Two-year-old filly Cathryn Sophia stamped herself one to watch with a 16-length win in the Gin Talking Stakes at Laurel Park Saturday.
Top runners from trainers Graham Motion and John Servis will aim for the top prize in Saturday’s Grade 1, $750,000 Delaware Handicap — but it won’t be easy.
Several runners, including 2014 Delaware Oaks winner Fortune Pearl, may use Saturday’s G3 Obeah as a springboard to next month’s Grade 1 Delaware Handicap.
Multiple Grade 1 winner Stopchargingmaria, who won the 2014 Black-Eyed Susan, returns to Pimlico as the likely favorite in the Allaire DuPont Distaff Stakes.
For Pat Chapman and John Servis, it was like old times when Nasa won the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes Saturday — the race that launched his sire, Smarty Jones.
Joint Return is the lukewarm 5-2 favorite in Saturday’s Grade 2 Delaware Oaks, which has drawn four from the Black-Eyed Susan, including runner-up Vero Amore.
A decade ago, John Servis and Smarty Jones were the toast of Baltimore. Servis will be back Friday, when Joint Return runs in the Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.
On a big day at Laurel Park, three of the four stake winners paid at least $16 to win.