and she came out of it well.”

While the consistent and talented Fraudulent Charge, never out of the exacta from four starts, looms a major contender, attention also should be paid to Oliviaofthedesert, who won the Trapeze at Remington last year and adds Lasix. Fourth in the Grade 3 Honeybee behind some top 3-year-old fillies two back, trainer Ken McPeek mentioned the long ship as a potential factor for the 7 1/4-length defeat. From a running style standpoint, “I don’t think she needs pace in front of her. I think she just got to get a nice rhythm,” he said.

Stakes winner Miss Leslie, stakes-placed Exogen, and recent winners Moonsafe and Hybrid Eclipse complete the field.