Delaware Park’s opening-day feature on Saturday, the one-mile Our Mims Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, drew 14 horses, so it was split into two $50,000 divisions of seven on a card of eight races for Thoroughbreds and one for Arabians. Entries for the nine races closed with 70 total horses.

Based on her form in races beyond six furlongs, My Sonata is the logical choice in the first division (race 6). Her task became easier when the connections of Petit Trianon, who is 3 for 3 this season, chose to run in Friday's Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan at Pimlico.

BALTIMORE - Frank Carulli received a rousing round of applause at the Preakness draw at Pimlico on Wednesday, when he revealed his final set of morning-line odds for the second leg of the Triple Crown. Carulli has been the oddsmaker and racing analyst for Pimlico and Laurel since 2002, but he will vacate his post at the end of June to move to Las Vegas.

“I’m semi-retired, I guess you could say,” said Carulli, 51.

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It would be an understatement to say that the early pace of the $100,000 Chick Lang Stakes, which goes as the sixth race on the Preakness undercard, figures to be quick. Check out the zip possessed by some of those in this six-furlong event for 3-year-olds:

◗ Bobcat Jim shook loose through an opening quarter in 21.51 seconds when nosed in Oaklawn’s Bachelor Stakes last time out.

◗ Brave Dave was in command through opening splits of 21.25 and 44.69 when second in the Big Drama Stakes at Calder most recently.

BALTIMORE - Southern California-based trainer Doug O’Neill’s approach to this year’s Preakness with Goldencents follows some of the same stabling protocol he used last year with winner I’ll Have Another. He has had a 12-horse division at Pimlico Race Course since the Monday following the Kentucky Derby, a move made to simulate home for Goldencents.

“I wanted to have him settled in, where it’s as close to home as can be,” O’Neill. said

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Raise the Reward will attempt to win the $50,000 Michael F. Rowland Memorial Handicap for the second time Saturday at Thistledown.

Trained by Jeff Radosevich, Raise the Reward won three races last year, including the six-furlong Rowland, which is restricted to Ohio-accredited horses. Ohio-accredited is the more restrictive of the two Ohio-registered categories as both the dam and sire must reside in Ohio.

BALTIMORE – Last year, Zagora rebounded from a fifth-place finish in the Jenny Wiley to win the Gallorette Handicap, one of the highlights of a season that led to an Eclipse Award as champion female turf horse.

Martin Schwartz and Chad Brown, the owner and trainer of Zagora, hope for lightning to strike twice when they send out Samitar in Saturday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Gallorette at Pimlico.

Going to Kukaro, a stakes winner at Belmont Park last year, leads a deep field for Saturday night’s $50,000 Tellike Stakes at Evangeline Downs. The five-furlong dash on turf will go as the 10th of 11 races.

The undefeated Heliskier launches his 4-year-old campaign Saturday as the 6-5 morning-line favorite in the $50,000 10,000 Lakes Stakes at Canterbury Park. The race, for Minnesota-bred colts and geldings, will be contested over the main track at six furlongs.

Heliskier is a perfect 6 for 6. He was 4 for 4 last year, winning his races by a combined 33 3/4 lengths, and amassed earnings of $103,056. He posted a bullet five-furlong work in 1:01.20 on May 5 for trainer Mac Robertson, followed by a six-furlong leg-stretcher from the gate on Sunday in preparation for his seasonal debut.

BALTIMORE - At Pimlico’s Alibi breakfast, Daily Racing Form national correspondent Jay Privman and the Form’s lead photographer Barbara Livingston were honored by the Maryland Jockey Club for their work at the 2012 Preakness.

Privman won the David F. Woods Memorial Award for the best Preakness story from the previous year. Privman wrote a profile of Derby- and Preakness-winning trainer Doug O’Neill. Privman also won this award in 2002.

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BALTIMORE - While it is certainly noteworthy that only one horse has won the Preakness from the rail since 1961 – Tabasco Cat in the 1994 – the rail draw shouldn’t scare supporters of Orb to the nearest bridge.

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