Fellowship could be bound for Pimlico Special

Jacks or Better Farm’s Florida homebred Fellowship, last seen finishing eighth in the Preakness Stakes (G1) 11 months ago, could be bound for the $300,000 Pimlico Special (G3) May 19 following his 2 ½-length upset of a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance Sunday at Laurel.

 

Trainer Ken Decker said Thursday that the 4-year-old Awesome of Course colt was doing well out of the race, his first victory since taking the Florida Sire In Reality Stakes in October 2015 at Gulfstream Park. It was also his first start for Decker following time in the barn of trainers Stanley Gold and Mark Casse.

 

“He ran a nice race the other day. We gave him some time off and he came back and worked real nice in Ocala before he came up here and we worked him one time here,” Decker said. “We expected him, if everything was good, that he would run good, and he did. He seems to have come out of the race good. We’ve got a few things we’re looking at and pointing him for so hopefully everything stays together and we’ll try to get there.”

 

The historic Pimlico Special for 3-year-olds and up is run at the same distance – 1 3/16 miles – as the Preakness. Fellowship has earned $600,365 in 14 career starts, finishing second in the Birdonthewire, Juvenile Sprint and Smooth Air at 2 and third in the Holy Bull (G2), Fountain of Youth (G2) and Florida Derby (G1) last year.

 

“That is penciled in. It is one of the things that when he came, the owner wanted to try to point for,” Decker said. “That’s why we wanted to get in the allowance the other day and see where he’s at. So far everything’s good, and he came out of it good.”

 

 

Adam Staple and Jalin Stable’s claimer-turned-millionaire Page McKenney, based at Pimlico with trainer Mary Eppler, is likely to make his next start in the $100,000 Lyman Stakes for Pennsylvania-breds 3 and older April 29 at Parx.

 

Page McKenney was also among the nominees to Saturday’s $75,000 Henry S. Clark run at a mile on Laurel’s world-class turf course. The Lyman is on dirt at seven furlongs.

 

“I nominated him in case it rained or something like that. I don’t really want to run him on the turf anymore,” Eppler said. Page McKenney has five wins from 14 career grass starts, his most recent coming in the 2015 Robellino Stakes at Penn National.

 

Page McKenney is 4-1-1-0 lifetime at seven furlongs and has only tried the distance once since being claimed for $16,000 in July 2013 and joining Eppler, when he won the General George (G3) last February.

 

“I’ve only sprinted him the one time,” Eppler said. “This is against Pa-breds and when I looked at the noms it didn’t look like a terribly tough race. There really isn’t much around for him.”

 

A return to the Charles Town Classic (G2) on Saturday was scrapped when Page McKenney missed some training time last week. He finished third in that race in 2015 and second last year, exiting with a hip injury and ultimately a swollen tendon that kept him away from the races for nine months.

 

“He’s doing well,” Eppler said. “He worked the other day and had a real good work and came back with his right front heel bruised. He had a few days off and then we had no training for three days because they closed Pimlico to work on it, so we were just not going to make the Charles Town Classic.”