Shot at big time on the line

Trainers Cal Lynch and Alan Goldberg had a lot in common Thursday morning.

They both had cross-entered horses in the Tesio at Laurel Park and the Bay Shore at Aqueduct on Saturday. Both were leaning toward Maryland and both were curious as to how their horses would handle 1 1/8 miles.

The Tesio, a $100,000 race for 3-year-olds, is a Win and You’re In for the Preakness. The winner is guaranteed a spot in the field and will save $30,000 in entry and starter fees. The second stakes at Laurel on Saturday is the $100,000 Weber City Miss, a 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-old fillies. It is a Win and You’re In for the Grade 2, $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan.

Goldberg trains Awesome Speed, who won the Mucho Macho Man Stakes at Gulfstream Park but finished a well-beaten fourth in the Fountain of Youth after being bumped in the run to the first turn.

“It was disappointing because he was training so well,” Goldberg said. “After he got bumped around, he just kind of never ran.”

Awesome Speed, who won the James F. Lewis III Stakes at Laurel in November, was purchased for $335,000 by the Colts Neck Stable of Richard Santulli as a 2-year-old.

“I’m not sure whether two turns is going to be good for him or not, but this looks like a good place to find out,” Goldberg said. “If it isn’t, we can always make a sprinter out of him.”

Never Gone South, trained by Lynch, finished second to Awesome Speed in the Lewis, beaten three-quarters of a length. He has since won the seven-furlong Frank Whiteley Jr. at Laurel by 7 1/4 lengths. He came up a little short and finished third as the 2-5 favorite in the one-mile Miracle Wood at Laurel after being pressured throughout on a slow pace.

“We were disappointed, but it was a little quick back off a lifetime best and maybe that had something to do with it,” Lynch said. “He’s never had the chance to run two turns, and we’d like to give him the opportunity. I’ve always thought he could do it.”

The Tesio is a competitive race and also includes Marengo Road, winner of the Miracle Wood for trainer Mike Trombetta; Governor Malibu, who comes into this off a New York-bred stakes win for Christophe Clement; and Flash McCaul, who was second to front-running Abiding Star in the 1 1/16-mile Private Terms on March 12.

Abiding Star was supplemented to the Triple Crown by trainer Ned Allard with the intention of running in the Tesio but is stabled at Parx Racing, which is in the midst of an equine herpesvirus quarantine, and he is not allowed to leave the grounds.

The top players in the seven-horse Weber City Miss are Its a Journey, who is trained by Linda Rice; Alto Belle, who races for Todd Pletcher; and the Trombetta-trained In the Navy Now.

It’s a Journey will be making her first start for Rice since winning 2 of 3 starts at Penn National for owner Maggi Moss last year.

Alto Belle enters off a first-level allowance win at Parx. She covered a mile in 1:41.27 and earned a 60 Beyer Speed Figure. Her stablemate, Donegal Moon, who races in the Blue Grass Stakes on Saturday, won a first-level allowance at Parx the same day in 1:37.39. He was given a 99 Beyer.

In the Navy Now finished well in the one-mile Caesar’s Wish Stakes last out after dropping far behind the field early. She should enjoy the two turns of this race. Sophia’s Song, winner of the Caesar’s Wish after racing on an uncontested slow pace, has won three races in a row.