[boxify cols_use =”3″ cols =”5″ position =”right” order =”none” box_spacing =”5″ padding =”3″ background_color =”gray” background_opacity =”10″ border_width =”1″ border_color =”blue” border_style =”dotted” height =”205″ ]UPCOMING STAKES

Saturday

Monmouth Park

• Decathlon S. (R10) — Three years old and up, 6 furlongs[/boxify]

You’d think it would be a quiet weekend here in the mid-Atlantic, and to some extent it is, but… here’s what’s On Tap:

• It’s opening day at Monmouth Park on Saturday, the 69th season of the Shore’s Greatest Stretch (here).  The opening day feature is the $75,000 Decathlon Stakes contested at six furlongs for three year-olds and up.  It’s drawn a salty crew of 11 runners.  Hard-hitter Ribo Bobo, who’s won 12 of his last 14, is the favorite (5-2).  But this certainly doesn’t look like a cakewalk.  Among his rivals are Candyman E, who won the G3 Toboggan in February; 15-time winner Be Bullish, who took the Hollie Hughes two back; New Jersey-bred Zealevo, who’s won four of eight career starts; and another NJ-bred, Javerre, who won the Grade 3 General George in 2013.
• You don’t see Michigan-breds in the East every day — the Michigan-bred foal crop numbered fewer than 100 in 2011 and 2012 — but one, Perfect Start, is 9-2 in Saturday’s ninth race from Charles Town.  It’s a first-level allowance/optional claimer for three year-olds and up going 4 1/2 furlongs.  Perfect Start, a gelded son of Jump Start out of the stakes-winning Bold Hour mare Starlit Hour, owns 12 wins, with earnings of over $220,000, in his 49-race career.  He won the 2009 Mackinac Handicap for Michigan-breds at short-lived Pinnacle Race Course, and ran fifth, behind Gone Astray, in that year’s Grade 2 Ohio Derby.  Post time for the ninth on Saturday is 10:38.
• The horse of interest this weekend at Parx Racing might be Fat Kat in the eighth on Saturday, a first-level allowance.  She’s the 8-5 favorite with John Bisono up.  The three year-old daughter of Weigelia ran fourth in her career debut but has won two straight — by a combined total of nearly 17 lengths.  She blitzed maidens by 6 1/2 lengths and then returned to crush state-bred allowance fillies by by 10 1/4.
• No horses from the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred/The Racing Biz Top Midlantic-bred Poll are in action this weekend.

The weekend’s featured race from Pimlico is the eighth, a starter allowance going six furlongs on the main track for horses that have started for $25,000 or less and never won two:

1. Sam’s Sonic (9-5) — Ham Smith trainee, away since October, has never won in 10 tries on the main track — but has finished second five times.  This is a barn that doesn’t have a stellar record with horses returning from similar layoffs and a horse who — despite having run one very good race at six furlongs — looks perhaps to want to go a bit further.  That all adds up to 9-5 being an awfully short price…
2. Twopointsforhonour (20-1) — Three year-old that broke his maiden for $12,500 and ran up the track against allowance foes looks be be in a bit deep against the likes of these.  He did run a credible third against $20,000 claimers, but that was back in November, and those were two year-olds…
3. Hollow Creek (15-1) — Salzman, Jr. runner obliterated maiden claimers to graduate back in October but has been away since.  Show horse that day won next out.  Fired a bullet work on Derby day at three-quarters to punctuate a decent work tab.  This is an interesting spot for a long-odds runner who has a shot to do better than that…
4. Rockinn On Bye (6-1) — Finished fifth against similar last out at 1 1/16 miles, now dials back to six furlongs.  None of the four to run back from his last has finished in the money.  He broke his maiden narrowly against $25,000 foes and has made six of nine starts at a mile or farther.  Has finished second in two of three sprint tries…
5. Kobel (6-1) — Don’t hold that disastrous last try against him too much, as it was his first on the lawn.  Broke his maiden at first asking against $25,000 rivals and then ran a credible third in allowance company; place horse that day has run second in a pair of subsequent stakes tries.  His trip to the Private Terms was a disaster — last at 114-1 odds — but that day’s winner, Kid Cruz, will make his next start in the Preakness.  In a fairly paceless race, his lack of tactical speed may be his undoing, but he fits with these…
6. Miners Quest (6-5) — Slight morning line favorite gets journeyman Daniel Centeno aboard after finishing second and third against allowance rivals.  He’s made his last three starts at 5 1/2 to 6 furlongs with a record of 3-1-1-1.  Seems consistently to find his way into trouble but continues to run good races.  He should appreciate the class relief and figures to be right there at the end…