Alda Seeks a Return to Winning Form in Hilltop

Wertheimer & Frere's grade 1-placed homebred Alda  and Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Gianni Fittipaldi's Mia Martina  will line up with the chance to add to trainer Graham Motion's roster of previous winners in Friday's $100,000 Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.

The 49th running of the one-mile Hilltop for 3-year-old fillies and 21st edition of the $100,000 The Very One for fillies and mares 3-year-olds and up sprinting five furlongs comprise the turf stakes during a spectacular 14-race card on the eve of the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1), headlined by the 97th running of the $250,000 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan (G2) for 3-year-old fillies.

Motion won his first Hilltop with Silent Greeting in 1996. He then added victories with Coup in 2012, Miss Temple City in 2015, and Happy Mesa in 2017.

Alda won two of her first three career starts, breaking her maiden second time out at Belmont Park and winning the Catch a Glimpse Stakes over the Woodbine turf last summer. She returned to Canada to be second in the Natalma Stakes (G1T) before finishing off the board in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T) at Keeneland.

The daughter of Munnings   didn't return until April 9 in Keeneland's 5 1/2-furlong TVG Limestone Turf Sprint Stakes, where she ended up sixth by four lengths to multiple stakes winner Tobys Heart .

"It was probably a little quick for her that day. I thought I could get away with sprinting her one time, but I think this is what she wants to do," Motion said. "She came to me as a 2-year-old and she's been very consistent. It probably was a big step to go to the Breeders' Cup off of those races, but I thought she deserved a shot. It was coming sort of at the end of the year and she'd been running pretty consistently. I'd like to see her get back on track here. She's a filly I've always thought a lot of."

Mia Martina returns to the turf after a failed effort on dirt in the Gazelle Stakes (G3), where she was never in contention and was eased. Prior to that effort she had raced three times on grass, winning her first two starts before closing from last to be fourth, beaten less than four lengths, in the Florida Oaks (G3T) March 6 at Tampa Bay Downs.

"Eclipse bought her after her first start. We ran her on the dirt last time up at Aqueduct, which was just a put-a-line-through-it race. She clearly struggled with the dirt. We wanted to try it. She's kind of bred for it, but she obviously doesn't handle it as well," Motion said. "I've been really happy with her coming up to this race. This is a logical spot for her to get her back on track. Nice filly, very straightforward."

Trainer Mike Maker, who won last year's Hilltop with Evil Lyn, returns this year with Albert Frassetto homebred Phantom Vision . The Declaration of War  filly was fourth by 2 1/2 lengths after setting the pace in the Limestone Turf Sprint and was second in the 6 1/2-furlong Cincinnati Trophy Stakes Feb. 26 on the all-weather surface at Turfway Park.

"We're stretching out," Maker said. "She has a lot of speed; we'll see if she can carry it a mile."

Entries: Hilltop S.

Pimlico Race Course, Friday, May 14, 2021, Race 11

• STK
• 1m
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo Fillies
• 4:40 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Tracy Flick (KY)	Joel Rosario	120	Claude R. McGaughey III	6/1
2	2Seasons (KY)	Jose L. Ortiz	120	James J. Toner	8/1
3	3Alda (KY)	John R. Velazquez	120	H. Graham Motion	5/1
4	4Proper Attire (MD)	Charlie Marquez	120	John E. Salzman, Jr.	30/1
5	5Bubbles On Ice (IRE)	Javier Castellano	120	Christophe Clement	7/2
6	6Mia Martina (FL)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	120	H. Graham Motion	5/1
7	7Serenade a Kitten (KY)	Luis Saez	120	Mary E. Eppler	20/1
8	8Il Malocchio (ON)	Victor R. Carrasco	120	Kenneth G. McPeek	15/1
9	9Journeytothemoon (KY)	Julian Pimentel	120	Michael J. Trombetta	20/1
10	10Arm Candy (KY)	Ricardo Santana, Jr.	120	Steven M. Asmussen	12/1
11	11Double Fireball (MD)	UNKNOWN	120	Anthony Aguirre, Jr.	50/1
12	12Speed Lane (MD)	Florent Geroux	120	Kelly Rubley	15/1
13	13Phantom Vision (KY)	Flavien Prat	120	Michael J. Maker	10/1
14	14Out of Sorts (KY)	Sheldon Russell	120	Brittany T. Russell	20/1

Victory Kingdom Seeks First Stakes Win in The Very One

Team Valor International homebred Victory Kingdom , graded stakes-placed in Canada and her native Australia, goes after her first career stakes victory in Friday's $100,000 The Very One Stakes at Pimlico Race Course.

A 6-year-old daughter of Animal Kingdom, Victory Kingdom made her first 11 starts in Australia where she ran third in the Crown Resorts Typhoon Tracy Stakes (G3) and second in the Tab Kewney Stakes (G2) in 2019.

Victory Kingdom made her North American debut last summer at Saratoga Race Course, running fourth in the Smart N Fancy Stakes. From there she went to Canada, finishing second in the Ontario Fashion Stakes (G3) and fourth in the Sweet Briar Too Stakes over Woodbine's all-weather surface.

Trained by Rodolphe Brisset, Victory Kingdom has made only one start this year when she ran second in the Jan. 1 Abundantia Stakes at Gulfstream Park. She has breezed steadily since late March for her return, most recently an easy half-mile in :49 1/5 May 7 at Keeneland.

"She's a very nice filly," Brisset said. "She's been a little unlucky. She's graded stakes-placed. She's still only won one race, her maiden, but her last race was a very good effort. She got beat by the draw more than anything. We drew (post) 1 and she was on the inside and got a little bit shuffled back and then really came running and was a good second. We kind of refreshed her after that and looking forward to a spring and summer campaign with her. We think she could be competitive in this kind of spot."

Bred, owned, and trained by Liz Merryman, Fair Hill Training Center-based Caravel  will be making her second start this year after running third in the License Fee Stakes April 30 at Belmont Park, her first race in six months. The speedy 4-year-old Mizzen Mast filly won four of five starts last year, including the Lady Erie Stakes and the Malvern Rose Stakes on the synthetic at Presque Isle Downs, her lone loss coming in last year's Hilltop Stakes over this course.

Entries: The Very One S.

Pimlico Race Course, Friday, May 14, 2021, Race 9

• STK
• 5f
• Turf
• $100,000
• 3 yo's & up Fillies and Mares
• 3:38 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Epic Idea (MD)	Sheldon Russell	122	Ann W. Merryman	20/1
2	2Gogo Shoes (KY)	Javier Castellano	122	Derek S. Ryan	12/1
3	3Caravel (PA)	Florent Geroux	122	Elizabeth M. Merryman	7/2
4	4Bath And Tennis (IRE)	Leonardo Corujo	122	Charles A. DeMario	30/1
5	5Victory Kingdom (AUS)	Flavien Prat	122	Rodolphe Brisset	6/1
6	6Queen of Shades (KY)	Irad Ortiz, Jr.	122	Kelly J. Breen	8/1
7	7Can the Queen (MD)	Angel Cruz	122	Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon	50/1
8	8Buff's in Love (MD)	Charlie Marquez	122	Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon	30/1
9	9Catch a Bid (KY)	Luis Saez	122	Joe Sharp	4/1
10	10Dendrobia (MD)	Forest Boyce	122	Timothy L. Keefe	30/1
11	11Dixieincandyland (KY)	Joel Rosario	122	Eddie Kenneally	3/1
12	12Gotta Go Mo (NY)	Jose L. Ortiz	122	John C. Kimmel	8/1