Dinner Party S.

Hoping that the GIII Dinner Party S. might be a sampling of things to come later on the Preakness Day card, Never Explain came from off the pace to collect his first black-type victory for trainer Shug McGaughey. Handily away from gate six, the dark bay settled off the pace in fourth as GI Pegasus World Cup Turf winner Atone (Into Mischief), sent off at 5-2, strode to the front with MGSW 'TDN Rising Star' Emmanuel and Rising Empire (Empire Maker) in hot pursuit rounding the first turn. With the...

Between them, trainers Brad Cox and Mike Maker have won the two most recent runnings of the GII Dinner Party (ex Dixie S.) on the Preakness S. undercard and the accomplished conditioners look to have Saturday's renewal surrounded as well. The reigning Eclipse Award winner Cox is represented by Juddmonte's Set Piece (GB) (Dansili {GB}), who was rerouted to this spot after scratching from a potential defense of his title in the May 5 Opening Verse S. at Churchill Downs. Winner of that track's GII Wise Dan S. last June,...

Making the second start of his current form cycle and drawn perfectly to make best use of his primary asset, Somelikeithotbrown (Big Brown)--whose sire stormed home to win the 2008 GI Preakness S. by better than five lengths--can play the role of upsetter in Saturday's GII Dinner Party S. at Pimlico. The New York-bred toyed with his rivals from the front to upset last year's GII Bernard Baruch S. at Saratoga, but was ridden from off the pace when this event was contested last October and settled for second. The...