Weekend Stakes Rundown: El Areeb Back at Aqueduct

Each week BloodHorse.com looks forward to the weekend's biggest races. Consider this your weekly guide to the best stakes races in North America. This week we have full slates of stakes at Gulfstream Park and Santa Anita Park, and a Triple Crown prep in New York. Races are listed in chronological order (all times Eastern) and full previews are available through the links below.

Saturday, Feb. 4

2 p.m.—$200,000 Swale Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park

Three Rules, the standout colt of the Florida-bred crop last year, will make his 2017 debut. Last year over the local track, Three Rules tore through the lucrative Florida Sires races of the six-furlong Dr. Fager Stakes, seven-furlong Affirmed Stakes, and 1 1/16-mile In Reality Stakes, earning $600,000 for the breeder/owner team of Bert Pilcher's Shade Tree Thoroughbreds, Geoff Roy,  and Tom Fitzgerald.

2:30 p.m.—$200,000 Forward Gal Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park

Pretty City Dancer is also set to make her sophomore debut. The daughter of Tapit   has not raced since finishing in a dead-heat victory with Sweet Loretta in the Sept. 3 Spinaway Stakes (G1) at Saratoga Race Course and she was given the rest of 2016 off due to a minor training setback.

4 p.m.—$150,000 Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3) at Santa Anita Park

Without a clear favorite among the five entered, trainer Doug O'Neill—who has three of the five—is hopeful any or all of his horses will seize an opportunity to move forward. The O'Neill trainees share only three wins between them, but each has shown at least a glimmer of reason to think more talent might be there.

4:20 p.m.—$250,000 Withers Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack

After three straight dominating wins, including an 11 1/4-length score in the Jerome Stakes (G3) Jan. 2, El Areeb is back for another Aqueduct score. El Areeb has won his past three starts by a combined 25 1/4 lengths. He rolled to a maiden win in a six-furlong test Oct. 15 at Laurel Park in his third attempt and then won the James F. Lewis III Stakes at the same distance there Nov. 19 to close out the year.

4:30 p.m.—$200,000 Palos Verdes Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park

At the head of the short cast is Altamira Racing Stable's St. Joe Bay, a dead-heat winner of the Midnight Lute Stakes (G3) with Solid Wager at 6 1/2 furlongs Dec. 31. The 5-year-old gelding by St. Anddan preceded that effort with a score in a Del Mar allowance sprint Dec. 4.

4:38 p.m.—$125,000 King Cotton Stakes at Oaklawn Park

Ivan Fallunovalot will look for a third score in the King Cotton and will seek his fifth consecutive victory. A quarter-crack sidelined him several months after last year's King Cotton. He returned to win a Sept. 1 allowance at Remington Park, defended his title in the David M. Vance Sprint Stakes Sept. 25 at Remington, and scored his biggest victory to date in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes (G3) Nov. 19 at Laurel.

5:05 p.m.—$100,000 Sweetest Chant Stakes (G3T) at Gulfstream Park

Having saddled the winners of the last five editions of the Sweetest Chant, trainer Chad Brown will look to add to his race-specific dominance when he leads over 9-5 morning line favorite Rymska. In her last start the filly finished fifth, beaten 3 1/4 lengths, by stablemate New Money Honey in the Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1T).

5:35 p.m.—$350,000 Holy Bull Stakes (G2) at Gulfstream Park

Aside from his well-documented mental lapse at the start of the Hopeful Stakes (G1), where he dropped jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. out of the gate, Classic Empire has not had a misstep. He proved handy enough during his win in Bashford Manor Stakes (G3) to overcome a lousy break and still recover with an off-the-pace rally, and he just as easily can sit on or near the front end, as he did in both the Sentient Jet Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) and the Claiborne Breeders' Futurity (G1).

7 p.m.—$300,000 San Antonio Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park

Karl Watson, Mike Pegram, and Paul Weitman's Hoppertunity will look for his second straight score in the San Antonio. The 6-year-old, Bob Baffert-trained son of Any Given Saturday took the 2016 edition by a nose over Imperative and went on to win the Jockey Club Gold Cup, his second grade 1 score, in October at Belmont Park.

7:30 p.m.—$200,000 San Marcos Stakes (G2T) at Santa Anita Park

Only one horse in the field of 14 has been able to win back-to-back turf stakes—David Bienstock and Chuck Winner's Flamboyant. Texas Ryano, a 6-year-old son of Curlin   who won the Hollywood Turf Cup (G2T) last time out Nov. 25, could be added to that category with a win in the San Marcos.

Sunday, Feb. 5

4:30 p.m.—$200,000 Las Virgenes Stakes (G2) at Santa Anita Park

Champagne Room will be in a unique position in the Las Virgenes. The champion 2-year-old filly of 2016 and the 14 Hands Winery Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies (G1) winner likely won't be favored. The horse of the moment, Unique Bella, off back-to-back freakish performances, should assume that mantle.