Crabcakes and Football Stakes

The feature race this weekend in Maryland is the Crabcakes and Football Stakes (G3), which will be open to fillies and mares four-years-old and up at seven furlongs over the dirt. The Grade III stakes will be the only graded stakes on the card at the track this weekend and is set to go off at a post time of 3:00 PM EST on Sunday. The race should be set to go off under clear skies with a track listed as fast at post time. Eight fillies and mares have lined up for the running of the sprint, let’s take a glance through this year’s contenders. 

1. Constitution’s Gal – ddstables4 – S. Tate – 5/1 

At six-years-old, this will be one of the older mare’s in the running for the prize money on Sunday. The striking roan mare is by top sire Constitution and is out of a graded placed dam by More Than Ready. The roan mare’s most recent start came in early November during the Miss Mags Sprint (G3) at seven furlongs in Ontario, Canada. The mare was sent to the lead out of the gate and she maintained her control of the pace up until the midway point of the sprint where she was overtaken by others vying for the lead. She would cross the wire in third, setting a speed figure of one hundred six. She would place in one other graded start last year with a second-place finish in Japan’s seven furlong The Hong Kong Dash (G3). She would last win in April of last year during an allowance race over seven furlongs in Kentucky. Here she was held just off the pace of the front runner in second early and was let go to take command of the pace midway through the race to win by a quarter of a length and setting a speed figure of one hundred ten. 

2. Love You The Most – bukowski – J. Ingram – 5/1 

Making the nineteenth career start this Sunday, the daughter of More Than Ready is a graded stakes winner at five. The brown mare’s most recent start was in late November of last year during the Avatar Sprint (G3) at six and a half furlongs in Illinois. Off the pace at the start back in ninth, the mare would not be urged to make any move until the field came into the stretch. Once asked, the mare got up for a sixth place finish, setting a speed figure of one hundred one. Her most recent win came in last August overseas in Italy during the Lil’ Leprechaun Dash (G2) at seven furlongs. Off the pace in this spot at the start too, the mare didn’t make her move until late. She went on to win the race by a length and a half after not being asked to run until the field hit the stretch. The mare would record a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred twelve for this race. 

3. Vyzi Leetons – dbwa – Z. Ayya – 7/1 

A late entry into Sunday’s field, the daughter of Gig Harbor is making her graded stakes debut with this start. The four-year-old bay filly most recently started in a listed stakes race in Nebraska over seven and a half furlongs. Last out of the gate early in eighth, the filly started to pick off other runners early on in the race and found herself crossing the wire in front by half a length while setting a speed figure of one hundred seven, nearly equaling a lifetime best of one hundred eight set in a seven-furlong allowance race over the good dirt in October of last year. 

4. Clarissas Song – ebsong – V. Elliott – 7/1 

Set to make her first graded start August of last year, the bay filly is by Candy Ride and she will be making her seventeenth career start this weekend. Her most recent start came early last month in Kentucky over seven and a half furlongs in an allowance race over a track that was rated as good. She was held well off the pace at the start of the race, twelfth out of the gate. She would start to inch up midway through the race and found herself crossing the wire fourth in the race, setting a speed figure of one hundred eight. Her most recent win came in her prior start which was in November of last year in Ontario, Canada in a seven-furlong allowance race. Off the pace here in ninth out of the gate, she would start her move midway through the race here as well and went on to win by three-quarters of a length. Her most recent graded start was last August during the Dynamita Sprint (G3) at six furlongs in Mexico in which she would finish fourth. 

5. Central Merger – sremel43 – G. Owans – 4/1 

Coming off of a recent win into this race, the six-year-old mare is one of the older contender’s for Sunday’s race and is by Central Banker and out of an allowance winning dam. She is returning to graded stakes company this week after a step down in class. Her most recent start came in an allowance race over eight and a half furlongs in New York. The mare was forwardly placed just off the pace of the front runners, third early out of the gate. She would take over the lead in the middle of the race and go on to win by a length with a speed figure of one hundred eight last September. Her most recent graded start came in June of last year during the Steadhemp / Mike Phipps Handicap (G1) over the same distance and also in New York. Well off the pace at the start of this race in twelfth, the mare never seemed to find her stride and would finish eleventh. 

6. Knowledge Is Good – evolutionary – J. Benisz – 9/2 

With twenty-one career starts, this five-year-old bay mare is seeking out her first win against graded company, having come close on several past occasions. By War Front, the mare is out of a listed stakes winning dam. Her most recent start came in December of last year in Wyoming during The Razzle Dazzle Stakes (G2) at six furlongs. With a field of seven, the mare was the last out of the gate and wasn’t urged to make her move on the rest of the field until they reached the stretch. She would make up a lot of ground here but come up a quarter of a length short as she crossed the wire in third while setting a speed figure of one hundred three. Her most recent win was a few months earlier in August during a listed stakes race over seven and a half furlongs in Arkansas. The mare faced a bigger field in this race, but was still well off the pace at the start. She also began making her move earlier in the race, at about the midway point. She would win the sprint by half a length while setting a lifetime best speed figure of one hundred thirteen. 

7. Mightmakeswrite – kfitzger – K. Eckloff – 6/1 

Finishing on the board in her last three consecutive starts, the mare by Mitole is five-years-old. She is seeking her first graded win, though she is placed against graded company. The most recent start for the bay mare was in late December during the Sugar Cookie Cup (G3) at six furlongs in Delaware. The mare settled into the middle of the pack out of the gate in fifth and started to make a steady move forward at about the midway point in the race. She would finish just a length off the pace with a second-place finish in the race, setting a speed figure of one hundred one. Her most recent win was in October during an allowance race at six and a half furlongs in Canada. She was forwardly placed in the race, rated just off the front runner in second before taking control of the lead in the final strides of the race to get up to win by a head at the wire. 

8. Seeking Requiem – outsiders – S. Hommell – 9/2 

Making her fourth start against graded company in this race, the four-year-old filly is looking for her first graded win. The chestnut is a scratch bred by Munnings. Its been a while since the fillies most recent start, which came in October of last year during The Quote The Raven (G2) at seven furlongs in Kentucky. She was forwardly placed in third at the start of the race, moved up to second midway through the contest, but then faded to fourth at the wire to finish with a speed figure of one hundred eight. Her highest speed figure was recorded in her prior start in the Daisy If Ya Do Stakes (G1) in Arizona at seven and a half furlongs which brought her another fourth-place finish while recording a speed figure of one hundred thirteen. Her most recent win came against listed company over the same distance, also in Arizona. She took the field from gate to wire in this race, setting a speed figure of one hundred seven and winning by two and a half furlongs. 

Flrancho’s Picks: 

Win: Knowledge Is Good 

Place: Constitution’s Gal 

Show: Love You The Most