The Dinky Liquor Special

This Saturday, three-year-olds are coming to the District of Columbia to compete in the Dinky Liquor Special, held on firm turf at 1 1/8 mile, with a purse of $30,000. The race is named after Dinky Liquor – who was more formidable on the track than his name might suggest. He won four stakes races, including the Grade II Walnut BB Mile, and almost half a million dollars.

1 – PRINCE OF SHERWOOD (3/1) has never finished off the board in his five-race career, and has steadily progressed since he first started in late August last year. Winning here against Title Defense – who usually runs significantly better speed numbers – will be a big challenge, but this colt has never run a bad race. Prince of Sherwood is coming off a third-place showing in the Senor Football Memorial.

2 – On paper, TITLE DEFENSE (4/5) outshines the competition and has earned his status as favorite in this short field. He started his career in April last year on dirt, and did quite well, winning a Maiden Special Weight and finishing fourth in a stakes race. However, when owner/trainer Futurestar of Dixiedotco Racing tried him on turf, he truly blossomed, winning a stakes race in his first start on the new surface. Since then he has placed second in two consecutive Grade III turf races. No one else in the field has come close to his 105 speed number from the Panhandle Park Derby (G3).

3 – BOCOSTA (8/1) has posted solid numbers throughout his five race career, but has never displayed the brilliance that will likely be necessary to win the Dinky Liquor. Bocosta won last time out in a NW2L allowance race, but the field there was much weaker than the Dinky Liquor’s. Prince of Sherwood and Title Defense have routinely posted speed numbers ten and twenty points higher than Bocosta, respectively. That gap is probably too far to close.

4 – LET THEM ALL TALK (9/1) had some success in stakes races as a two-year-old, hitting the board four times in a row after breaking his maiden at first asking. However, his ability has remained relatively static since last August. At this point, he looks to be about evenly matched with Bocosta – and that means this race may be too ambitious for him.

5 – CHILL OF LIGHT (3/1) is the least experienced horse in the race, with only four starts. He’s never finished worse than second. With a top speed number in the low 90s, Chill of Light, like Prince of Sherwood, is in a good position to hit the board or perhaps win – if Title Defense performs uncharacteristically poorly.