Obliteration Returns Stateside in Chick Lang

Obliteration  makes his return to the United States as the 6-5 favorite in the $150,000 Chick Lang Stakes May 16 at Laurel Park.

The 3-year-old son of Violence   is coming off a second-place finish in the Feb. 14 Saudi Derby (G3). Trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, his first start this year came in the Jan. 3 Renaissance Stakes, which he won by 7 1/2 lengths going 6 furlongs, the same distance as the Chick Lang .

As a 2-year-old, Obliteration became a graded stakes winner in his second career start in the Sanford Stakes (G3) at Saratoga Race Course by 10 1/2 lengths. Owned by Leland Ackerley Racing, James Sherwood, Jode Shupe, and John Cilia, Obliteration raced the second half of his 2-year-old season on grass, running second in a pair of stakes and wrapping up his year with a fourth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1T) before switching back to dirt this year. 

Obliteration will have to beat seven rivals, including front-running Shane's Wonder , the undefeated Alfredo Velazquez trainee and Uptowncharlybrown Stud homebred who comes into the Chick Lang off a win in the Wait For It Stakes at Parx Racing. 

Modo looks to make it three in a row in Skipat

In the $125,000 Skipat Stakes, Modo  looks to earn her third victory in a row in the 6-furlong dirt race.

Trained by Kinnon LaRose, who recently took over Tom Amoss' stable, Modo has won back-to-back non-black-type stakes—the Yellow Rose Stakes at Sam Houston Race Park and the Bluebonnet Stakes at Lone Star Park. The Texas-bred filly will be in her comfort zone, never racing beyond 6 1/2 furlongs in her 11-race career. Owned by Joel Politi, the 4-year-old daughter of Liam's Map   is the 9-5 morning-line favorite. 

She will face six others, including graded stake winners and the newly crowned Pennsylvania Horse of the Year Kappa Kappa , who was the upset winner of the 2025 Raven Run Stakes (G2) at Keeneland. 

Final Story Jumps into stakes action in Sir Barton

With the scratch of morning-line favorite Reagan's Honor , who developed a fever shipping into Laurel, the $100,000 Sir Barton Stakes run at 1 1/16 miles on the dirt is now led by Brad Cox trainee Final Story .

The lightly raced son of Candy Ride   is making just his third career start in the Sir Barton. He broke his maiden last out, April 19, at Keeneland by 6 widening lengths.

Final Story is expected to go to the lead and set the pace as he did in his maiden victory, and will look to add a stakes win to his résumé as he stretches out to a route for the first time. At odds of 2-1, he is now the morning-line favorite in a six-horse field. A homebred for Gary and Mary West, he is out of the grade 1-winning mare Book Review . 

Motion brings duo To James W. Murphy Stakes

Trainer Graham Motion brings two into the $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes, led by Proton . The race goes 1 mile on the turf. 

The son of Astern  is the 9-5 morning-line favorite. Owned by Stone Farm, Tom Reiman, Ken Wheeler Jr., Lynwood Napier, and Deborah Easter, the gelding is taking a step back in company and distance, coming into the race off a seventh-place finish in the Transylvania Stakes (G3T) going 1 1/16 miles. He has not found his way into the winner's circle since Sept. 27, when he won the Laurel Futurity, but has been twice stakes-placed since then. 

Motion's second entry, the 5-2 Turf Star , is a son of Caravaggio . His lone win came at 1 mile last summer at Kentucky Downs, and he followed up with a runner-up finish in the Bourbon Stakes (G2T). In his last start, the Calumet Farm homebred was a well-beaten ninth in the 1 1/8-mile Jeff Ruby Steaks (G3) on the all-weather track at Turfway Park, which encouraged his connections to move him back to his preferred surface and distance. 

Chasing Liberty leads wide-open Jim McKay Turf Sprint

The $125,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint Stakes going 5 1/2 furlongs attracted a field of 11, led by 3-1 morning-line favorite Chasing Liberty . The 4-year-old son of Constitution   is trained by Rob Atras for owners Twin Creeks Racing Stables and CMNWLTH.

Chasing Liberty was narrowly defeated in his last start by Outlaw Kid  in the April 26 King T. Leatherbury Stakes at Laurel. Outlaw Kid also enters the Jim McKay at odds of 5-1. The 7-year-old gelded son of Violence is looking to make it back-to-back wins for owners R. A. Hill Stable and SGV Thoroughbreds and trainer George Weaver. 

Run Curtis Run  is looking to get back into the winner's circle after just narrowly missing his 2026 debut in an allowance-level turf sprint at Churchill Downs. At 4-1, the multiple graded stakes-placed Mike Maker trainee is the second choice on the morning line.