Four Midlantic-breds competed in Saturday stakes action at Churchill Downs.  The best showing of the group was that of Pennsylvania-bred Storming Inti in the Grade 2 American Turf for three year-olds.  Ranked fifth on the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred/The Racing Biz Top Midlantic-bred Poll, Storming Inti stalked the early pace, took the lead after a half mile, and led until late, ultimately finishing second to Global View.  Virginia-bred Long on Value ran a good fourth in the same race.

[boxify cols_use =”3″ cols =”6″ position =”right” box_spacing =”5″ padding =”3″ background_color =”gray” background_opacity =”10″ border_width =”1″ border_color =”blue” border_style =”solid” height =”550″ ]PREAKNESS POSSIBLES

  • California Chrome — Derby winner’s connections have confirmed they’re Preakness-bound
  • Commanding Curve — Dallas Stewart trainee ran surprising 2nd in Kentucky Derby
  • Ride on Curlin — 7th place finisher from the Derby has placed in four graded stakes
  • Pablo Del Monte — Bluegrass show horse from the Preakness is expected to be in Baltimore
  • Dynamic Impact — Nose winner of G3 Illinois Derby considered probable
  • Bayern — Baffert trainee ran third in the G1 Arkansas Derby, second in Derby Trial
  • Social Inclusion — G1 Wood show horse considered probable
  • Kid Cruz — Tesio winner pointed here since missing Wood
  • Ring Weekend — Motion trainee, G2 Tampa Bay Derby winner, “50-50” to come
  • Strong Mandate — G1 Hopeful winner trained by D. Wayne Lukas[/boxify]

In the very next race on the card, the Grade 2 Churchill Downs, Maryland-bred Delaunay ran fifth after tiring late, and Pennsylvania-bred Falling Sky tired to 10th after making the early lead…

Parx Racing hosted a pair of Pennsylvania-bred stakes races on Saturday, the Lyman for older horses at seven furlongs and the Foxy J. G. for older fillies and mares at the same distance.  In the former, Officer Alex, a son of Officer, earned the third stakes win of his career, rallying from last early to win going away.  The four year-old now has a record of 17-5-1-1 with earnings of $227,268.  In the Foxy J. G. Where’s Rosie B, a daughter of Real Quiet who in October was toiling unsuccessfully against $16,000 lifetime claimers as recently as October, posted her fourth straight win.  She led throughout and just held off the  late charge of Villette to earn her sixth career victory and push her earnings to $238,994…

Wise Mac, a West Virginia-bred son of Wiseman’s Ferry, saw his three-race win streak snapped last out when second in Charles Town’s Confucius Say Stakes to local star In the Fairway.  Saturday, in his first start since, he resumed winning, though it wasn’t easy.  The four year-old hooked up with Viewtown in the early stages of the 6 1/2 furlong allowance test, and the two were never far apart, slugging it out all the way down the lane before Wise Mac finally prevailed by a neck.  It was seven lengths back to show horse Stray Cat Jack…

They were just $5,000 horses in a standard-issue never-won-three race — but, on Derby day, Penn National carded the race at 1 1/4 miles, the American classic distance and the same distance as the Kentucky Derby.  Trumpeter Swan, a four year-old Midnight Lute gelding, stalked the pace, came looking for the lead on the turn for home, and gradually wore down Vee’s Accolade to earn the triumph.  Running time for the 10 furlongs was 2:10.39 — nearly seven seconds slower than the Kentucky Derby.  Trumpeter Swan’s record is 10-3-1-0…

Just two days after Handsup Moneydown posted his sixth win of 2014 to draw into a tie for the national lead, Singing My Way retook command.  The five year-old son of Wilko ran his record this year to seven-for-seven with a hard-fought 3/4 length win over Shamroge in a Pimlico starter allowance.  Sent off at 1-9, he controlled the pace throughout and won by less than a length; he also attracted some bridge-jumping attention, as the win-place-show handle on the race was more than $242,000…