Comedero, undefeated in three starts this season while romping easily in all of them, leads the way in the $100,000 Chick Lang Stakes (gr. III) May 15 on the Preakness (gr. I) undercard at Pimlico.
Comedero will carry top weight of 122 pounds as one of only two stakes winners in a field of six 3-year-olds sprinter going six furlongs on the main track. The Chick Lang is the first of six graded stakes on the program with a probable post time of 1:37 p.m. EDT.
A gelding by Posse bred in Arkansas by McDowell Farm, Comedero has won six of seven starts, most of them by wide margins. His only defeat came in the Springboard Mile last December at Remington Park. As a juvenile, he won three times—all in Louisiana—including a pair of stakes. This season, he rolled to a 4 1/2-length score in the Mountain Valley Stakes Feb. 27 at Oaklawn, then returned a month later to romp by 10 lengths in the Rainbow Stakes.
Last out, Comedero crushed a field of sprinters in the Blue and Gold Stakes at Charles Town, drawing away in the stretch to win by nine lengths April 17 under Robby Albarado. Trainer Michael Stidham has assigned Albarado to ride the 7-5 favorite once again. They will break from post 3.
Comedero, out of the Sir Richard Lewis mare Pawnee Patti, is owned by Peter Redekop.
The 5-2 second choice is Bob Baffert trainee Quiet Invader, a first-level allowance winner March 11 at Santa Anita on Pro-Ride. This will be the first start on dirt for the son of Songandaprayer , who finished fifth in the San Vicente (gr. II) in February. Martin Garcia keeps the mount.
Other contenders are Latigo Shore, a 7 1/2-length maiden winner at Calder in December for Nick Zito, and Gary D, who has bounced around to several trainers during his six-start career and is now in the barn of Steve Asmussen. Gary D won the restricted OBS Sprint Stakes at Ocala Training Center in February.
Formerly named the Hirsch Jacobs Stakes, the race was renamed for Charles John “Chick” Lang, the former assistant racing director at Pimlico who was an industry legend for promoting and transforming the Preakness. Lang died March 18 at the age of 83.
$100,000 Chick Lang Stakes (gr. III, Race 6, 1:37 p.m.), 3YO, 6 Furlongs (Dirt)
PP. Horse, Jockey, Weight, Trainer, Odds
1. Kens Cape (KY), E D Rodriguez, 116, K T Leatherbury, 20/1
2. Gary D (KY), G K Gomez, 116, S M Asmussen, 6/1
3. Comedero (AR), R Albarado, 122, M Stidham, 7/5
4. Quiet Invader (MD), M Garcia, 116, B Baffert, 5/2
5. Latigo Shore (KY), M E Smith, 116, N P Zito, 5/1
6. Charles Russell (KY), S Russell, 116, D H Barr, 8/1