Silverton Hill’s Dominican, who defeated eventual Kentucky Derby Presented by Yum! Brands winner Street Sense when capturing the Toyota Blue Grass Stakes (gr. I) at Keeneland this April, will make his first start since finishing a troubled 11th in the Kentucky Derby when he heads to post as the 8-5 morning line favorite in Saturday’s $100,000 Round Table Stakes at Arlington Park.
The El Corredor gelding returns to a Polytrack surface that should be to his liking, as he is three-for-three over synthetic surfaces. Also, the deliberate similarities between the track at Keeneland and the one installed at Arlington should prove to be beneficial.
After taking the Blue Grass, Dominican lost all chance in the Run for the Roses when bumped with about a half-mile left in the race. He was then kept wide while racing in tight quarters the rest of the way. Rafael Bejarano will once again guide the Darrin Miller trainee who will leave from the outside post in the field of seven 3-year-olds entered in the nine-furlong race.
Among those slated to face Dominican is Patricia Blass’ Prom Shoes, a son of Include who finished a game second to Sightseeing in the Peter Pan Stakes (gr. II) at Belmont Park May 20 but followed that effort with a disappointing seventh-place run in the Northern Dancer Stakes (gr. III) at Churchill Downs in June. Chris Emigh picks up the mount aboard the “Jinks” Fires-trained colt.
Eclipse Award-winning trainer Todd Pletcher sends Pavorotti, owned by Mrs. John Magnier, Michael Tabor & Derrick Smith, to the Round Table. The son of A. P. Indy has won two of his last three starts including a wire-to-wire tally in allowance company at Churchill Downs May 27. Arlington’s leading jockey Rene Douglas gets the call Saturday.
Prominent among the local contingent in Saturday’s headliner are Hugh Robertson & Regatta Stables’ Snowblind Friend and Darley Stable’s Mandurah. The former, a son of Langfuhr , rallied to take the $47,300 Native Dancer Stakes while the latter, by A. P. Indy, was an impressive front-stepping victor in a first-level allowance. Jesse Lantz has the mount on Snowblind Friend while Jesse Campbell gets the nod aboard Mandurah.
Completing the field for the Round Table are Fab Oak Stable’s Time Squared and the race’s lone filly entrant, Dashes N Dots, owned by Richard Kaster, Frederick Wieting & Peter Hickey.