Maria’ Aims for Pimlico Repeat

One year ago to the date, Repole Stable’s Stopchargingmaria (Tale of the Cat) used a victory in the GII Black Eyed Susan S. as a catapult to multiple Grade I-winning success later in her sophomore campaign. The dark bay will look to do the same as a 4-year old in Friday afternoon’s GIII Allaire DuPont Distaff S. over the same trip and track. She recently returned from a half-year hiatus to be runner-up by a half-length behind Princess Violet (Officer) in the seven-panel GI Madison S. at Keeneland, carrying the colors of Town and Country Farms. Returning to the blue-and-orange of Mike Repole’s outfit in this spot, Stopchargingmaria has been installed as the 9-5 morning line favorite. D P Racing’s Yahilwa(Medaglia d’Oro) may pose the greatest threat to that rival, coming in off a sharp score in the GIII Sixty Sails H. at Hawthorne. Trained by James Cassidy, the bay mare figures to be forwardly placed in an attempt to notch her second consecutive graded stakes score. Fortune Pearl (Mineshaft) rallied from last of six in a paceless 1 1/16-mile optional claiming affair to annex her 4-year old debut at Keeneland Apr. 4, and figures to progress in her second start off the bench at an extended distance. Bred and owned by Zanim R. Meahjohn, she finished third behind Stopchargingmaria in last year’s Black Eyed Susan, and later annexed the GII Delaware Oaks. Lunar Surge (Malibu Moon) and Blue Violet (Curlin) enter off respective second and third-place finishes behind Deceptive Vision (A.P. Indy) in Keeneland’s GIII Doubledogdare S. Apr. 17.