Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Shackled Love heads to Tesio
Trainer Gary Capuano reports that Shackled Love, upset winner of last Saturday’s $100,000 Private Terms Stakes for 3-year-olds at Laurel Park, “came out of the race well” and will point for the $125,000 Federico Tesio at Laurel on April 17. The Tesio serves as an automatic qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the Grade 1, $1 million Preakness on May 15 at Pimlico.
Capuano said that the connections always had high hopes for the son of Preakness winner Shackleford and stakeswinning miler Steady N Love.
“We had some pretty good expectations for him,” Capuano said. “He trained well. He’s a very tall, big horse and he’s filling out and getting a little better each race.”
Capuano also trains stakes winner Shackqueenking, the Private Terms fourth-place finisher.
“I thought he ran well,” Capuano said. “He was right there turning for home. He got within a half-length or so of the top pair and he has a tendency to hang a little bit. The other two finished up quick and nobody was able to close into them. I wish he would have finished a little better.”
Capuano also reported that stakes winner Threes Over Deuces, second in the Grade 3 General George in 2020, will return for a 6-year-old campaign.
“He’s back in training. Another 30 days or so, he’ll be about ready,” Capuano said. “We gave him a freshening. He’d been running for a couple of years straight and never really got any time off. We gave him the winter and he looks good.”
The ultra-consistent Maythehorsebwithu, runner-up and beaten favorite in the Private Terms, came out of the race “a little tired,” according to trainer Brittany Russell, but is also likely for the Tesio.
Michael Trombetta, trainer of sixth-place finisher Royal Number, felt the lack of early pace worked against his colt.
“The first two horses lined up. It seemed like they were going plenty fast enough, but when we started to gain a little momentum and run to them, they ran away from us,” Trombetta said. “I think the speed was a little better than average on that day and the track was helpful for those kinds of horses.”
Littlestitious stranded
Littlestitious successfully shipped up from her Fair Grounds base to grab the $100,000 Beyond the Wire for 3-year-old fillies at one mile last weekend. She’ll stay in Maryland longer than expected due to circumstances beyond her control.
“Right now, Laurel is under a herpes quarantine and we’re not going anywhere,” trainer Tom Amoss said from New Orleans. “We’re going back into training Thursday morning with Brittany Russell. She’s kinda steering the ship right now. Plotting the next race, a lot depends on what happens in Maryland versus when this restriction is going to get lifted.”
Fraudulent Charge earned her third consecutive stakes placing with her runner-up effort.
“Our filly did come back a little bit tired,” said trainer Lacey Gaudet. “I don’t know if it was the first time stretching out. She ran her eyeballs out. We were absolutely pleased.”
Gaudet is looking forward to getting Fraudulent Charge out around two turns. The next local divisional race is the Weber City Miss at 1 1/16 miles on April 17.
Gaudet’s multiple stakeswinning sprinter Dontletsweetfoolya was forced to pass on last Saturday’s Correction at Aqueduct due to the equine herpesvirus quarantine.
“She worked fantastic the other day,” Gaudet said. “I think our hands are going to be tied. We’ll probably just give March a rest.”
Gaudet mentioned the $100,000 Primonetta on the Tesio undercard as a potential goal.
Trombetta sends out exacta
The Trombetta-trained duo of Kiss the Girl and Lookin Dynamic completed the exacta in the $75,000 Conniver for Maryland-bred filly and mares at seven furlongs last Saturday.
“I was a little concerned because the plan was to run her [Kiss the Girl] in an allowance race about a month before and the race never went,” said Trombetta. “We didn’t want to ship her out of town so I had to train to the stake.”
Lookin Dynamic sprinted for the first time since her debut and rallied stoutly.
“I’m very proud of her. She ran good. I was just basically taking a flyer with her,” Trombetta said. He mentioned her versatility when considering future options. “I think she’ll do seven-eighths, two turns, and I think she’ll do turf as well.”
◗ Russell said that Whereshetoldmetogo exited her odds-on victory in the $75,000 Not For Love for older Maryland-bred sprinters in good order and will point for the Frank Y. Whiteley on the Federico Tesio undercard on April 17.
◗ Cordmaker snapped a 10-race losing streak with a gate-to-wire victory in the $100,000 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial.
“I think it will do a great deal for his confidence and he came out of it very well,” said trainer Rodney Jenkins “We’re probably going to lay off a couple or three weeks and go again in the Pimlico Special.”
Penn Mile returns
After a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 shutdown, the Grade 2, $300,000 Penn Mile, a turf race for 3-year-olds, will return to Penn National on Friday, May 28.
“We are excited to once again offer the Penn Mile as it signals a return to normalcy,” Eric Johnston, director of racing operations for Penn National, said in a track release.
The purse of the Penn Mile had been $500,000 since its creation in 2013.