Private Terms Preview: Maythehorsebwithu Stretches Out

LAUREL, MD – Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables’ local star Maythehorsebwithu stretches out to try two turns for the first time in Saturday’s $100,000 Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park.

The Private Terms is a 1 1/16-mile dirt route restricted to 3-year-olds. This year’s edition is the penultimate event on a 9-race card and has a local post time of 4:00 PM.

Here’s a look at the full field for the Private Terms:

1. Commodore Perry 15/1 – After leading halfway home last time out in his second career start (a two-turn mile on Turfway Park’s synthetic course), he got caught and lost by a neck. Here, he’ll face winners for the first time, in a stakes for the first time, on dirt for the first time. Each of those is a difficult hurdle to clear, but trying all three? It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. Let’s see if it pays off for ’em.

2. Maythehorsebwithu 2/1 – He continues his impressive run dating back to last July, when he broke his maiden on debut by 10 1/4 lengths for the first of 3 victories. The most recent one came last time out in the Miracle Wood Stakes, which he won by 4 lengths going a local one-turn mile. The wife-husband duo of trainer Brittany and jockey Sheldon Russell are winning at a 36% clip together.

3. Shackled Love 6/1 – He’s finished second in each of his past 2 starts, each over this course against optional claimers and one coming at this distance. He was no match for Royal Number or Maythehorsebwithu when facing them earlier in their careers and his best chance of winning – setting a lone pace – could be hampered facing others who share his early turn of foot.

4. Zertz 8/1 – He was an eye-popping 11 1/4-length winner against allowance rivals last time out while going 6 furlongs at Penn National, earning a 79 Beyer Speed Figure that puts him right near the top of this field. He’s never routed before, but his sire Super Saver won the 2010 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Tim Kreiser trainees win 15% going sprint to route.

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5. Royal Number 5/2 – He earned a field-best 81 Beyer Speed Figure for whipping optional claimers by 7 3/4 lengths over this course and distance in early January but couldn’t replicate that effort last time out in the Withers Stakes (G3). He should enjoy both the class drop and reuniting with race-day Lasix; his 2 career wins came the only 2 times he used it before.

6. Excellorator 6/1 – He rides a 3-race win streak into his stakes debut that coincides with his first start for new trainer Hugh McMahon, who claimed him for $62.5k out of a local 6 1/2-furlong sprint. Though he’s never won beyond that distance or raced beyond 7 furlongs, his breeding (a son of 2013 Kentucky Derby champion Orb) suggests that he should handle routing.

7. Shackqueenking 5/1 – He should relish returning to this course and distance; he broke his maiden over it in his second career start, then repeated that result 2 starts later in the Howard County Stakes. A well-beaten eighth in the Withers last time out, he adds race-day Lasix for the first time and reunites with jockey Victor Rosales, aboard for both victories.

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