Weekend Winners Club

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Friday, May 17, Pimlico. It’s that time of year: early summer. Pimlico is in full swing about to host the Preakness Stakes tomorrow, but before we even get to Saturday racing, they have a great card going on today with 4 graded stakes and 3 listed stakes in what is traditionally known as Black Eyed Susan day.
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But while you’re swilling that harshly bitter lemony alcoholic beverage, you can enjoy a lot of other great races, including the one before the BES. My favorite race of this weekend annually is the Pimlico Special, born in 1938 in the historic match race between Seabiscuit and War Admiral. Watch the movie or read the book if you don’t get the reference.
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This year’s field has 13 older horses after a scratch going 10 furlongs on the historic Pimlico dirt course. What makes this field great is that there is absolutely no clear cut favorite, but rather 4 horses with morning lines between 4.5 and 6. The rest are all at double digit odds but some of them should be much lower.
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YOU’RE TO BLAME will likely be the post time favorite, since he is the winner of a 13f G3 race 3 back, following that up with 2nd in a 12f stakes and then won an OCM. He’s also top in Stamina and LP in the Grid.
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TENFOLD will be another virtual co-favorite as he returns to the scene of the crime where he placed 3rd in the Preakness here a year ago at 26-1. His last win was the Jim Dandy G2 last July and comes off a disappointing 7th in the Oaklawn Hcp.
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FLAMEAWAY is another at single digits and was also on the Triple Crown trail last year. He was 2nd in the Blue Grass G2 before an awful Derby and finished ¾ behind Tenfold in the Dandy.
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RALLY CRY is the low ML at 4.5-1 and has good 9f stakes experience but his last win was August when he was in top form before his 2nd in the Woodward G1, and he usually fades down the stretch. He has top Grid EP but this field has plenty of speed in it.
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CORDMAKER at 12-1 ML is 2nd in LP and Stamina in the Grid and is a Maryland master, coming off 2 wins at Laurel and looks like he will like the extra distance that he hasn’t raced at before.
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CARLINO also at 12-1 is 3rd in LP and Stamina, just 1 point behind and has performed well at classic distances, last finishing 4th in the JCGC G1 last September, but he hasn’t raced since then.
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WAIT FOR IT at 15-1 is also top 5 in LP/Stamina and also 2nd in Power and 1st in Speed, so he can’t be ignored, but he’s a front runner who hasn’t raced longer than 8.5f so is a question mark.
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JUST WHISTLE at 20-1 rounds out the top LP and Stamina Club. His best career race was probably a fading 3rd in the Peter Pan.
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UNBRIDLED JUAN at 12-1 will get some action as a multiple mid-atlantic stakes winner. He has a win and 3rd at 9f recently but comes off a subpar 7th in the Charles Town Classic.
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The rest of the field will need to take a previously unachieved step up in class to contend here today, but as you can see, over half the field can be considered at least a contender for some purse money. So it’s a very competitive race should be good for betting.
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Get the Pimlico Friday Grid here free to follow along with the stakes action!

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