2025 Dinner Party Stakes Entries at Pimlico

Graham Motion Trained Trikari Hungry For 124th Dinner Party (G3)

Trikari, one of America's top 3-year-old turf horses last year, now seeks to stamp himself among the top older horses on grass. Trainer Graham Motion hopes taking a slight step back in the $250,000 Dinner Party Stakes (G3) at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday, May 17 propels Amerman Racing's Grade 1 winner and $1.38 million-earner forward.

The 124th running of the Dinner Party for 3-year-olds and up scheduled for 1 1/8 miles on the grass is part of a spectacular 14-race Preakness Day program featuring 10 stakes, five graded, worth $3.3 million highlighted by the 150th Preakness Stakes - Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.

First race post time is 10:30 a.m. ET

Trikari heads a field of 13, including 2024 winner Balnikhov, in the Dinner Party. He was a neck shy of winning five straight stakes at five tracks, a streak that started with Turfway Park's Rushaway and the American Turf (G2) on the 2024 Kentucky Derby (G1) undercard at 47-1 odds. He was beaten a neck in Penn National's Penn Mile (G3) followed by victory in the Belmont Derby Invitational (G1) at Aqueduct and Colonial Downs' Secretariat (G2).

The son of Oscar Performance then took on older horses when a close fourth in Santa Anita's City of Hope (G2) before going back in against 3-year-olds in Keeneland's Bryan Station (G3), resulting in a disappointing sixth. Freshened up for his 4-year-old campaign, Motion started at the top, with Trikari third in Keeneland's Maker's Mark Mile (G1), finishing behind the accomplished Carl Spackler and Integration.

"I possibly underestimated Chad Brown's horse a little bit," Motion said of Carl Spackler. "He's obviously very, very good. I don't know how much the ground affected Trikari; it was pretty soft that day. But they're Grade 1 horses. I thought he ran very well first time back."

Motion said he "kind of kicked" himself for running Trikari in the Bryan Station in his last race at 3.

"I think it was one race too many," he said. "He ran such a big race at Santa Anita, when he was fourth [beaten 1 1/2 lengths] to older horses, which is a big ask. I probably ran him one time too many, but wanted to give him some time off over the winter."

Motion also thought the Amerman's homebred colt was going to be a good one. So much so that he shipped him to Keeneland for his racing debut, only to finish last of 12.

"I couldn't believe how poorly he ran that first time I ran him at Keeneland," Motion said. "If I bring a maiden to Keeneland, I obviously like them. He was so green that day. We ran him back at Gulfstream and then he ran kind of like I thought he should the first time [winning a 1 1/16-mile allowance race over the synthetic surface].

"The Rushaway was obviously impressive. I thought it was crazy he was such a big price on Derby Day last year, but I wasn't smart enough to bet," he added. "Of course, when he won the Belmont Derby, that was a big step. But I've always thought a lot of him. He's always acted like that kind of horse."

The Dinner Party will mark Trikari's ninth track in 12 career races - and coincidentally one of the closest to Motion's Fair Hill, Md. training base.

"It's a weekend where we run a lot, because it's just an hour up the road," Motion said. "It's a nice purse. Hopefully it gives him a little bit of a class relief. He's run in three really tough spots his past three races. And a mile and an eighth is probably more his distance now. I think he's a little more relaxed than he was last year."

Trikari's toughest competition could come from Fort Washington and Neat. The Shug McGaughey-trained Fort Washington is a multiple graded-stakes winner who took Gulfstream Park's Canadian Turf (G3) in his last start. Trained by New York-based Rob Atras, Neat won four turf stakes for 3-year-olds, three graded, last year at Keeneland, Aqueduct and Saratoga. In two starts this year, Neat was sixth in Santa Anita's Frank Kilroe Mile (G1) and fourth in Laurel Park's Henry S. Clark as he seeks to regain his best form.

In their only meeting, Trikari won the American Turf with Neat throwing in an unusual clunker, finishing seventh in the middle of the streak where he won four stakes.

Irish Aces, stablemate of Preakness (G1) contender Gosger, comes into the Dinner Party off a front-running victory in a $140,000 allowance race at Keeneland. Winner of a $500,000 restricted stakes last year at Kentucky Downs, this would be his first graded victory though he has two thirds and a fourth in Grade 3 stakes.

"He's doing well, he's been working good," trainer Brendan Walsh said. "We just gave him a little more time off after Keeneland. We were tempted to run him back [at Churchill] in the Turf Classic [G1], but we said we'd give him a little more time, and the Dinner Party would suit him a little better. But he's doing well. Looking forward to running him. He should be very live in that spot, I'd think."

Trainer Phil D'Amato, mainly based in California but expanding his Midwest and Eastern presence, is hoping that Irish-bred Balnikhov's Pimlico mojo is back as the 6-year-old gelding returns to try to repeat in the Dinner Party after two off-the-board finishes this year. D'Amato also entered Divin Propos, a Del Mar allowance winner who started his career in his native France.

Saffie Joseph Jr. entered the Ken Ramsey-owned duo of Abrumar and Cash Equity. Abrumar finished a close third in Gulfstream Park's March 29 Appleton in his first start since he was a good fourth in Kentucky Downs' Nashville Derby (G3) on Aug. 31. The French-bred Cash Equity is seeking to end an 0-for-17 streak since he won an allowance race two years ago at Santa Anita. Claimed for $80,000 by Ramsey a few races later and sent to Joseph, Cash Equity made $324,958 last year with four seconds and two thirds in 10 starts. He lost this year's William L. McKnight (G3) at Gulfstream Park by a nose.

The Maryland-bred Fulmineo returns after winning last year's James W. Murphy during the Preakness festival. The runner-up, Crystal Quest, and third-place horse, Abrumar, that day also return in the Dinner Party.

The Michael Trombetta-trained Crystal Quest won Tampa Bay Downs' Turf Classic for Florida-breds in his only start this year. Crabs N Beer, trained by Fair Hill-based James L. `Chuck' Lawrence II, also returns after finishing second in last year's Dinner Party at 14-1.

Laurel-based Desvio, winner of an allowance race on soft turf in his only Pimlico start, and Henry S. Clark winner Signator are also entered.

OffTrackBetting.com - US Legal Preakness Stakes betting online is a great way to wager on the Preakness using your computer, smart phone or tablet. Available to customers across the United States, OTB features both Thoroughbred and Harness racing from major racing venues in the US as well as top international racing from Europe, Italy, Japan, Australia and Hong Kong.