BALTIMORE – Rain clouds over the city spell uncertainty for countless runners across two 14-race cards at Pimlico this weekend. Family, a 3-year-old filly trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., has more to overcome than most making her first start on dirt in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness Stakes on Friday. “Her second work on the dirt was much better than her first work,” Joseph said. “The surface is obviously unknown, but she’s capable of handling it and she’s bred for it.” In two starts on the synthetic at Turfway Park for trainer Michelle Elliott, Family showed plenty of sprinting ability at the Miss Preakness distance of six furlongs. After finishing second in the Serena’s Song in late March, the filly entered Joseph’s barn following a private sale. Joseph acknowledged the potential challenges of a wet track, but he remains optimistic about Family’s chances on dirt. She is not the only 3-year-old filly in the packed field of 13 with questions to answer in wet conditions. :: Get ready for the Preakness with DRF past performances, picks, and betting strategies! Connections for three horses coming out of a sloppy running of the Grade 2 Beaumont have mixed feelings about rain on Friday. Brad Cox, trainer of Beaumont runner-up Stunner, said that he believed his filly performed well but simply went too quick up front and faded. It was her third straight runner-up finish in stakes company going back to her juvenile season. “It’s not that she didn’t run in the mud last time,” Cox said. “She showed up. [We] just felt like we set it up a little for the winner. Hopefully, we might not go as quick early and hopefully she’ll finish up a little better.” Greg Compton, trainer of G W’s Girl, was surprised when his filly finished 23 1/2 lengths back in the Beaumont. She entered the race with two straight ungraded stakes victories at Oaklawn Park, but her floundering performance in the slop has Compton concerned about more rain. Miss Preakness longshot Volleyballprincess also struggled in the Beaumont last time out, and trainer Lou Linder said that similar conditions this week could hurt her chances. Vodka With a Twist, the 7-2 morning-line favorite, is 2 for 2 on wet tracks but will not get the chance to put the skill to use. Citing a challenging post position and crowded field, trainer Phil D’Amato said he will scratch the West Coast runner and ship her to Churchill Downs instead. The only remaining horse with a wet-track victory is Hollygrove, who won her May 2024 debut on a good track at Churchill Downs. Coming off a third-place finish behind Family in the Serena’s Song last time out, trainer Whit Beckman believes she is poised for a big performance with a stalking trip on the rail. You’ll Be Back, trained by Tom Amoss, and Delray, trained by Tyler Servis, are both 15-1 shots stepping up to the Grade 3 level after solid performances in March. Neither trainer is concerned about the rain, and both are eagerly cutting their runners back to six furlongs. Delray won her second straight allowance at Aqueduct last time out, while You’ll Be Back most recently finished fifth in the Virginia Oaks. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.