It’s back! The race made famous in the film Seabiscuit that has it’s roots firmly entrenched in the proud history of Maryland thoroughbred racing has finally returned. After a brief but painful absence, the Grade 1 Pimlico Special returns to Baltimore on Friday with a star-studded field. Several big-name entries have been attracted, including Grasshopper, Student Council, Xchanger, and A.P. Arrow. All eight runners are winners of graded stakes. Let’s take a look at the field for the 1 3/16 mile race:
- Ryan’s for Real (Eric Rodriguez) 10/1
- Gotcha Gold (C.C. Lopez) 9/2
- Student Council (Shaun Bridgmohan) 6/1
- A.P. Arrow (Ramon Dominguez) 5/2
- Xchanger (Garrett Gomez) 20/1
- Wanderin Boy (Kent Desormeaux) 8/1
- Grasshopper (Robby Albarado) 3/1
- Sir Whimsey (Edgar Prado) 10/1
- Temporary Saint (John Velazquez) 10/1
Doubtless the two most well known names here will be Grasshopper and A.P. Arrow. We last saw A.P. Arrow chasing Curlin in the Dubai World Cup at Nad Al Sheba racecourse. The son of A.P. Indy finished 4th that day to the reigning Horse of the Year. A.P. Arrow made a name for himself in 2007 by winning both the Grade 2 Clark Handicap and the Grade 3 Skip Away Handicap.
A.P. Arrow wins the Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs 11/23/07
Grasshopper made me take notice last year as he chased Street Sense in the Travers. Since then he’s taken the Grade 3 Mineshaft Handicap. At one point in time I had this guy ranked right behind Heatseeker and Curlin as one of the top older dirt horses. That appears to have been a bit too aggressive, but still serves as an indication of how highly I think of him. He’s caught a bit of bad luck lately with back-to-back 2nd place finishes in the New Orleans Handicap and the Westchester Handicap.
It takes Street Sense everything he has to get past Grasshopper in the Travers last August
Xchanger you may remember as the pace-setter for last year’s Preakness. Many forget that it was Xchanger who set the early fractions before Hard Spun went up to challenge for the lead. While Xchanger faded quickly last year in the Preakness, it is worth noting that he’s the only horse of the field with a victory of Pimlico’s main track, which is notorious for favoring speed.
Wanderin Boy is the old man of the field at 7 years old. The Nick Zitotrainee has probably seen better days, but he still belongs with this group.
Student Council brings his cool $1 million in stakes earnings to the table. He’s the winner of the prestigious Grade 1 Pacific Classic, but has not been able to cash in his last 4 starts.
The pace could be hot in this one, with Wanderin Boy, Gotcha Gold, Ryan’s For Real, XChanger, and Temporary Saint all potentially going for the lead. Heck, even Grasshopper has been on the gas early in the past as evidenced by his Travers replay above. This could open things up for A.P. Arrow to be moving well late. I also believe Grasshopper will be rating on Friday rather than on the gas, so count him amongst those that could benefit from a hot early pace. I think Gotcha Gold has the best chance of the speed horses to hang on for share – should the pace develop so hotly.
I”m likely going to go with Grasshopper for the win, with A.P. Arrow underneath for place. I expect A.P. Arrow will take most of the play, but I’m curious to see how he performs in the dreaded first race back from Dubai. I don’t necessarily buy into that notion, but enough horses have flopped on their returns to provide at least a moment of pause. The field looks wide open though so if you’re planning on launching some multi-race tickets it might be wise to leave yourself some room for multiple selections here.
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