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• SATURDAY
  • Charles Town 7 (9:58 p.m.) – Holiday Handicap, 3 and up, 4 1/2 furlongs
  • Charles Town 8 (10:25 p.m.) – Eleanor Casey Memorial, 2yo fillies bred in West Virginia, 7 furlongs[/boxify]

Two stakes in the mid-Atlantic this weekend, and plenty of questions…

• Can Henny’s Princess lock in her second stake win of the year in the Eleanor Casey at Charles Town?  And what about a pair of lightly raced horses, Practical Ideas (who lost by just a neck to Henny’s Princess last out) and flashy debut winner Windsor’s Punch?
• Can Lucy’s Bob Boy post his 17th career victory at Charles Town?  To do it, he’ll have to shorten up from three straight nine furlong races to a 4 1/2 furlong sprint, and he’ll have to beat hard-hitting distance specialists like Fearsome, who traded wins with Immortal Eyes earlier this year at the distance.  For more on these two questions, see our stakes preview.
• In Laurel’s allowance feature, can Maryland Million Starter Handicap winner Tooth N Claw get back on track after two dismal outings?  The horse figures to be up against it and is lined at 20-1, plus he’ll have to do it without Chelsey Keiser, who piloted him to Maryland Million glory; she’s on American Ransom, who’s 15-1.  On the other hand, Claw’s conditioner Ann Merryman has secured the services of red-hot apprentice Victor Carrasco.  Favored Twelve Stone (2-1) will look to break a streak of three consecutive second-place finishes.
• Will Parx Racing actually manage to race this weekend?  The Bensalem track has canceled five consecutive cards.
• Can Noctivagant, Queen Anna, or Italian Nany win Saturday’s fifth at Penn National.  Though it’s a nondescript race — $15,000 claimers that haven’t won in six months — but those three runners have all won five times this year, a more than healthy total.  Will one of ’em make it six?

Good luck this weekend!

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