ARNAUD DELACOUR DUO AIMS AT PG COUNTY STAKES

Eons
The Arnaud Delacour-trained Eons was up late to win the 2019 G3 Kent Stakes for three-year-olds. Photo by Allison Janezic.

Assuming it remains on the turf, Sunday’s $100,000 Prince George’s County Stakes at Pimlico Race Course is slated to have a field of 11 — but only eight trainers. Three trainers — Arnaud Delacour, Joe Sharp, and Michael Stidham — will each send out two runners

The  1 1/8-mile Prince George’s County for 3-year-olds and up is among five stakes worth $450,000 in purses and one of four scheduled for the grass on a 10-race program. Having debuted in 2019, it was not run during a pandemic-shortened 2020 stakes schedule.

Delacour entered the pair of Mark B. Grier’s Grade 3 winner Eons and Lael Stables’ Talk Or Listen, runner up in the Dinner Party by a head over Midnight Tea Time. Eons is 4-1 on the morning line, while Talk Or Listen is 5-1. The morning line favorite is the Stidham-trained Pixelate, who is 3-1.

Bred in Ireland, Talk Or Listen began his racing career overseas where he was Group 3-placed in France. His lone win from six North American starts came Jan. 10 in his seasonal debut, a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance at Tampa Bay Downs. Most recently, he was second by a length in the Grade 2 Dinner Party Stakes on the Preakness undercard.

“He ran very well in the Dinner Party. He had a good trip. Hopefully the added sixteenth of a mile I don’t think will bother him and he can run a decent race,” Delacour said. “It looks like it’s going to be a very competitive race. They always are. Hopefully he can negotiate a good trip. He likes the course so we’ll hope for the best.”

Eons, also 5, won his only previous start at 1 1/8 miles in the July 2019 Kent (G3) at Delaware Park. He has gone winless in nine tries since, all but one of them in stakes, including a second in the Feb. 6 Tampa Bay (G3) and fourth by less than two lengths in the April 24 Henry S. Clark at Pimlico.

“He hasn’t won for two years now. I was trying to get him in an easier race, an allowance at Delaware Park, unfortunately it came off the turf. The horse is doing well and I think he’ll be very efficient at a mile and an eighth,” Delacour said. “We’re probably going to try to ride him a little bit closer to the pace. The last time he was last and I don’t know if he didn’t like the course or it was more like, ‘eh,’ and he didn’t bother. But he’s not that type of horse, not a deep closer. He needs to be a little more in the race so we’ll see if we can make that happen.”

Mychel Sanchez is named on Eons from Post 2 and Daniel Centeno will be aboard Talk Or Listen from Post 6.

LATEST NEWS

Arnaud Delacour duo aims at PG County Stakes

Charles Town picks and horses to watch:

Arnaud Delacour duo aims at PG County Stakes

Weather forces Pimlico cancellation

Get The Racing Biz in your inbox!

Join our mailing list to get our latest news delivered to your inbox each week! And, by the way, we never sell our lists or share your info with outside parties.

You have Successfully Subscribed!