Pimlico

Friday and Saturday, May 19-20, 2023

Weather watch: 

 Friday:  Partly sunny and in the 70s.

 Saturday:  Overcast with showers and in the 70s.    

Short Note.

This is the only post for both days.  

Friday’s Card

Race No. 12.  Post time 5:10 P.M.  The Pimlico Special.  A 9 1/2 furlong, Grade III dirt race.  Purse = $250K.

  Last year’s winner:  “First Captain” at 5-1 odds.  Last year’s pick”  “Vindictive” who finished second. 

Both #2 “Rattle N Roll” (9-5) and #5 “Law Professor” (5-2) look good on paper, but trainer Todd Pletcher’s #1 “Kuchar” (10-1) could be sitting on a race.  Those 10-1 odds are too juicy to ignore.  The wager:  $2 Win #1, then $2 double #1 with #7.  Total = $4.  

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Race No. 13.  Post time 5:44 P.M.  The Black-Eyed Susan.  A Grade II, 9 furlong dirt race restricted to three year-old fillies.   Purse = $300K.

  Last year’s winner:  “Interstatedaydream” at 6-1 odds.  Last year’s pick:  “Beguine” who finished second to last at 11-1 odds.  

Let’s start with Bob Baffert’s unbeaten #9 “Faiza” (7-5) who comes east in search of a field she can beat.  This may be that field, but not with my money.  Instead, this wallet will open for the Godolphin/Brad Cox entrant #7 “Comparative” (12-1) who is out of the unraced dam “Collective”.  This handicapper prefers broodmares who have raced, but when Godolphin is involved, that means little.  Godolphin owns top broodmares.  Another factor in selecting “Comparative” is her two recent a.m. timed workouts.  Both the May 6th and May 13th a.m. workouts were outstanding.  The wager:  $3 Win and  Place #7, then $3 Black-Eyed Susan/Preakness Double #7 with #8 “First Mission”.  Total = $9.  

Total Wagers for Friday May 19th = $13.

 

Pimlico

Saturday, May 20, 2023

Race No. 12.  Post time 4:12 P.M.  The James Murphy.  An ungraded 8  furlong turf stake for three year-olds.   Purse= $100K.

  Last year’s winner: “Joe” at 2-1 odds.  Last year’s pick:  “Riot House” who was scratched.  

This year’s pick is #4 “Top Recruit” (15-1).   Yes, it is this horse’s first start of the year but this is not the strongest field ever assembled either. This Mike Maker trainee is out of “Oh So Bella”, who is out of a top broodmare that produced four $100K earners.  “Top Recruit” is not the worst stab of the program.    The wager:  $2 W/P #4, then $2 Double #4 with #8 “First Mission”. Total = $6.   

Race No. 13.  Post time 7:01 P.M.  The Preakness.  A 9 1/2 furlong, Grade I dirt race restricted to three year-olds.  Purse = $1.5 Million.

Last year’s winner:  “Early Voting” at 6-1.  Last year’s pick: “Epicenter”.  

Thankfully “Mage” is showing up.  He is the only horse from the Derby field to come to Baltimore.   Say “hello” to racing without Lasix.  The pick is #8 “First  Mission” (5-2) who won The Lexington Stakes at Keeneland in fine form.   No wager here because I don’t trust him to run back to his Lexington form.    

Total Wagers for Saturday May 20th = $6. 

Total Wagers for both days = $19.

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