Steady N Love a shaky favorite in Geisha Stakes

Following a pair of daylight victories, Steady N Love missed a third straight victory by a head earlier this month. Despite her sharp form, Steady N Love’s Beyer Speed Figures are headed in the wrong direction, declining from 77 to 64 to 59 during that streak. The slide, along with a step up to challenge older fillies and mares, makes Steady N Love a shaky favorite in Saturday’s $75,000 Geisha Stakes for Maryland-breds at Pimlico.

The problem for bettors is finding a viable alternative to the 3-year-old Steady N Love among her five opponents in the 1 1/16-mile stakes.

C C Gold looks good based on her near-miss in open stakes company in the one-mile Dahlia earlier this month. Although the performance was the fastest of her eight-race career, C C Gold achieved it while racing on turf. Her only two-turn win on dirt came over a sloppy surface at Delaware Park last summer.

Three years ago, trainer Larry Murray sent out two fillies in the Geisha, just as he will do Saturday with C C Gold and Addison Run, a 4-year-old who has never raced beyond seven furlongs. In the 2011 Geisha, Alpha Darlin came out of a third-place finish on turf only to run seventh, beaten 28 1/4 lengths, at 7-2. Her stablemate, Access to Charlie, finished third, beaten 5 1/4 lengths.

Brenda’s Way comes back nine days after she was awarded a victory by disqualification going the same distance as Saturday’s race against second-level optional $25,000 claimers. High-percentage trainer Damon Dilodovico’s record with route runners back in 14 days or less is just 2 for 17 (12 percent).

Celtic Katie stretches out following a second-place finish against Maryland-breds going seven furlongs. The 5-year-old Celtic Katie did win her maiden going 1 1/16 miles at Pimlico two years ago, but that remains her lone victory going two turns. Her trainer, Chris Grove, is 2 for 23 (9 percent) with horses who finished in the money last time out moving from sprints to routes.

All three of Charlie Renee’s lifetime victories have come in one-turn races. She faces older horses for the first time after she finished four lengths behind Steady N Love in the Twixt three weeks ago. This will be her second start off the claim, an angle that has produced a 4-for-18 (22 percent) success rate for trainer Ferris Allen with dirt route runners back in less than 30 days.