Bobby Flay's Breeders' Cup Juvenile Filly Turf (G1T) winner from last year Pizza Bianca , will headline the 50th running of the one-mile $100,000 Hilltop Stakes May 20 at historic Pimlico Race Course.
The Hilltop, for 3-year-old fillies, and the $100,000 The Very One Stakes (G3T) for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting five furlongs, are the turf stakes on the 14-race card on the eve of the 147th Preakness Stakes (G1).
The Hilltop will be the second start for Pizza Bianca since she ended up in the winner's circle at the Breeders' Cup. That was one of the more popular wins on the two-day Breeders' Cup program as it exorcised 24 years of frustration for trainer Christophe Clement. Before that win, he had gone 0–for–40 in his training career at racing's World Championships.
"That was fun," Clement said. "She has always been a nice filly. Before her maiden win (last June 22 at Saratoga) we knew she was a nice filly."
Pizza Bianca had two wins and a runner-up finish as a 2-year-old. She started the 2022 season with a second-place finish as the 4-5 favorite in the April 22 Memories of Silver Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack.
"She got beat by a nice filly (Consumer Spending )," Clement said. "The winner had a perfect trip and ran a good race. We ran OK. We just got beat. I thought she was pretty fit the first time out; maybe she was a bit rusty. There are no more excuses now."
Pizza Bianca, a daughter of Fastnet Rock , will be ridden by Jose Ortiz, who has been aboard for her last two starts.
If all goes well in the Hilltop, Pizza Bianca will be on her way to Royal Ascot in England for the Coronation Stakes (G1) next month, Clement said.
Pizza Bianca has had two works at Belmont Park since the Memories of Silver, the most recent being a four-furlong move in :52.10 last Friday.
"If would be nice to see if she can settle and finish with the explosive turn of foot that she showed as a 2-year-old," Clement said.
Clement also entered Robert Masiello and Steven Rocco's Diamond Hands , a daughter of Frosted , to the Hilltop.
"She is a nice filly," he said. "She ran three times last year and broke her maiden in the third start."
Clement gave Diamond Hands the winter off and she resumed training in Florida in mid-March. After six works at the Payson Park Training Center, the filly has had two works at Belmont, the most recent being a four furlong drill in :49.71 last Monday.
Irad Ortiz Jr. has taken the call on Diamond Hands.
Trainer Graham Motion, who has won the Hilltop five times—including last year's edition with Alda —will saddle Gary Broad's Vergara this year. Motion is hoping the daughter of Noble Mission can atone for an eighth-place finish in the April 2 Bourbonette Oaks at Turfway Park. It was her first start this year and her first try on a synthetic track.
Motion says the bad performance was all on him.
"It was stupid of a trainer to send her all the way to Kentucky to run from the 12-hole off a layoff," Motion said. "It was ridiculous. I don't know what I was thinking. She was completely compromised. A silly move. I think we will, hopefully, see the proper Vergara on Friday."
Luis Saez will ride Vergara. He was on board when she won the ungraded Tepin Stakes at Aqueduct in her final start as a 2-year-old Nov. 28.
Also entered in the eight-horse field are Determined Gold , Determined Star , Hail To , Lady Puchi , and Murph .
Evenly Matched Field of 11 to Contest $100,000 The Very One
Clement says he has Jim Bakke's and Gerry Isbister's Honey Pants right where he wants the 4-year-old gray filly, sprinting on the grass in the $100,000 The Very One Stakes (G3T).
Twelve horses are entered in the five-furlong race, including Hey Mamaluke , who is entered for main track only.
"Honey Pants is a nice filly and is improving all the time," Clement said. "I probably ran her a bit too far last year. She is a sprinter. She has never won a stake, but she has placed in a stake. She deserves to win a stake."
The daughter of Cairo Prince has raced 10 times on the grass and has three wins and four seconds. Three of the runner-up finishes came in ungraded stakes races.
This wide-open race also attracted the Mike Maker-trained Phantom Vision , who is owned by Albert Frassetto. In her last start, the Declaration of War filly was no factor in the 5 1/2-furlong Giant's Causeway Stakes April 16 at Keeneland, finishing eighth. Before that, Phantom Vision won a pair of off-the-turf allowance springs.
"The Giant's Causeway probably had the best filly and mare turf sprinters in the country," Maker said. "They all showed up; she was in just a bit over her head and she should appreciate the class drop."
Phantom Vision has a win, a second, and a third in six grass starts.
Maryland-bred Can the Queen , a winner of four of 10 career starts on grass, will return to face fillies after a fourth-place finish against the boys in her first start of 2022, the King T. Leatherbury Stakes April 23 at Laurel Park. She is owned by Joanne Shankle.
"She's coming out of a really tough race," trainer Rudy Sanchez-Salomon said. "She lost to the very nice horse of Graham Motion's (True Valour). He is a very nice horse and she was competing with him pretty much until the end. She fought hard against the boys; I am really excited about her."
Pimlico Race Course, Friday, May 20, 2022, Race 9Entries: Hilltop S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
Determined Gold (KY)
Florent Geroux
118
Phil Schoenthal
-
2
Lady Puchi (KY)
John R. Velazquez
118
Antonio Sano
-
3
Hail To (KY)
Tyler Gaffalione
118
Thomas Albertrani
-
4
Pizza Bianca (KY)
Jose L. Ortiz
122
Christophe Clement
-
5
Determined Star (KY)
Victor R. Carrasco
118
Phil Schoenthal
-
6
Diamond Hands (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
118
Christophe Clement
-
7
Murph (MD)
Jevian Toledo
118
Brittany T. Russell
-
8
Vergara (KY)
Luis Saez
120
H. Graham Motion
-
Pimlico Race Course, Friday, May 20, 2022, Race 11Entries: The Very One S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
Phantom Vision (KY)
Flavien Prat
120
Michael J. Maker
-
2
Honey Pants (KY)
Irad Ortiz, Jr.
120
Christophe Clement
-
3
Princess Kokachin (MD)
Xavier Perez
120
John J. Robb
-
4
Dendrobia (MD)
Forest Boyce
120
Timothy L. Keefe
-
5
Hey Mamaluke (PA)
Andy Hernandez
122
Patricia Farro
-
6
Can the Queen (MD)
Victor R. Carrasco
120
Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon
-
7
Door Buster (WV)
Arnaldo Bocachica
120
Ollie L. Figgins, III
-
8
Whispurring Kitten (KY)
Jaime Rodriguez
120
Michael Merryman
-
9
Epic Idea (MD)
Daniel Centeno
120
Michael Merryman
-
10
Payntdembluesaway (KY)
Feargal Lynch
120
Jane Cibelli
-
11
Spun Glass (MD)
Feargal Lynch
120
Michael J. Trombetta
-
12
Adelaide Miss (KY)
Jevian Toledo
118
Brittany T. Russell
-