On Saturday at Charles Town, the featured race was the eighth running of the $1.25 million Charles Town Classic. The Grade 2 event went to Stanford who completed the mile and an eighth in 1:50.55.
Stanford, ridden by Javier Castellano, broke alertly and seized the early pace. Under pressure from the consistent Page McKenney, he rolled through modest early fractions of :24.75, :48.86 and opened up a one-length advantage at the top of the stretch. He drew off to win by two-lengths. Page McKenney hit the board for the 24th consecutive time and finished second while Donworth, the favorite, had to settle for third after looming boldly and then fading.
Stanford, a four-year-old son of Malibu Moon, was purchased for $550,000 as a two-year-old and is owned in partnership by breeding powerhouses Stonestreet Stables and Susan Magnier, Michael Tabor and Derrick Smith. He has improved his record to four wins from eleven starts and has bankrolled over $1.1 million in career earnings. The Charles Town Classic (G2) was his first graded stakes victory and first win of the year.
He was coming out of a narrow defeat in the Gulfstream Park Handicap (G2) which had been his second consecutive runner-up effort since returning off of a six-month layoff. He had been entered in the Kentucky Derby (G1) as a sophomore but was withdrawn days before the race. No definitive plans have been announced for his next start but the Met Mile (G1), which will be run at Belmont Park in June, may be under consideration.
The 2023 Preakness Stakes is coming up Saturday, May 20 at Pimlico! It is one of the most eagerly-awaited events of the racing year, and this is the place to […]
The Preakness Stakes is coming up on Saturday, May 15, 2021. The second jewel of the American Triple Crown drew a field of 10 top three-year-olds. Find out the top contenders in the race, and learn the best places to place your bets!
After all the drama of the Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, the racing scene shifts to Pimlico Race Course in anticipation of the running of the 2019 Preakness Stakes. A couple of the high-profile contenders from the Derby are expected in the field, as well as a number of new shooters that add to the handicapping puzzle and could provide good betting value.
The field has been established for the 2016 running of the Belmont Stakes and of the thirteen contenders, there are four horses who competed in the Preakness Stakes (G1) and are moving on to the third jewel of the Triple Crown.
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