On tap: Weekenders to watch

Who’re we watching? Let’s see what’s on tap in the mid-Atlantic (and elsewhere) this weekend:

• Wye Not Win, Laurel Park, Sunday, Race 3 (1:29), Maiden claiming $40,000-$35,000, 3yo, 6 furlongs
  • West Virginia-bred Fear the Cape gelding has been entered and scratched twice but has yet to actually race… Shows a good enough set of works leading up to his debut… Modest group lacks any true monsters, leaving open the possibility of a debut upset.  Trained by the red-hot Donald Barr, winning at a 27 percent clip over the last six months at a hefty flat-bet profit… Barr has won with two of his last seven debut runners overall (two others were in the money), and he’s won with three of his last eight to debut against maiden claimers… Xavier Perez hops aboard.
• Toast of Mayfair, Laurel Park, Sunday, Race 7 (3:31), Allowance N1X, 3yo fillies, 6 furlongs
  • Super well-bred Speightstown filly won like a good thing at first asking at 3-5 odds but two subsequent starts haven’t been quite as impressive.  Daughter of G1 winner Appealing Zophie was well-fancied in her next start, the Gin Talking, but didn’t show much that day, finishing well up the track behind Lake Sebago.  Her last — a fifth-place finish against similar — might not look like much, but it may have been better than it appears.  Easy winner Lindisfarne returned to win the Marshua impressively while earning an 80 Beyer.  And this runner had the worst of the trip that day, struggling and mostly failing to find a good seam in which to run in the lane.  Top trainer Graham Motion’s given her two months off, and she’s showing a good enough work tab since.
• Ground Control, Parx Racing, Saturday, Race 8 (3:34), Allowance N3L, 4yo and up, 7 furlongs
  • Top trainer Tony Dutrow sends out a runner who had the look of being something when debuting with a nine-length win at Aqueduct a year ago, and the pricey Awesome Again colt validated that with a Laurel allowance score next out… Lone try in stakes company, in the Bud Delp at Delware, didn’t go so well — he was last of six — but that was a rugged crew.  Went three months between second race and third and another eight before making his fourth start; this’ll be his first race on “normal” rest since his second start, nearly a year ago… Third place finisher from his last was multiple stakes winner Bernie the Maestro… Frankie Pennington stays aboard… Added furlong likely to help a horse who was off slow last time before getting rolling… Dutrow strikes at a 30 percent clip second off the layoff
• Combat Diver, Aqueduct, Saturday, Race 9 (4:50), G3 Gotham, 3yo, 1 1/16 miles
  • Maryland-bred will receive a stern class test in this race worth 50 Kentucky Derby points to the winner… Was a near-miss second, to Savvy Street, in the Miracle Wood, after having a bit of trouble, and rider Sheldon Russell makes the trek northward to retain the mount… Gary Contessa trainee was 10th (at 40-1) in the G2 Remsen in November… G3 Jerome winner El Kabeir gets favoritism and figures tough in here.  With some speed in the race, closing sort may get the trip he wants, but is he good enough?  Hard to recommend sending in a wager, but his performance might tell us how good the Miracle Wood was.
• Kiss the Road, Gulfstream, Saturday, Race 8 (4:00), Maiden special weight, 3yo, 5 1/2 furlongs
  • Pricey West Virginia-bred debuts at long odds (20-1) for trainer Nick Zito.  His modest work tab — along with trainer Nick Zito’s dismal first-starter record and rider Jose Valdivia’s two wins in 78 starts — make dropping a wager inadvisable.  But the Calumet-owned Bellamy Road colt is one of 23 Midlantic-breds nominated to the Triple Crown, so we’ll be keeping an eye on him.