Russell Trio Breezes Friday at Pimlico for Possible Stakes Engagements
Multiple Stakes Winners Street Lute, Anna’s Bandit Work Friday at Pimlico

BALTIMORE – The only surprise the 3-year-old filly Lady Traveler has been to trainer Dale Romans is that, seven races into her career, she’s not already a stakes winner.

Romans is banking on changing that next Friday, when Lady Traveler runs in Pimlico Race Course’s $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) at 1 1/8 miles. The bay daughter of Quality Road is out of the same Silver Deputy mare – Ask the Question – as the multiple Grade 1-winning turf horse Heart to Heart, an earner of more than $2 million in purses.

But, for all Lady Traveler has shown in the morning, she boasts only a maiden victory, though she was second in Gulfstream Park’s Forward Gal (G3) over the winter as well as the Rags to Riches last fall at Churchill Downs. In her last start, Lady Traveler was fourth in Keeneland’s Beaumont (G3) at just over seven-eighths of a mile.

“She runs fast,” Romans said. “She’s a filly who’s doing really good. We planned on this after the Keeneland race, to stretch her out. The top 14 fillies ran in the Kentucky Oaks. Very few of them will come back. I think it’s a good opportunity to win a prestigious race.”

Lady Traveler worked five-eighths of a mile at Churchill Friday morning in 59 seconds flat, the fastest of the morning. Exercise rider Tammy Fox couldn’t do her signature two thumbs up to signify an outstanding performance because her hands were full with the filly bouncing off the track.

“She couldn’t have worked better,” Romans said. “She came off the racetrack like she did nothing, and she went around there fast. I’m looking forward to getting there.”

Co-owner West Point Thoroughbreds acquired Lady Traveler for $350,000 at Keeneland’s 2019 September Yearling Sale. Heart to Heart had retired earlier that year as a double Grade 1 winner and 11-time graded-stakes winner. West Point and Mike Talla recently paid $750,000 at the OBS Spring 2-year-old sale for Ask the Question’s son by $17.4 million-earner Arrogate, matching the fifth-highest price at that auction.

“So we’re hoping she adds to his pedigree,” West Point’s executive vice president Jeff Lifson said. “Every time Tammy gets off this filly, she’s like, ‘How does she ever get beat? She never gets out of gallop and she’s cruising.’ In the afternoon, she’s graded stakes-placed, so it’s not like she’s an underachiever. But we think there’s more there. We hope there’s more there, just because she trains so beautifully and comes from a really nice family.”

Romans, who won the 2011Preakness with Shackleford, is looking for his third victory in Pimlico’s biggest 3-year-old filly race. To his mind, he’s really going for a fourth Black-Eyed Susan, but Smarty N Pretty was disqualified from first to second for interference in 2006. Romans got to keep the victories by Keen Pauline in 2015 and Go Maggie Go the next year.

“I love the weekend,” Romans said. “I think it’s the most fun weekend in racing. There’s so much pressure that goes into the Derby; it’s like a release valve when you get up there. And all those guys in the Preakness are in the same barn, and how they treat the help is phenomenal. I’m glad to be going up and have some fun.”

Russell Trio Breezes Friday at Pimlico for Possible Stakes Engagements

Of the several horses trainer Brittany Russell worked Friday morning at Pimlico Race Course, three – Dream Big Dreams, Juror Number Four and Out of Sorts – are possible to make their next starts in stakes over Preakness weekend.

“Everybody went well, actually,” Russell said. Dream Big Dreams is nominated to the $100,000 Sir Barton for 3-year-old non-winners of a sweepstakes going 1 1/16 miles May 15 on the undercard of the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1).

A last-out maiden winner in his third career start going one mile March 14 at Laurel Park, Dream Big Dreams – by Grade 3 winner Bandbox – went a half-mile in 48.20 seconds, fourth-fastest of 35 horses.

“Dreams worked good. We entered in an allowance that didn’t go, but it’s back up for Thursday [May 13]. If that race goes, that would be the ideal spot,” Russell said. “If not, we need to think about who’s going to come to the Sir Barton and go from there.”

Given an identical time for the same distance was Juror Number Four, like Dream Big Dreams owned by Cash is King and LC Racing. She was second in a six-furlong allowance April 23 at Pimlico in her first start since rallying to finish 1 ¾ lengths behind multiple stakes winner Street Lute in the Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship Dec. 5 to cap her 2-year-old campaign.

Juror Number Four is nominated to both the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) at 1 1/8 miles and $150,000 Miss Preakness (G3) sprinting six furlongs, both May 14.

“Juror Number Four went really nice and the Miss Preakness is still in consideration,” Russell said. “I’m not sure she’s ready to stretch out quite yet.”

Respect the Valleys’ Out of Sorts, yet to make her 3-year-old debut after placing in back-to-back stakes to end 2020, went five furlongs in 1:03.40 under Russell’s husband, jockey Sheldon Russell. She is expected to make her first turf start in the one-mile, $100,000 Hilltop for sophomore fillies May 14.

“Sorts worked good,” Russell said. “We just wanted to do something steady and make sure she galloped out good, and Sheldon loved her.”

Russell is also considering the $150,000 Maryland Sprint (G3) for Gaining Ground Racing’s Yodel E.A. Who, a 5-year-old gelding that won first off the claim Feb. 6 at Gulfstream Park and since ran fourth in the Sir Shackleton and most recently third, beaten a half-length, in a 6 ½-furlong optional claiming allowance May 1 at Belmont Park.

The six-furlong Maryland Sprint, for 3-year-olds and up, is run May 15. Entries for the May 14 card will be taken Sunday, May 9, and entries for the May 15 program are due Monday, May 10.

“Yodel might come down. He’s up at Belmont right now,” Russell said. “He came out of that race bouncing pretty hard so we’re going to give it a couple days. Obviously we need to make a decision by Monday.”

Multiple Stakes Winners Street Lute, Anna’s Bandit Work Friday at Pimlico

Street Lute and Anna’s Bandit, who together have won 17 stakes, each breezed Friday at Pimlico Race Course for trainer John ‘Jerry’ Robb ahead of stakes engagements on Preakness weekend.

Lucky 7 Stables’ Street Lute went four furlongs in a bullet 46.80 seconds, fastest of 35 horses. The chestnut daughter of Street Magician is expected to make her graded-stakes debut in the $150,000 Miss Preakness (G3) for 3-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs May 14.

Street Lute had a five-stakes win streak snapped when third by five lengths as the favorite in the one-mile Beyond the Wire March 13 at Laurel Park. Robb skipped the 1 1/16-mile Weber City Miss April 24 to point for the Miss Preakness.

Anna’s Bandit, owned by Robb and wife Gina’s No Guts No Glory Farm, was timed in 1:14.80 for six furlongs. The 7-year-old Great Notion mare has not raced in 10 months since running third to Grade 1-placed Chalon in the Dashing Beauty last July at Delaware Park.

“She’s doing great,” Robb said. “She’s looking really good. The break looked like it did her some good.”

Anna’s Bandit owns 17 wins and $782,655 in purse earnings from 36 career starts. Eleven of her victories have come in stakes, seven of them in 2019, when she tied for the most wins of any female in the country that year with nine.