Pimlico's blockbuster 14-race Friday card goes out with a bang as the storied GIII Pimlico Special closes out action at 6:41 p.m. EDT. WinStar Farm homebred Commissioner (A.P. Indy), runner-up in last term's GI Belmont S. and winner of the GIII Skip Away S. over this same trip at Gulfstream Park Mar. 28, figures as the one to beat for trainer Todd Pletcher. The bay long-distance specialist earned a career-top 109 Beyer Speed Figure for his win in Hallandale Beach, and has been working steadily at Belmont over the past month in preparation for this try. Top Billing (Curlin), a Farish and Hudson homebred, finished a neck behind Commissioner in a Gulfstream Park allowance event in January of 2014, but the two have taken divergent career paths in the interim. Third in the GII Fountain of Youth S. one month later, he returned from a year-long layoff to run fourth in an optional claimer at Gulfstream Feb. 22 and recently closed from last to check in second by a nose in a 1 1/16-mile Keeneland optional claimer Apr. 8. The chestnut's lack of early speed makes him highly pace-dependent, but his pedigree indicates that the extended distance of the Pimlico Special should play to his benefit.Kid Cruz (Lemon Drop Kid) is another 4-year-old who could stamp himself as a factor in the handicap division with a successful run in this spot. The Linda Rice trainee captured the GIII Dwyer S. and finished third and fourth in the GII Jim Dandy S. and GI Travers S. as a sophomore, respectively. Away from the races for a half-year following the Travers, he showed steady improvement in his second start off the bench when runner-up to Red Vine (Candy Ride {Arg}) in a one-mile optional claimer at Aqueduct Apr. 1. Another pair of 4-year-olds, Tapiture (Tapit) and Albano (Istan), are expected to scratch from the race.
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