Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
May the horse bwithu stretches to two turns in Private Terms
Maythehorsebwithu and Royal Number headline the $100,000 Private Terms for 3-year-olds at 1 1/16 miles on a Saturday program at Laurel Park that features five stakes worth $450,000 in purses.
Maythehorsebwithu stretches out around two turns after winning the Miracle Wood at a mile. Although a half-brother to Grade 2 sprint winner Call Paul, trainer Brittany Russell believes Maythehorsebwithyou will handle the extra distance.
“I feel good about it,” Russell said. “He worked very well last Saturday and seems to have a lot of energy. Two turns, I’m not concerned about. I think he’ll really like it.” Maythehorsebwithu wheels back quickly. “I guess the only thing is coming back in three weeks,” Russell said. “You’d always like to give a good horse a little more time, but it also seems silly to not run because he’s doing so well.”
Michael Trombetta has no worries about the distance for Royal Number, a big winner over course and trip two back. Shipped to New York for the Grade 3 Withers, Royal Number finished fourth behind potential Kentucky Derby contender Risk Taking.
“The three horses that finished in front of him all appear to be legitimate, so I was pleased,” Trombetta said.
While May the horse bwithu appears to be the speed nearest the rail, he might face pressure from Shackled Love and Zertz.
“That’s what we want,” Trombetta said. “We like the two turns. He’s very familiar with that track. We’re looking forward to running him.”
Local stakes winner Shackqueenking, eighth in the Withers, receives Lasix for the first time.
Beyond the Wire
Street Lute, last year’s champion Maryland-bred juvenile filly, might be facing her toughest opponent yet in the $100,000 Beyond the Wire. That being said, her chief rival may not be the competition as much as the long stretch and second-wire finish of the one-turn mile.
Street Lute has won five stakes in a row, but this will be her first start past seven furlongs.
“There’s nothing in her family that went long,” trainer John Robb said. “And there’s nothing that has shown me she won’t, so I know as much as you do.”
Although the early lead appears to be Street Lute’s for the taking, Robb “would rather have something to run at and go slow. I’m hoping the outside horse would go to the lead.”
The “outside horse” is Littlestitious, shipping up from Fair Grounds for Tom Amoss. The winner of the My Trusty Cat Stakes at Delta Downs, Littlestitious also has tactical speed.
“I can see us in a stalking position,” Amoss said. “I do recognize there isn’t a lot of speed. I thought we’d be sitting off Street Lute.”
Littlestitious faced top fillies when fourth in the Grade 2 Rachel Alexandra. Despite the tough competition, Amoss was “disappointed.”
“This filly stepped forward when she ran in a two-turn race at Delta, so I had expectations of her running well despite the competition,” he said. “Did she run a good race? Yes. Did she run the race that I expected? I don’t think so.”
Fraudulent Charge made things hot for Street Lute when second in the Gin Talking and Wide Country. Trainer Lacey Gaudet is looking forward to stretching her out, especially after a five-furlong bullet on March 7.
“She worked fantastic,” Gaudet said. “It was a big work, and we weren’t planning on it being that big. It was supposed to be more of a long, easy work because it was a little bit quick back for her. She came out of it great.”
Harrison E. Johnson Memorial
Trainer Tim Keefe has Tattooed in excellent form for the $100,000 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial for Maryland-breds at 1 1/8 miles. A rallying winner of the Jennings, Tattooed then finished a good second in the Grade 3 General George traveling seven furlongs.
“He’s been training great,” Keefe said. “He’s probably one of the more consistent horses I’ve ever had.”
Keefe believes Tattooed has a “strict quarter of a mile run. You have to be patient. Timing is everything. In that respect, he is a little bit tricky to ride.”
Cordmaker, winner of this race in 2019, is in the throes of a 10-race losing streak. Trainer Rodney Jenkins is hopeful his classy gelding will get back to his winning ways.
“Certain things go wrong with him,” Jenkins said. “He looks like a bad-luck horse. He’s a nice horse to train and he’ll get his. He’s doing well.”
There isn’t much speed signed on, and Jenkins wants Cordmaker “closer to the pace. I just think he runs better that way and doesn’t get discouraged.”
The consistent Galerio boasts top-two finishes in 18 of 22 starts and earned stakes placings in both races since being claimed by Dale Bennett.
“He was wide on both turns,” Bennett noted about Galerio’s effort in the John B. Campbell. “It was a nice horse that beat him, and we were really happy with the effort.”
Bennett is impressed with the gelding’s professionalism. “He can sprint, he can go a route. Whatever position he’s in, whether he’s inside or outside, it doesn’t seem to bother him.”
◗ Where she told me to go looms a prohibitive chalk in the $75,000 Not For Love for Maryland-bred sprinters at seven furlongs. The Russell-trained gelding has won three straight against open company and will make his seasonal debut.
◗ Kiss the Girl, Grade 3-placed at 2 and a solid second to talented Gale in the Geisha Stakes on Jan. 16, could go favored in the $75,000 Conniver for Maryland-bred filly and mare sprinters at seven-eighths.