Green Light Go Could Make Easy Work of Roar Stakes

Stronach Stables homebred and Saratoga Special Stakes (G2) winner Green Light Go could take advantage of an easy spot among a field of five other 3-year-olds in the $75,000 Roar Stakes going 6 1/2 furlongs May 16 at Gulfstream Park.

The Hard Spun  colt trained by Jimmy Jerkens won the Saratoga Special by 3 3/4 lengths in his second start after breaking his maiden on debut in wire-to-wire fashion. He placed second in the Champagne Stakes (G1) behind Tiz the Law at Belmont Park and third in the Feb. 1 Swale Stakes (G3) in his sophomore debut at Gulfstream. Green Light Go is the only horse in the field with graded stakes experience.

After the Swale, Jerkens planned to run the colt in the April 4 Bay Shore Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack. But, as has happened to so many trainers' plans this year, that idea was scrapped after Aqueduct suspended racing March 19 due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Training at Palm Meadows, Green Light Go most recently posted a half-mile work in :47.50 to be the fastest of eight at the distance. Jerkens gave the colt a couple of weeks off in mid-March, but he has posted five works at the training center since April 8.

Green Light Go will leave post 5 as the morning-line favorite at odds of 6-5 with Luis Saez aboard.

Trainer Larry Bates has entered Eric Wirth's homebred With Verve, and odds makers gave the Kantharos  gelding the best chance to beat the favorite at odds of 3-1 after consecutive victories.

Verve has won half of his eight starts. Though he finished fourth in his Jan. 18 season debut at Gulfstream, he followed with a Feb. 8 score in a seven-furlong allowance optional claiming test. Three weeks later, he rallied to a neck win in the six-furlong Hutcheson Stakes over Shivaree, who came back a month later to place second in the Curlin Florida Derby (G1).

Verve will be ridden by Edgar Prado from post 2.

Cajun Casanova also enters the race with four wins from eight starts. The son of Cajun Breeze  is trained by Michael Pino for Smart Angle and comes off a win in the March 21 Texas Glitter Stakes at five furlongs. Distance might be the undoing for Cajun Casanova, who has only won at five furlongs.

He is slated to be ridden by Miguel Angel Vasquez from post 4.

Rounding out the field are maiden winners Ricki Ticki Taffi and Double Crown, who is a bit of a question mark with only two starts, and Maryland Million Nursery Stakes winner Ournationonparade, who clipped heels and unseated his rider in an April 26 allowance at Gulfstream. Ournationonparade finished third in the Hutcheson.