Asmussen-Trained Yaupon Invades Pimlico for Chick Lang

Trainer Steve Asmussen isn't waiting until the Oct. 3 Preakness Stakes (G1) to run one of his better 3-year-olds at Pimlico Race Course. Before he starts Max Player, Pneumatic, and Excession in the final leg of this year's Triple Crown, the Hall of Famer has Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt's Yaupon primed for the $200,000 Chick Lang Stakes (G3) there Oct. 1.

Run for the 45th time Thursday, this dash for sophomores is the first of nine graded stakes this week at the Maryland oval. It drew nine other entrants, including Captain Bombastic, Blackberry Wine, Double Crown, Dreams Untold, and Arkaan.

Asmussen also has a second entrant in Phoenix Thoroughbreds' Little Menace, a longshot.  

Yaupon looms a decisive favorite after winning all three of his starts, topped by a two-length score in the Aug. 29 Amsterdam Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course in his stakes debut. 

John Velazquez picks up the mount on the speedy son of Uncle Mo , who has notched each of his victories at six furlongs, the distance of the Chick Lang.

Double Crown returns to Maryland for the first time since breaking his maiden at first asking last September at Laurel Park. Following the race, Reeves Thoroughbred Racing purchased him and the 3-year-old Bourbon Courage  gelding embarked on a Florida campaign with trainer Kathy Ritvo.

He recorded wins in the 6 1/2-furlong Roar Stakes and seven-furlong Carry Back Stakes this spring at Gulfstream Park before venturing outside his age division in the six-furlong Smile Sprint (G3) Sept. 5. He settled for third, beaten 3 3/4 lengths, in a race that is regularly one of Gulfstream's best summer stakes.

"He came out of the last race real good," said Dean Reeves of Reeves Thoroughbred Racing. "Obviously it was tough against older horses, but I thought he showed himself well."

Gulfstream-based Cristian Torres will be in town to ride.

Stepping up from the allowance ranks is Someday Farm's Dreams Untold after three straight finishes that placed him in the exacta. Most recently, the Smarty Jones gelding won a Pennsylvania-bred allowance at Parx Racing Sept. 7 in fast time. 

He "won pretty easy, and he's trained really good since then," trainer John Servis said.

Servis and Someday Farm teamed to win the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness in 2004 with Smarty Jones. Smarty Jones was caught by Birdstone  in the Belmont Stakes (G1) later that spring, denying him the Triple Crown.

Trevor McCarthy will ride Dreams Untold.

Also on Thursday's card are a pair of five-furlong turf sprints for older horses, the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint and the $100,000 The Very One Stakes for fillies and mares. 

Entries: Chick Lang S. (G3)

Pimlico Race Course, Thursday, October 01, 2020, Race 9

• Grade III
• 6f
• Dirt
• $200,000
• 3 yo
• 5:04 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Little Menace (KY)	Joe Bravo	124	Steven M. Asmussen	20/1
2	2Relentless Dancer (LA)	Daniel Centeno	124	Michael J. Maker	15/1
3	3Captain Bombastic (NY)	Sheldon Russell	124	Jeremiah C. Englehart	12/1
4	4Blackberry Wine (KY)	Martin Garcia	120	Joe Sharp	15/1
5	5Lebda (KY)	Alex Cintron	124	Claudio A. Gonzalez	15/1
6	6Double Crown (MD)	Cristian A. Torres	124	Katherine Ritvo	8/1
7	7Dreams Untold (PA)	Trevor McCarthy	120	John C. Servis	8/1
8	8Pitching Ari (MD)	Angel Cruz	120	Claudio A. Gonzalez	30/1
9	9Yaupon (KY)	John R. Velazquez	124	Steven M. Asmussen	4/5
10	10Arkaan (KY)	Paco Lopez	120	Michael V. Pino	6/1