Friday action at Fair Grounds features a lone stakes event the $50,000 Buddy Diliberto Memorial Stakes for older horses going a mile and one sixteenth on the grass.
The field of nine is led by 5/2 morning line favorite, Gentleman’s Kitten, who most recently finished eighth in the grade 3 River City Handicap November 8 at Churchill Downs. Prior to that effort, the Michael Maker trainee finished second in the Remington Stakes and won the Cliff Guillliams Handicap at Ellis Park. The graded stakes-placed son of turf champion Kitten’s Joy has amassed $232,219 in his career while winning 5 of 15 races. He will break from the rail under veteran jockey James Graham.
Grand Contender (4/1) ran third in the Delta Downs Mile November 22 in his last start. The Tom Amoss trainee is a multiple graded stakes winner, earning consecutive victories last spring in a pair of grade 3 stakes races: the Texas Mile Stakes, and the Lone Star Park Handicap. The four year-old son of Strong Contender is winless in his last three starts – all in minor stakes races, but has finished off the board just once in 2014 in eight starts. Francisco Torres has the mount in the Buddy Diliberto.
Adios Nardo (9/2) has been away since April – a fourth place finish against allowance company at Keeneland. The Leo Gabriel trainee fits with this group if he can return to his early 2014 form which included a second place finish in the grade 3 Colonel E.R. Bradley Handicap at Fair Grounds in January.
The Grade 2 $1.25 million Pennsylvania Derby features the two biggest names from the Triple Crown trail September 24 at Parx as a field of 12 gathers in one of the most intriguing betting races of the year.
The $1 million Cotillion Stakes September 24 at Parx features a true clash of the titans as the six-horse field is headlined by the undefeated, five-time grade 1 winner Songbird who figures to face the most stern challenge of her career.
In a completely wide open renewal of the Presque Isle Mile September 18 at Presque Isle Downs, 13 runners including the also-eligible will contest the eight furlong trip over synthetic footing.
Champion Songbird is set to make her much-anticipated return to the races in the $200,000 Summertime Oaks at Santa Anita on Saturday. The Grade 2 event will be run at a mile and a sixteenth and has attracted a field of seven.
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