[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 =”375″ ]UPCOMING STAKES

  • Elkwood S. (MTH) — Friday, 3yo and up, 1 mile (turf)
  • G2 Delaware Oaks (DEL) — Saturday, 3yo fillies, 1 1/16 miles
  • G3 Robert Dick Memorial S. (DEL) — Saturday, 3yo and up fillies and mares, 1 3/8 miles (turf)
  • Carl Hanford Memorial S. (DEL) — Saturday, 3yo and up, 1 mile 70 yards
  • Oh Say S. (DEL) — Saturday, 3yo, 6 furlongs
  • Long Branch S. (MTH) — Saturday, 3yo, 1 1/16 miles
  • G3 Salvator Mile S. (MTH) — Sunday, 3yo and up, 1 mile
  • G1 United Nations S. (MTH) — Sunday, 3yo and up, 1 3/8 miles (turf)[/boxify]

It’s a huge weekend of mid-Atlantic racing, with both Delaware Park and Monmouth Park carding the second-most important races of their respective meets.  Here’s what’s on tap:

  • Saturday’s Delaware Park card features four stakes and plenty of intriguing story lines.  Look for Doug McCoy’s selections for the two graded races tomorrow on The Racing Biz.  Meanwhile, among the story lines:
    • How will Pixie Dust fare in her first foray into open company and around two turns in the G2 Delaware Oaks?
    • Can trainer Mike Geralis get his first stake victory in the Carl Hanford Memorial?  His hard-hitting charge, Service for Ten, is the 3-1 second choice.
    • Can Maryland Million Nursery winner It’s a Bang make his 2014 debut a winning one in a rugged edition of the Oh Say Stakes?
    • Can Angegreen, an Italian-bred mare trained by Rick Mettee for Team Valor and Robert LaPenta, rediscover her stroke in the G3 Robert Dick Memorial?  She won three of her first four starts in Italybut is winless in nine subsequent tries, eight in the U.S.
  • And some questions from Monmouth:
    • Can Virginia-bred Just Call Kenny, shocking winner of the Spectacular Bid at Gulfstream back in January, make a successful return to the races for trainer Pat McBurney in Saturday’s Long Branch?
    • Speaking of locally trained Virginia-breds, can Marcus Vitali’s Valid find his way back to the winner’s circle in the G3 Salvator Mile on Sunday?  Or will it be Itsmyluckyday‘s… err… lucky day?
    • Can one of a bevy of United Nations contenders stamp themselves as a player in the older turf male division?  Among the candidates: G1 winner Lochte, Manhattan runner-up Kaigun,and multiple graded winner Twilight Eclipse.
  • In action from the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred/The Racing Biz Top Midlantic-bred Poll this weekend:
    • Delaunay, #3 on the older horse list, is 5-2 in the Perfect Sting Stakes at Belmont; and
    • Favorite Tale, #4 on the 3 year-old list, is 3-1 in the Oh Say Stakes at Delaware Park.