2017 Pimlico Special Preview, Entries & Odds

OffTrackBetting.com - Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Maryland will play host to the G3 Pimlico Special Handicap on Friday, May 19. Horses three years old and upward will be featured when they take to Pimlico's dirt track and race 1 1/16 miles for the winner's share of the $300,000 purse.

A solid field of 10 have been confirmed for the Pimlico Special - race 7 on Pimlico's stacked Friday schedule. Post time is 2:39 PM. Here is a look into the past performances of all 10 combatants for this intriguing G3 stakes.

2017 Pimlico Special Entries at Pimlico Race Course

Shaman Ghost - Canada's Sovereign Award winner for 2015 Champion 3 Year Old Colt won his country's biggest race that year - the Queen's Plate and also posted a nice win in the G3 Marine Stakes at Woodbine in May, 2015. His last race of 2015 was a second in the second jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown - the Prince of Wales Stakes in July before being sent to the sidelines for 10 months. He returned to action May 21 and finished an OK third in an Allowance Optional Claiming and followed that with an easy win in the G2 Brooklyn Invitational June 11. He has remained competitive - a great win last time out in the G1 Santa Anita Handicap March 11 followed a runner-up finish to the terrific Arrogate in the G1 Pegasus World Cup at Gulfstream Park January 28, a decent third in the G1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs November 25 and a good win with a 112 Beyer Speed Figure in the G1 Woodward Stakes at Saratoga September 3. Shaman Ghost now has seven wins, two seconds and two third place finishes in 15 career starts and has placed in 10 of his last 11 starts overall. He tries to keep the roll going Friday when he departs from gate 6 with Javier Castellano aboard the 124 pound highweight.

Dolphus - James Jerkens trained colt has four wins and a third place finish in his 10 career starts and made his graded stakes debut January 14 where he finished a distant last of nine in the G3 Hal's Hope Stakes at Gulfstream. He has two starts since - an Allowance Optional Claiming score in wire-to-wire fashion last time out followed a fourth in the minor Stymie Stakes March 12 where he actually ran well - both at Aqueduct. He had an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Gulfstream December 11 which followed consecutive fourths - an Allowance at Keeneland October 27 and the minor Grover Buddy Delp Memorial Stakes at Delaware Park in August as well. Dolphus has been just OK in his career so far and will be after a first stakes score from the rail Friday. Rajiv Maragh has been tabbed to ride.

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Noble Bird - defending champion by 11 1/4 lengths in this race Mark Casse pupil looked great at the beginning of summer 2015 - he won two Allowance Optional Claiming races, finished second in the G2 Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs in May, 2015 and went on to win the G1 Stephen Foster Handicap at Churchill Downs in June. He wasn't great after that and hasn't been all that inspiring ahead of this weekend - failing to place in his last four starts ahead of this weekend. Last time out was a seventh in the G2 Alysheba Stakes at Churchill Downs May 5 after a sixth in the G2 New Orleans Handicap April 1, another sixth in the G1 Pegasus World Cup January 28 and a seventh in the G1 Clark Handicap at Churchill Downs in November. He did have consecutive wins in October however - the G2 Haygard Fayette Stakes at Keeneland and in front running fashion in the minor Lukas Classic at Churchill Downs. Noble Bird has certainly shown form in the past and will be out to snap an ugly four race losing streak from post 5 Friday. Julien Leparoux gets the call.

Watershed - Kiaran McLaughlin trainee has five wins and three third place finishes in 14 career starts. Last time out was a career-best effort - a 2 3/4 length win in the G3 Ben Ali Stakes at Keeneland April 15. It followed a disappointing ninth on turf after getting caught in traffic in the G2 Mac Diarmida Stakes at Gulfstream March 4, an Allowance Optional Claiming score by an impressive 9 1/2 lengths January 25 and two unflattering results - eighths in the minor Queens County Stakes at Aqueduct in December and the G1 Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park in October. Before that was an OK third in the G3 Philip H. Iselin Stakes at Monmouth Park August 27 and an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Saratoga July 25. He started 2016 with a couple of decent results in Dubai - a third in the Group 3 Firebreak Stakes being the best. Watershed has been a bit tough to figure out but off a nice effort last time out could be in the mix Friday. Paco Lopez gets the call from post 3.

Eagle - Neil Howard trainee has placed in 14 of 19 career starts - six wins, six seconds and two third place finishes. Last time out was a second behind Watershed in the G3 Ben Ali Stakes at Keeneland April 15 (a race he won in 2016) which followed three straight fourths - the G2 New Orleans Handicap April 4,the G3 Mineshaft Handicap February 25 and the G2 Suburban Handicap last July. Before that were consecutive runner-up finishes - the G1 Stephen Foster Handicap in June, 2015 and the G2 Alysheba Stakes a month before that. Eagle has placed in six of his last nine graded stakes starts - competitive virtually every time out and will be after his first win overall in 13 months Friday from gate 2. John Velazquez rides.

Conquest Windycity - Brendan Walsh trained colt has 10 career starts with three wins, two seconds and a third place finish. He enters off an Allowance Optional Claiming score by 4 1/2 lengths at Keeneland April 13 after a second in a similar race at Gulfstream February 22, a fifth in the minor Toronto Cup at Woodbine in July, a third in the minor James W. Murphy Stakes here last May and a fourth in the minor Wando Stakes at Woodbine in February, 2016. He finished eighth in the G2 Louisiana Derby before that in March, 2016. Conquest Windycity has shown some improvement lately but has still failed to place in four of his career stakes starts. He shoots for his biggest win to date from post 9 Friday with Luis Saez guiding him.

Bodhisattva - Jose Corrales trainee has six wins, two seconds and five third place finishes in 30 career starts. He finished eighth in the 2015 Preakness Stakes and has been up and down since. Last time out was a fourth in the G2 Charles Town Classic April 22 which followed a sixth in the minor Harrison E. Johnson Memorial Stakes, a career-best win in the minor John B. Campbell Stakes on that track February 18 and a second in the minor Native Dancer Stakes on that track January 21. He now has six graded stakes starts - he placed in just one - the G3 Greenwood Stakes at Parx in September, 2016. Bodhisattva has been OK against lesser competition and hopes for a first ever graded stakes score from gate 8 Friday. Xavier Perez has the mount.

Fellowship - Kenneth Decker trained colt has 14 career starts with three wins, three seconds and three third place finishes. He made his graded stakes debut in January, 2016 and finished a respectable third, six lengths behind Mohaymen in the G2 Holy Bull Stakes at Gulfstream January 30 and followed that with another third behind Mohaymen in the G2 Fountain of Youth Stakes February 27 and another third in the competitive G1 Florida Derby April 2, 2016. He followed that with a fourth in the G3 Pat Day Mile at Churchill Downs May 7 and went on to an eighth in last year's Preakness Stakes. He was off for 11 months before an Allowance Optional Claiming score last time out at Laurel Park April 16. Fellowship has been up-and-down in his career and will chase his first stakes score from the outside gate 10. Joel Rosario rides.

Name Changer - Alan Goldberg trained colt has placed in seven of nine career starts - four wins, a second and two third place finishes. Last time out was a good win in the minor Richard W. Small Stakes at Laurel Park way back on November 11 which followed and Allowance Optional Claiming score on that track in October, a disappointing tenth in the G3 Smarty Jones Stakes at Parx in September and an OK third in the G2 West Virginia Stakes at Mountaineer in August - his graded stakes debut. Name Changer has been OK so far in his career and hopes for a first graded stakes score post 7 with Jevian Toledo in the irons.

Discreet Lover - Uriah Lewis trained colt has three wins, six seconds and two third place finishes in 24 career starts. He enters off an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Parx April 29, a fifth in the G3 Excelsior Stakes at Aqueduct April 8 and consecutive fourths in minor stakes action. He did post consecutive runner-up finishes before that - the best coming in the minor Richard W. Small Stakes at Laurel Park in November but he's failed to place in his four graded stakes starts. Discreet Lover has hit the board in just one of his last four starts overall - that being his first win in seven starts however. He shoots for his first ever stakes score from gate 4 Friday with Jose Luis Flores aboard.

2017 Pimlico Special Odds & Entries

Race 7 on Pimlico's Friday card with a Post Time of 2:39 PM.