Headlines Four Stakes Worth $475,000 in Purses Saturday, Sept. 10

BALTIMORE – Defending champion Field Pass and fellow graded-stakes winners Bizee Channel, Bye Bye Melvin, City Man, Safe Conduct, Set Piece, Wootton Asset and Wow Whata Summer are among 29 horses nominated to the $200,000 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup (G3) Saturday, Sept. 10 at historic Pimlico Race Course.

The one-mile BWI Turf Cup for 3-year-olds and up headlines four stakes worth $475,000 in purses on the first Saturday of Pimlico’s nine-day fall meet, which opens Sept. 9 and runs through Sunday, Sept. 25. Post time will be 12:40 p.m.

Field Pass, trained by Mike Maker, got a patient ride from Victor Carrasco in last year’s BWI Turf Cup before rallying up the inside for a neck decision over Ramsey Solution. Winner of the Seabiscuit (G2) three starts later in his 2021 finale, Field Pass ran third in the one-mile Henry S. Clark on the Laurel Park turf April 23 to open his 5-year-old season. He owns nine wins and nearly $1.2 million in purse earnings from 28 lifetime starts, most recently finishing eighth in the Arlington Million (G1) Aug. 13.

Bizzee Channel won the Arlington in 2020 (G3) and was claimed for $50,000 out of her most recent start, a runner-up finish Aug. 15 at Colonial Downs, by Laurel-based trainer Lacey Gaudet. Juddmonte homebred Set Piece, winner of last summer’s Wise Dan (G2), won this year’s Dinner Party (G2) by 1 ¼ lengths in come-from-behind fashion, but was unable to duplicate that trip when fifth to City Man in the July 15 Forbidden Apple (G3) at Saratoga or fourth in the Arlington Million.

Bye Bye Melvin returned from more than a year layoff to run fourth by a neck in an Aug. 4 allowance at Saratoga, after having won the Saranac (G3) there in 2020. At Pimlico, he was beaten a nose when second in the 2020 James W. Murphy and ran fourth by 1 ½ lengths in the 2021 Dinner Party (G2). Graham Motion-trained stablemate Wootton Asset won the 2021 Virginia Derby (G3) but has yet to make his 4-year-old debut.

Wow Whata Summer captured the Penn Mile (G2) June 3 but has since finished off the board in the July 2 Kent (G3) at Delaware Park and Aug. 5 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame (G2) at Saratoga. Safe Conduct won the 2021 Queen’s Plate over Woodbine’s all-weather surface and this year has run second in the Monmouth (G3) June 18 and fifth in the Lure Aug. 6 at Saratoga.

Multiple stakes winner Therapist, scratched when the Aug. 26 West Point at Saratoga came off the turf, and fellow stakes winners King Cause, King Vega, Nothing Better, Original, Shackqueenking, Sifting Sands and Tappin Cat are also nominated.

Also drawing 29 nominees was the $100,000 All Along for fillies and mares 3 and up scheduled for 1 1/8 miles on the grass, led by multiple graded-stakes winners Alms and Cheermeister. Both exit the 1 1/16-mile Old Nelson Aug. 16 at Colonial Downs, where Alms was second by a neck and Cheermeister ran fifth. Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey nominated three horses – In a Hurry, third in the Old Nelson; June 18 Eatontown (G3) winner Stolen Holiday and 2021 Eatontown winner Vigilantes Way.

The $100,000 Lite the Fuse for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs attracted 23 nominations including graded-stakes winners Special Reserve and Jaxon Traveler; Beren, who beat Special Reserve in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash July 16 at Laurel; multiple stakes winner Whereshetoldmetogo; and Alwaysinahurry, winner of Pimlico’s 2021 Concern.

Fillies and mares 3 and up that have never won an open stakes will go six furlongs in the $75,000 Shine Again. Among the 25 nominees are July 9 Victory Ride (G2) runner-up Half Is Enough; multiple restricted stakes winner Malibu Beauty and her Gary Capuano-trained stablemate Intrepid Daydream, 10-length winner of her season debut Aug. 13 at Delaware Park; and Factor In, riding a three-race win streak for trainer Brittany Russell.

Pimlico will also serve up four $100,000 stakes on the fall meet’s final Saturday, Sept. 24 – the 1 1/16-mile Polynesian for 3-year-olds and up, six-furlong Weather Vane for 3-year-old fillies, Laurel Dash for 3-year-olds and up and Sensible Lady Turf Dash for fillies and mares 3 and older, both sprinting five furlongs on the grass.