Zito Shoots for Three in Friday’s Grade I Pimlico Special

No trainer has won more than two editions of the Pimlico Special since it was reinstated in 1987 after a 28-year hiatus, but Nick Zito could make it three on Friday when he saddles Wanderin Boy for the 40th running of the Grade I stake at Pimlico Race Course. Zito’s two previous winners of the Special were graduates of the Triple Crown wars – Strike the Gold in 1992 and Star Standard four years later. Wanderin Boy, one of six entered Sunday for the 1-3/16-mile handicap, comes to this year’s Pimlico Special in a much more circuitous manner.
The 5-year-old son of Seeking the Gold, owned by Arthur Hancock III, has had only nine career starts due to various injuries during his career. Unraced at 2, Wanderin Boy seems to have conquered his frailty this season after open-length victories in an allowance race and the Grade III Ben Ali at Keeneland.
“He had a good work today (59.76 seconds for five furlongs at Saratoga),’’ Zito said Sunday afternoon. “He had a good winter and a great spring. He won the Ben Ali impressively (by 5 ½ lengths over Alumni Hall). I think he’s a horse with a big upside, as far as talent goes. Hopefully, he’ll have a big chance in that race.”
In addition to Wanderin Boy, Zito is bringing a vanload of runners to Pimlico on Wednesday, including Hemingway’s Key for Saturday’s $1 million Preakness; Little Cliff for the Sir Barton; Andromeda’s Hero for the Schaefer Handicap; In The Gold for the Allaire DuPont Breeders’ Cup Distaff; and Prism for the Black Eyed Susan.
Wandering Boy will carry highweight of 117 pounds, including jockey Javier Castellano, conceding between one and five pounds to his five rivals. Invasor, the Uruguayan champion, and Harlington, trained by Todd Pletcher, will both carry 116 pounds, one more than the Pletcher-trained West Virginia and five pounds more than Funny Cide, the 2003 Kentucky Derby and Preakness Stakes winner, and We Can Seek.
Pimlico handicapper Frank Carulli will set the morning line for the Special on Wednesday.
Funny Cide, who scored by just less than 10 lengths in the Preakness, will also be entered Wednesday for the Grade III William Schaefer Handicap on Saturday’s Preakness undercard.
“I put him in there today, but I’d like to run him in the William Schaefer the next day. It’s a little easier spot. I think it’s the proper spot,” said trainer Barclay Tagg. “He needs a couple of easier races. It’s taken us a couple of years to get him over his back problems, so he needs a couple of easier races.”
The $500,000 Pimlico Special anchors Friday’s card of five stakes races worth approximately $1.4 million. The Special and the $250,000 Woodford Reserve Black-Eyed Susan will be televised by ESPN (5-6 p.m.). While the $125,000 Adena Stallions’ Miss Preakness Stakes, the $75,000 The Very One Stakes and the $200,000 Allaire Dupont Breeders’ Cup Distaff will be televised on ESPN2 (2-5 p.m.)
The Black Eyed Susan, a Grade II stake for 3-year-old fillies, drew a field of eight. Among the likely favorites is trainer John Sadler’s She’s An Eleven, who has been first or second in all four starts this season. After breaking her maiden, the daughter of In Excess won the restricted $200,000 Melair at Hollywood on April 30.
David Menard and Richard Shultz’ Celestial Legend, the winner of six of eight starts, is the 120-highweight and likely favorite in The Adena Stallions’ Miss Preakness Stakes. A field of seven 3-year-old fillies was entered in the six-furlong Grade III race.
Celestial Legend, trained by Dale Capuano, will be making her first start since finishing last as the 1-2 favorite in the Peach Blossom at Delaware Park on April 22. The City Zip filly reeled off six consecutive victories to start her career before finishing second in the Grade III Cicada at Aqueduct on May 18. In the Peach Blossom, Celestial Legend got away from the gate slowly, rushed up into contention but faded late in the race. Also in the field are Wildcat Bettie B, who ran third in the Grade II Beaumont at Keeneland on April 13; and G. City Gal, an Exclusive Quality filly handled by Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher.
The top two finishers in the $100,000 Giant’s Causeway at Keeneland are entered in The Very One Stakes, a five-furlong turf sprint for fillies. Famous chef Bobby Flay is one of the co-owners of Giant’s Causeway winner Gilded Gold, who has won seven of her 15 career starts. Gilded Gold edged Bright Gold by three-quarters of a length at Keeneland. Bright Gold, the 3-1 favorite in the Giant’s Causeway, is trained by Mary Eppler for owner-breeder Hazel Marsh.
A field of nine was entered for the Grade III Allaire DuPont Breeders’ Cup Distaff for fillies and mares, led by trainer Todd Pletcher’s Doubledogdare Stakes winner Pool Land and trainer Nick Zito’s former Grade I winner In The Gold.
Pool Land, a 4-year-old daughter of Silver Deputy, has won four of five career starts for owner Eugene Melnyk. In The Gold, a 4-year-old filly owned by Live Oak Plantation, won the Grade I Gazelle last year and was fifth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff.
Source: www.preakness.com