[boxify cols_use =”3″ cols =”5″ position =”right” order =”none” box_spacing =”5″ padding =”3″ background_color =”gray” background_opacity =”10″ border_width =”1″ border_color =”blue” border_style =”dotted” height =”145″ ]UPCOMING STAKES

  • Lighthouse S. (MTH) — Saturday, 3yo and up fillies and mares, 1 1/16 miles
  • Mr. Prospector S. (MTH) — Sunday, 3yo and up, 6 furlongs[/boxify]

Here’s what’s on tap for the weekend of June 28-29:

  • Saturday’s $75,000 Lighthouse Stakes at Monmouth Park has drawn a field of seven older fillies and mares going a route of ground, and it’s something of a mixed bag.  Pletcher shipper Majestic River, who owns three wins from six career starts, is the 2-1 chalk.  But she’ll have to contend with a handful of stake winners here, among them Justakiss winner South Andros, who’s won three straight dirt decisions, all taken off the turf; Firenze Feeling, who has three straight middling performances between her and her Nellie Morse victory; and Glens Falls winner Lady Cohiba, most recently third in the Monmouth Beach.
  • Sunday’s Mr. Prospector, also at Monmouth, is all about hard-hitting Ribo Bobo (9-5).  The six year-old son of Louis Quatorze, an 18-time winner in his career, has won 13 of his last 15 starts.  Trained by Jason Servis, who claimed him for $6250, Ribo Bobo has won 12 of 22 starts at this six-furlong trip and both tries at Monnmouth.  Last out, he won Monmouth’s Decathlon Stakes in May; two of his beaten rivals that day returned victorious, including Partyallnightlong, who won the Reilly for NJ-breds and is here to try his luck again.
  • Sunday’s Grade 3 Victory Ride, 6 1/2 furlongs for three year-old fillies at Belmont, presents an oddity: as many of the runners are Pennsylvania-breds as are Kentucky-breds.  Their number includes Miss Behaviour, who most recently won Pimlico’s Miss Preakness Stakes; Red Velvet, dominant winner of the Jersey Girl over the strip; and Fat Kat, most recently second in the Jostle at Parx Racing.
  • Sunday will see the 80th annual Maryland Horse Breeders Association Yearling Show at the state fairgrounds in Timonium.  Come see the stars of tomorrow today, starting at 10:00 a.m.
  • In action from the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred/The Racing Biz Top Midlantic-bred Poll this weekend:
    • Delaunay, #4 on the older horse list, is 8-5 in the Iowa Sprint Handicap;
    • Thank You Marylou, #2 on the 3 year-old list, is 7-2 in the Grade 3 Iowa Oaks.