The action starts at 10:30 AM and Virginia is well represented on the under card. 2019 Virginia Derby winner English Bee will compete in the $250,000 Dinner Party Stakes (Gr. 2) in Race 12 — just before the Preakness — at 5:38 PM. The Graham Motion trainee is making his first start since last October and will be ridden by Joel Rosario. The 5-year-old English Channel horse has 5 wins from 18 starts and $415,630 in purse winnings.
English Bee (inside) Holds off Jais’s Solitude to win the 2019 Virginia Derby. (photo by Coady Photography.)
Virginia-bred Boldor is in the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint Stakes. The 5-year-old Munnings gelding is 2-for-4 this year with $143,820 in earnings courtesy of back-to-back wins in the Sam’s Town Stakes at Delta Downs and the King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn. Bred by Jill Gordon-Moore and Carlos Moore, Boldor is trained by Steve Asmussen and will be ridden by Ricardo Santana Jr.
Boldor was named a TDN “Rising Star” based off his tight win in a maiden special weight race October 25th, 2018 at Keeneland. Photo by Coady Photography.
Another Virginia-bred, Pink Pearl, is in a $52,000 allowance — Race 4 on the card. The 5-year-old daughter of Animal Kingdom is conditioned by Phil Schoenthal and has earned $63,610 from a dozen outings. She was bred by Godolphin and Morgan’s Ford Farm and is out of the Black Tie Affair mare, Pearls.
A trio of Virginia-Certified horses are in as well including So Street, Never Enough Time and War Tocsin.
Maryland-bred So Street has finished first or second in 14 career starts with a bankroll of $211,923. He will face Boldor in the McKay Sprint. Bred by Larry Johnson, the 4-year-old Street Magician gelding was an allowance winner at the 2019 Colonial Downs “Racing Revival” meet. He finished second that same season in the Rosie’s Stakes which was won by Four Wheel Drive, who went on to win the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint.
So Street wins the Howard County Stakes at Laurel September 28, 2019. Photo courtesy of Jim McCue.
Never Enough Time, another Johnson-bred horse which he also owns, looks to defend her title in the $100,000 Runhappy Skipat Stakes — Race 9 on the program. The 5-year-old Munnings captured the 2020 Skipat in gate-to-wire fashion and is 5-for-12 overall with earnings of $272,393. She is a Mike Trombetta trainee and is out of What Time It Is by Partner’s Hero.
War Tocsin appears in the $150,000 Maryland Sprint Match Series (Gr. 3) — Race 11 on the card. The 5-year-old Violence gelding brings a bankroll of $171,783 into the race and is fresh off an allowance win at Parx on April 14. Bred by Hare Forest Farm of Orange, Virginia, War Tocsin is out of the Aldebaran mare, Being Anna.