Two turns, seven furlongs might be the tonic for Helium

Tampa Bay Derby winner Helium looms a strong contender in Friday’s $150,000 Robert Hilton Memorial for 3-year-olds traveling a two-turn seven furlongs at Charles Town. The Hilton is one of nine stakes on the Charles Town Classic program.

Despite his upset score at Tampa, trainer Mark Casse feels the Ironicus colt might be better at shorter distances.

“I’ve almost come to the conclusion that he may be a better sprinter,” Casse said. “I know he won the Tampa Bay Derby, but we’re trying to search for an answer. It’s a combination of two turns and seven-eighths. I thought it was a good spot.”

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Helium placed eighth in the Kentucky Derby before finishing third to Fulsome in the Matt Winn. Casse believes that Helium’s most recent effort on turf, in the War Chant at Churchill, is a throw-out.

“He never looked comfortable on the grass,”

Conversely, trainer Mark Reid believes lightly raced Exculpatory “wants to go farther. I was going to go right into two turns. I didn’t see exactly what I was looking for, and this is a very nice purse.”

Exculpatory exits a seven-furlong victory at Colonial.

“We drew the rail,” Reid said about that race. “I always thought he is a little better stalk-and-pounce, but he got stuck and when he broke sharp, he went on with it and still had plenty left.”

Reid had considered running in the Grade 1, $500,0000 H. Allen Jerkens at Saratoga on Saturday, but “didn’t quite want to tangle with those guys yet. But it might be in his future.”

Brad Cox sends Swill from Ellis Park following a seven-length victory. The win was Swill’s first start following a six-month break.

“We gave him time and castrated him, and he ran the way we expected,” Cox said. “He’s one that we had high hopes for last fall. We didn’t fare very well in the Jerome” – in which Swill finished fourth – “and we thought maybe we had done too much with him.”

Cox mentioned the reasons why he chose the Hilton. “I think he’s middle-distance. Good purse. Restricted to 3-year-olds. We don’t have a lot of opportunities like that left with him the rest of the season.”

Pink Ribbon

Queen Nekia receives class and distance relief when she starts as the high weight in the $150,000 Pink Ribbon for fillies and mares at seven furlongs.

Queen Nekia succeeded over course and distance last summer, and trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. isn’t concerned about the turnback in distance following a third in the Delaware Handicap at 1 1/4 miles.

“Last year before we ran there, we weren’t sure how she would handle the track as she’s sort of a big filly,” Joseph said. “Because it’s a two-turn seven-eighths race, it suited her well.”

There isn’t much pace signed on, and Cox’s entrant, Lady Rocket, might get the jump on Queen Nekia. Although she recently won at Churchill, the trainer admits the Tale of the Cat filly has confounded him.

“If you watched the race, at the eighth pole, I didn’t know if she was going to run fifth or win,” Cox said. “I always thought she was a top filly. All winter, I thought she struggled at Oaklawn. She would run three-eighths, come off the bridle, and never finished the way we liked. The talent is there, it’s just about her putting it together.”

Russell Road

Trainer Wayne Potts knew he wanted a runner in the $150,000 Russell Road at seven furlongs.

“I had a client that was interested in the Russell Road,” Potts said. “I was outshook on another horse for $80,000 off Bill Mott. We ran across Letmeno. We got him in a five-way shake for $80,000 at Saratoga. He has a lot of back class.”

A multiple stakes-placed son of Twirling Candy, Letmeno earned a career-best 93 Beyer Speed Figure the day of the claim.

“I wish we didn’t have the rail, but the rail’s the rail so we got to get him out of there,” Potts said. “Tactical speed around the bullring could be dangerous.”

The key to the race might be California invaders Vertical Threat and Shooters Shoot. The former earned a triple-digit Beyer two back at Mahoning Valley before going to the sidelines. He likely needed his 2021 debut, an eighth-place finish in a tough edition of the Grade 1 Bing Crosby.

Shooters Shoot finished sixth in the Crosby following a graded placing in the Triple Bend. He has won around two turns. Both California-based runners start with Lasix on.

The speedy Wind of Change stretches out around two turns after chasing up-and-coming sprinter Wondrwherecraigis at Saratoga.

◗ Four stakes for West Virginia-breds support the program. An evenly matched group of 3-year-old fillies entered the $75,000 Sylvia Bishop Memorial at seven furlongs. The Sylvia Bishop honors the nation’s first licensed African American female trainer. Bishop’s grandson, trainer Michael Jones, has three horses entered on the Friday card.