Weekend Warrior for May 17: Picks for Maryland Sprint, Chick Lang, Gallorette
No crab cakes on Saturday for this stand-in Weekend Warrior, who remains in the Derby City and is not partaking in the excitement in Baltimore. Well, not in person, anyway – but the Warrior still plans to be involved in the Pimlico action, just with wagers from afar.
The Preakness is discussed at length in the pages of today’s Daily Racing Form . So the focus here on the undercard stakes at Pimlico. Here goes …
Maryland Sprint Handicap
The Maryland Sprint Handicap, the first stakes on the Preakness undercard at 1:11 p.m. Eastern, drew only six entrants. But despite the limited betting options and the shorter prices that come with it, a favorable betting prospect looms.
That prospect is Salutos Amigos, a 3-1 shot. Perfect in three starts since joining the high-percentage barn of owner-trainer David Jacobson, he is in position to four-peat.
The reason? The 6-5 favorite, My Happy Way, could take a step back, leaving Gulfstream Park, his favorite racetrack.
My Happy Way’s form at other tracks hints that he is not the clear-cut standout that his morning line suggests. He is 4 for 5 on Gulfstream’s main track but 1 for 5 elsewhere on dirt.
::Watch Saturday’s Preakness Day card live
His Beyer Speed Figures also reflect how much My Happy Way loves Gulfstream. He rattled off four consecutive Beyer Speed Figures of a 100 or more there, and also ran an 88 there as a 3-year-old, which at the time was his fastest race.
His top Beyer on dirt outside of Gulfstream? 73.
Salutos Amigos, meanwhile, has shown that he can handle most any track. He won twice on the outer main track at Aqueduct, once on a good surface and once on a fast track. And last out at Belmont, he won in the slop.
Earlier in his career when with trainer Eric Guillot, Salutos Amigos also won at Santa Anita on dirt and was third in the Grade 2 Amsterdam at Saratoga.
Chick Lang Stakes
Prudhoe Bay is a live longshot at 10-1 odds in the Chick Lang for 3-year-olds at six furlongs.
Although not as fast as other entrants on top Beyers, this horse merits respect due to his consistency and heart. A winner of 3 of 5 starts, Prudhoe Bay has won two stakes in stretch battles, showing the kind of determination this horseplayer appreciates.
::2014 PREAKNESS STAKES: Latest news, video, and more
The morning-line favorites could be vulnerable. Brewing, the 8-5 favorite, has never hit the board outside of Oaklawn Park, and the 3-1 second choice, Extrasexyhippzster, enters the race with shaky form after getting thumped in graded stakes.
If they don’t run their ‘A’ races, Prudhoe Bay doesn’t need to be super quick. He merely needs to run the way he has been to win the Chick Lang.
Gallorette Handicap
Turning to the Gallorette, run at 1 1/16 miles on what should still be a wet turf course with heavy rain forecasted Friday, the choice is Starstruck, who has run reasonably well on good and yielding turf.
She has also shown class, winning the Matchmaker last year at Monmouth. And though she hasn’t won in four starts since, Starstruck ran competitively over that stretch while keeping some very good company.
This is a filly who was good enough to run fourth, beaten 2 3/4 lengths, in the Grade 1 Rodeo Drive at Santa Anita last fall behind Tiz Flirtatious, Marketing Mix, and Vionnet.
As for the favorite, 7-2 shot Somali Lemonade, she appears to be in top form again since adding blinkers. And she already is a graded winner on yielding turf.
But I’m a little concerned by how she drifted out in winning her latest at Keeneland, and even if one forgives that, she still comes off a perfect trip in which she got away with an easy lead last out.
With other speed in the Gallorette, Somali Lemonade seems unlikely to make the front. And more than likely she will go off shorter than her 7-2 morning line.
That leaves Starstruck as a useful alternative.