BALTIMORE, 06-05-08---Pimlico Race Course concludes its’ eight-week spring meeting Saturday afternoon with an event filled day featuring a twelve race card topped by the $50,000 Whimsical Stakes, a Big Brown t-shirt giveaway and simulcasting and wagering on the Belmont Stakes. The race day starts at 12:45 p.m.
The first 3,500 full paid admissions at Old Hilltop will receive a Big Brown t-shirt. The giveaway starts after Pimlico’s fifth race. A sizable crowd is expected to be on hand to see if the Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner can complete a historic sweep of the Triple Crown. Post time for the Belmont is 6:25 p.m.
The Whimsical Stakes has attracted ten fillies and mares who will race six-furlongs on the main track. The morning line favorite is Circuit Breaker, a Steve Klesaris trainee to be ridden by Luis Garcia. Klesaris will also start Oelectra with Rosie Napravnik aboard.
Circuit Breaker (5-2) has four lifetime wins and 13 in the money finishes in 18 career starts. She finished second in Laurel’s Primonetta Stakes in April, then was disqualified to fourth after finishing second in Monmouth’s Red Cross Stakes in her most recent try. The daughter of Yes It’s True had a sharp three-furlong workout at the Fair Hill Training Center Saturday. Oelectra (5-1) has five straight in the money finishes this year, including a third in the Langhorne Stakes at Philadelphia Park.
Trainer Larry Jones will send Clay’s Angel (7-2) from his base at Delaware Park to challenge the two Klesaris runners. She has won four times at the distance but is still seeking her first added money win. In her latest start, the daughter of Gulch finished third in the Dashing Beauty Stakes at Delaware on Kentucky Derby day, behind Cash’s Girl, who ran a solid fifth in the Grade II Allaire duPont Distaff on the Preakness undercard, and Akronism, who won the Skipat Stakes earlier on Preakness day. Clay’s Angel worked a four-furlong bullet Tuesday morning in preparation for the Whimsical.
“She is coming into this race very well,” Jones said. “She generally lays pretty close to the lead. She has a good turn of foot and with her tactical speed will be pretty close early so as not to leave herself too much work to do late.”
Acinonyx (9-2) will represent the Mark Shuman barn. This well traveled miss has raced at eight tracks during her twelve lifetime starts. Her most recent effort was a third place finish in the Skipat Stakes on Preakness day.
Completing the field are Skirmish and Now It Begins, both 8-1, followed by Musical Start at 15-1 and 20-1 longshots Loveyasister, Long Time Gone and La Bomba.
RUSSELL RETURNS WITH SECOND PLACE FINISH
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Sheldon Russell
Photo Credit: Jim McCue/MJC
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Promising apprentice rider Sheldon Russell returned to action Thursday afternoon, finishing second in the second race aboard Itlbe Alright for leading owner Robert Cole, nearly 11 weeks after fracturing the T-8 and T-9 vertebrae in his back during a spill at Laurel Park on March 22. The 20-year-old missed four months after fracturing the T-5 and T-6 vertebrae at Laurel last October.
“It is good to be back. It was nice that Robert Cole put us on a live horse,” Russell said. “When we were in the hospital and realized that we broke two bones and needed surgery it was really frustrating. We had just been back a month.”
Russell burst onto the Maryland scene last fall and ranked third in Laurel Park standings when he was injured October 4 and missed the remainder of the year. He returned February 14 and had 20 wins from 90 mounts while riding for such top trainers as Scott Lake, Graham Motion, Benny Feliciano, Rodney Jenkins, Howard Wolfendale and King Leatherbury.
“We were riding for a lot of good trainers,” added Russell, who rode a career-best five winners on October 4 and had a season-high four wins February 20. “We have been back for about 10 days, working horses at Fair Hill, Delaware Park, Laurel and Bowie just trying to get out feet back in the door. We have been getting on a lot of horses in the morning but this is where it counts, in the afternoon.”
Russell is scheduled to ride three horses Friday and is named on four mounts on Saturday’s closing day card before moving his tack to Colonial Downs next week when live racing shifts to Virginia. He won his first domestic race at Colonial Downs last July.
ARCE AND NAPRAVNIK BATTLING FOR RIDING TITLE
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Josue Arce and Rosie Napravnik
Photo Credit: Jim McCue/MJC
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With two days remaining in the Pimlico spring meeting, the race for the top spot among the riders has yet to be decided. Rosie Napravnik rode two winners on Thursday’s nine-race card to move to within two wins of current leader Josue Arce, who was shutout this afternoon.
Both riders have five mounts Friday. Arce will ride 10 horses on Saturday’s 12-race card, while Napravnik will be at Delaware Park much of the afternoon and has just one mount at Pimlico.
“We have a small chance,” said Napravnik, who visited the winners’ circle with Skycrossing ($4.60-second) and Pissarro ($7.40-fifth). “We have been getting great support from the Maryland horsemen as we have been splitting time here and in Delaware.”
Arce was brought to Maryland from South Florida by leading trainer Scott Lake at the beginning of the eight-week meet in April. All but six of Arce’s 27 winners at Old Hilltop have been trained by Lake.
Lake will top the Pimlico standings for the third consecutive spring. He has 22 first place finishes, 12 more than Benny Feliciano.
-MJC-