The month of May at Hollywoood Casino at the Meadows brings back the welcome sight of Stakes horses taking to the track in Pennsylvania Sire Stake (PASS) and Pennsylvania Stallion Series (PSS) races. This month will see three-year-olds of both sexes and both gaits taking on PASS and PSS competition. The first two weeks of May have seen colt pacers and filly trotters take center stage. This week, three-year-old filly pacers will get their chance in the spotlight on Friday, May 17 with three-year-old colt trotters going in a few weeks on Friday, May 31. This will all lead into a Stakes-filled June and July as usual at the Meadows. The Currier and Ives Stakes for three-year-old trotters will take place in June along with some PASS and PSS races for the two-year-olds. July will feature additional two-year-old stakes in the first half of the month before attention turns to the Adios Eliminations and Final, along with the Adioo Volo and other Stakes in the last few weeks of the month.
Speaking of two-year-olds, fans of the babies should keep an eye out towards the end of the month and early June when we traditionally begin to see the two-year-olds start to qualify. These races are a great opportunity to see some of the future stars on the racetrack for the first times of their careers. Handicappers should take particular note as watching two-year-old qualifiers is a great opportunity to gage how the two-year-olds are coming along in their development and find potential betting value hidden in the program line from the qualifiers.
As mentioned before, this week’s Friday card will feature three-year-old filly pacers in PASS and PSS action. Races 8, 9, and 10 will be the featured races of PASS action. In particular, the first race will be of interest as it includes the seasonal debut of #1 GEOCENTRIC after an impressive 9-for-10 campaign as a freshman. While that lone loss last season did come in disappointing fashion her final race of the year, the Breeders Crown Final, she still showed tremendous talent at two. She’s had two eye catching qualifiers so far this year and should be ready to roll off of the bench in this one.
Friday’s ninth race features the return of last year’s Breeders Crown champion, #7 MY GIRL EJ. She too has had a pair of qualifiers in preparation for her seasonal debut in this spot, but she draws the outside post and I think is worth taking a chance against at a likely short price. #1 ROCKET DEO also had a pair of qualifiers to start the year, but has the benefit of an inside post in this one and a victorious start at Pocono earlier in the month. She took shots in several Stakes last year and will look to take a step forward in this one in her second start as a three-year-old.
Finally, Race 10 includes the likes of #2 CANIGETALOUPLOUP, who is clearly the class of this group. She draws well with an inside post, but her two qualifiers could potentially leave a bit to be desired. Nonetheless, I expect her class to shine through here and she should take care of business to start her three-year-old season. There are potential other directions to go in this race, which will hopefully help out the price on the top choice a bit. As always, best of luck with your wagers this week at the Meadows!
