Unless stats lie, Ah Day's in for a cakewalk

It looks like eight of the nine horses in the $75,000 Deputed Testamony at Laurel Park on Sunday are running for second money.

In money won, races won, and Beyer Speed Figures earned, the 6-5 morning-line favorite Ah Day lays over the field in the one-mile race for Maryland-bred 3-year-olds.

Ah Day is the lone entrant with a Beyer in the 90's. In the past performances for the field, there are 11 Beyers of 86 or higher, and Ah Day has seven of them.

His record of 5 wins, 3 seconds, and 1 third in 12 starts - and his career earnings of $318,910 - tower over the others. He ran fourth in the Grade 3 West Virginia Derby at Mountaineer Park two weeks ago.

"The big question is whether I weakened him by running him in his last race," said trainer King Leatherbury. "With so many races so close together, I'm concerned about how he'll do Sunday."

Leatherbury runners do just fine off short rest. In the last five years, he has started nine horses at odds-on off rest of just 10 to 14 days, and won with eight of them. The other one ran second.

If Ah Day fails, Geno Madero, Dr. Field, Our Peak, and Two Terms appear most likely to pick up the pieces.

Geno Madero is lightly raced and has improved his Beyers in his last three starts. Trainer Todd Beattie wins with 25 percent of starters with that pattern.

Beattie also saddles the uncoupled Dr. Field, who has won three of his last six starts.

Like Geno Madero, Our Peak shows three straight rising Beyers, and he won the Private Terms at Laurel in March at 73-1.

Two Terms loses blinkers, a positive move for his trainer, Rodney Jenkins, and he worked a best-of-28 four furlongs in 48.20 seconds for this race.