Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Mitole solid for Chick Lang; rematch in The Very One
BALTIMORE – Mitole has won three of his last four starts for trainer Steve Asmussen and looked brilliant pulling away to a nine-length victory in the Bachelor Stakes on closing weekend of the Oaklawn Park meet. He’ll be a heavy favorite in the $200,000 Chick Lang on Saturday at Pimlico.
The Lang, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds, has attracted a field of nine that also includes Curly’s Rocket from the barn of Al Stall Jr.; Soutache, who is trained by Ralph Nicks; and two-time Maryland stakes winner Just Having Fun, who will be shortening in distance for Tim Keefe.
Mitole blazed six furlongs in 1:08.41 in the Bachelor, the fastest time of the Oaklawn meet. The race earned a 107 Beyer Speed Figure, tied for best by a 3-year-old this year. He reeled off early fractions of 21.32 seconds and 44.22.
Mitole’s lone loss in his last four starts came at Oaklawn in the Gazebo Stakes, which was run over a sloppy track, conditions he may face again Saturday. Mitole was 2-5 in the Gazebo.
Mitole stumbled at the start, then battled the entire race with his stablemate Direct Dial. While those two were knocking heads in the stretch, 6-1 Bourne in Nixa rallied by them on the outside to win by 1 3/4 lengths. Mitole bested Direct Dial for second by a neck.
“I’m worried about the weather back at Pimlico this weekend,” Asmussen said by phone. “His one off-track race was very disappointing.”
Mitole trained over a sloppy Pimlico surface Thursday.
Curly’s Rocket won a maiden race at Santa Anita before being sent to Stall at Oaklawn Park, where he won a first-level optional-claiming race by 2 1/4 lengths. Take Charge Dude, the third-place finisher in that race, came back to win an optional claimer at Arlington.
Soutache won the In Reality and Affirmed divisions of the Florida Stallion Series at Gulfstream Park at 2. In his lone start at 3, he was second-best to Madison’s Luna in the Grade 3 Hutcheson on March 24.
Girls Know Best vs. Just Talkin
Girls Know Best and Just Talkin, the first- and secondplace finishers in the $175,000 Ladies’ Turf Sprint on the Pegasus World Cup undercard at Gulfstream Park in January, will meet again in The Very One Stakes.
The Very One, a five-furlong turf race for fillies and mares, has drawn a field of 14. Expect a less-than-firm course.
Girls Know Best, a winner of 3 of 5 starts since being claimed by Eddie Kenneally for $40,000 last fall, made the lead in the Ladies’ Turf Sprint and was able to hold off Just Talkin by three-quarters of a length. Girls Know Best caught a break in that race when Blue Bahia, whom she was battling with in the stretch, stumbled and was taken up.
Girls Know Best, winner of 8 of 14 starts, is coming off a sixlength allowance win at Keeneland. Javier Castellano rides.
Since the Ladies’ Turf Sprint, Just Talkin has finished third in the Captiva Island and won a turf-sprint allowance at Gulfstream for trainer Jason Servis.
Smiling Causeway will be making her 4-year-old debut in The Very One. She put together a 7-4-3-0 record for trainer Arnaud Delacour between May and December. She scored her initial stakes win in the Lightning City at Tampa Bay to conclude her sophomore season.
A winner both on the lead and from just off the pace, Smiling Causeway has worked nine times at Tampa and at Fair Hill for her return to competition.
Chanteline will be switching back to turf after winning the Spring Fever Stakes on dirt at Oaklawn Park for trainer Steve Asmussen. She won the Richie Scherer Memorial on turf at Fair Grounds in December.
Anna’s Bandit has developed into a very nice runner for Laurel Park-based horseman Jerry Robb and comes into The Very One on a four-race win streak, which includes the Conniver for Maryland-registered runners and the Down Town Allen for West Virginiabreds on the Charles Town Classic undercard.
Although this will be her turf debut, Robb tried to get her on turf last fall but the race was switched to the main track. Anna’s Bandit is 6 for 11. Xavier Perez rides.