8-Year-Old Gelding Breezes Easy Half Sunday at Pimlico
Final Weekend of Preakness Meet Kicks off Friday, Aug. 20

lAUREL, MD – A decision is coming this week on the route Hillside Equestrian Meadows’ multiple stakes winner Laki will take to defend his title next month in the $200,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) at Laurel Park.

Laki breezed an easy half-mile in 50.40 seconds Sunday at historic Pimlico Race Course, his first work following a fourth-place finish in Pimlico’s six-furlong Challedon July 31, where he was beaten less than two lengths by Mucho.

“I was happy with it. He just ran a few weeks ago so I wasn’t looking for too much. I just wanted to expand his lungs a little bit,” trainer Damon Dilodovico said. “It ended up being on the slower side, but we never really push him anyway.”

The six-furlong De Francis for 3-year-olds and up headlines a Sept. 18 program of four stakes worth $500,000 in purses. The 8-year-old gelding Laki is nominated to the $100,000 Chesapeake, contested under the same conditions Aug. 23 at Colonial Downs.

Laki emerged from a three-way photo finish a nose ahead of Eastern Bay in the 2020 De Francis, held on a Preakness (G1) undercard delayed to October amid the coronavirus pandemic. He skipped the race in 2019 after running second to Switzerland in 2018. Dilodovico also won the De Francis with Immortal Eyes in 2013 when the race held listed status.

By winning his sixth career stakes in the six-furlong Frank Y. Whiteley April 24 at Pimlico, Laki extended his streak to five consecutive seasons with at least one stakes victory.

“I’m not sure if we’re going to be doing Colonial or just move on to the De Francis. We’ll decide in the next few days,” Dilodovico said. “[The De Francis] is a graded race, so we’ll get some shippers there. We’ll see. If he’s good, maybe we’ll just keep going with it.”

Also among several horses Dilodovico breezed Sunday at Pimlico was Phillip Ward’s 3-year-old ridgling Tiz Mandate. He was clocked in 49 seconds for four furlongs, ranking fifth of 30 horses.

Tiz Mandate ran in four consecutive stakes last winter and spring, finishing second in the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 20 at Laurel. He went to the sidelines after running eighth in the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio April 24 at Pimlico, returning to be sixth in a six-furlong Parx allowance July 28.

“He’s coming around. I took him up to Parx and he really just never kind of got into the race,” Dilodovico said. “I don’t know if it was just from being away for a while, but I was very happy with his breeze today. He just sat off a horse, sitting there comfortably, and when it came time he picked up the reins and moved right by.”

Dilodovico said he has not settled on the next spot for Tiz Mandate.

Notes: Robert D. Bone’s Completed Pass ($3) cruised to a popular 1 ½-length triumph in Sunday’s Race 4, a starter optional claimer sprinting five furlongs on turf, winning in 58.92 seconds over a course rated good. It was the second straight race the multiple stakes winner went unclaimed when in for a tag, this one $25,000 … Jockey Sheldon Russell doubled Sunday aboard Fugitive ($11.20) in Race 3 and Miss Majorette ($11) in Race 6 … The 20-cent Rainbow 6 was solved by one lucky bettor for a $10,980.54 payoff Sunday. There will be a carryover of $1,959.76 in the $1 Super Hi-5 when live racing returns Friday, Aug. 20 to open the final weekend of the extended Preakness Meet.