Private Lap fell a neck short of winning the Brandywine Handicap in 2003. Last year, he came within a neck of winning the same stakes.
Back for a third crack at the $100,000 Brandywine on Saturday at Delaware Park, Private Lap at least won't have to face either Bowman's Band or Loving, the horses who narrowly beat him the past two years.
In their place, however, are Super Frolic and Clays Awesome, both of whom have the credentials to play spoiler to Private Lap this time.
Kentucky-based trainer Bernie Flint has the horse with the best last-race Beyer Speed Figure and the defending champion lined up for the $75,000 Slipton Fell Handicap at Mountaineer Race Track.
Discreet Hero, who has posted triple-digit Beyers in three of his four starts at Mountaineer, is coupled with Ask the Lord, who won last year's mile and 70-yard Slipton Fell with a 100 Beyer.
Flint has named Chad Murphy as the rider of both Discreet Hero and Ask the Lord, an indication that he intends to run only one.
United, who responded with his best performance in six months when switched to the turf, will attempt to retain his good form when he moves back to the main track for the $50,000 Peppy Addy Stakes at Philadelphia Park.
The seven-furlong race is restricted to Pennsylvania-bred 3-year-olds.
After unsuccessfully chasing Malibu Moonshine in three consecutive open stakes, Legal Control returns to restricted company for the $50,000 Deputed Testamony at Pimlico. The 1 1/16-mile race drew a field of six 3-year-old Maryland-breds.
The last time Legal Control faced statebreds, he won the Maryland Juvenile Championship on New Year's Eve. His form remained sharp in his first meeting against Malibu Moonshine in February, but Legal Control ran progressively worse in their next two confrontations.
EAST BOSTON, Mass. - Four men synonymous with New England racing and one of the area's most accomplished homegrown racing stars are among the first inductees into the New England Turf Writers Association Hall of Fame.
The five inductees are: former jockey Rudy Baez, prominent owner Peter Fuller, the late former chairman of Suffolk Downs Jim Moseley, Boston Globe turf writer Sam McCracken, and Massachusetts Handicap winner Waquoit. Plaques of the five inductees will be displayed in the Sports Museum of New England.
The $50,000 Brooks Fields Stakes on Saturday at Canterbury Park features the first meeting between Vazandar, winner of the Come Summer Stakes last year, and Dontbotherknocking, who has six wins over the Canterbury turf. A full field of 12 was entered in the 7 1/2-furlong turf stakes.
Three alumni from the $100,000 Lady Hallie Stakes at Hawthorne on April 30 - including the runner-up, Li'lbito'sunshine - will face each other again in the $40,000 Slight in the Rear Stakes at Fairmount Park. A six-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies, the Slight in the Rear is the first stakes of the Fairmount meet, which opened March 25.
Foolininthemeadow, the 2004 2-year-old filly champion in Michigan, makes her seasonal debut when she faces nine other Michigan-bred 3-year-old fillies in the $45,000 Regret Stakes at Great Lakes Downs. A six-furlong race, the Regret is the sixth race on the card, which has an early first post of 5:50 p.m. Eastern to accommodate a simulcast of the Belmont Stakes.
The Straw Man will be seeking his third stakes win of the year when he heads a field of seven in the $20,000-added State Fair Breeders' Special for 3-year-old Nebraska-breds going one mile.
Trained by Jason Wise, The Straw Man was a 7 1/4-length winner of the Nebraska Derby at Fonner Park earlier this spring. He comes off a third in the six-furlong Journal Star Stakes here May 22, when the top three finishers were separated by a head after dueling through the final quarter-mile.
Iowa-bred Will E Scat takes on open company in a field of eight 3-year-olds in the $50,000 Prairie Mile at Prairie Meadows.
Will E Scat is the only stakes winner entered in the race by virtue of his three-quarter-length score against statebreds here May 29 in the $50,000 Gray's Lake. Trained by Kelly Von Hemel, Will E Scat's three wins are the most wins of any horse in the race. He has also finished second twice.