Winning Move Stable’s claimer-turned-stakes winner Yo Daddy, refreshed for his 5-year-old season, chases a third win this year and first against graded company in the historic $250,000 Pimlico Special (G3) Friday at Laurel Park.
The 56th running of the 1 3/16-mile Pimlico Special for 3-year-olds and up is the fifth of six stakes, three graded, worth $1.05 million in purses on a blockbuster program headlined by the 101st running of the $300,000 George E. Mitchell Black-Eyed Susan (G2) for 3-year-old fillies on the eve of the 151st Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.
Yo Daddy was claimed for $50,000 out of an April 14, 2024 win at Keeneland by New York-based Linda Rice, whose 2,821 career victories and counting are a record for women trainers. Among her many meet titles is Laurel’s 2017 winter stand.
In 17 starts since joining Rice’s barn, Yo Daddy has been third or better 14 times including six wins. He’s two-for-three this year starting with a 1¾-length optional claiming allowance going 1 1/8 miles Feb. 4 at Aqueduct, his first race in 244 days.
From there Yo Daddy ran second by a length in the one-mile Stymie Feb. 28 and became a stakes winner in his most recent start when stretched back out to 1 ¼ miles in the April 4 Excelsior, raging up from just off the pace to win by 1¾ lengths.
“We gave him a pretty good break last fall after the Saratoga meet but he’s come back very well as a 5-year-old, very fresh,” Rice said. “He won his first allowance race back at a mile and an eighth, he was second in the Stymie which was a flat mile and I think a little short for him. The mile and three-sixteenths of the Pimlico Special, that’s really right up his alley.”
Five of Yo Daddy’s eight career wins have come at 1 1/16 miles or longer, and he was second in last summer’s Belmont Gold Cup (G3) at Saratoga, rained off the turf and contested at 1 3/8 miles in what ultimately was his final start of 2025.
“Frankly I picked this race out because I thought that he’s best around the two turns,” Rice said. “The distance is right for him and we’re going to find out.”
Yo Daddy is twice graded-stakes placed, also running third in the one-mile Westchester (G3) last spring prior to his run in the Gold Cup. Jose Lezcano is named to ride in the Pimlico Special from outermost Post 7.
“I claimed him in Kentucky as a 3-year-old. We raced him pretty aggressively for about a year or better,” Rice said. “He’s a very big horse and the break really did him a lot of good. He’s bigger and stronger as a 5-year-old. He’s in very good form.”
Turman Racing Stable, AJ Suited Racing Stable and Mark Blieden’s 7-year-old gelding Awesome Aaron sprung a 7-1 upset of last year’s Pimlico Special, defeating subsequent Suburban (G2) winner Phileas Fogg by three-quarters of a length. He has gone winless in five subsequent starts, two this year, the latest a fourth in the 1 3/16-mile Ben Ali (G3) April 18 at Keeneland.
Awesome Aaron, trained by Norm Casse, is attempting to become just the second back-to-back winner of the Pimlico Special joining Hall of Famer Challedon, a Maryland-bred that won the third and fourth editions of the storied race in 1939 and 1940. Casse’s father, Hall of Fame trainer Mark Casse, won the 2016 Pimlico Special with Noble Bird.
Trainer Steve Asmussen is a two-time winner of the Pimlico Special, with Student Council in 2008 and Tenfold in 2019. He is represented this year by Mike Rutherford’s Duke of Duval, a 5-year-old son of Arrogate is seeking his first win this year after finishing off the board in three straight graded-stakes attempts, most recently a fifth in the 1 1/8-mile Oaklawn Handicap (G2) April 18. He had three wins and two seconds in six starts last year capped by a 1 1/16-mile allowance Dec. 28 to end his 2025 campaign.
BAG Racing Stables, Miller Racing, Dr. Derek Paul, Mathis Stable, Paul Braverman and Timothy Pinch’s 5-year-old Navajo Warrior seeks his ninth career win and first a stakes for South Florida-based trainer Saffie Joseph Jr., who got the Candy Ride gelding after he was purchased privately last summer following 10 starts in Southern California.
Navajo Warrior has won four of six races for Joseph, most recently over 2025 Preakness runner-up Gosger in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance March 21 at Gulfstream Park. Eight as the favorite in last fall’s Claiming Crown Jewel at Churchill Downs, he has been third or better in 12 of 16 starts. Prior to his last-out win he ran third, again as the top choice, behind stakes winner Otello at Oaklawn Park.
“He’s a cool horse. he tries hard,” Joseph said. “He was in great form when we got him and he’s continued in great form. In the Claiming Crown he got beat but he had a troubled trip. In the race at Oaklawn he was actually going at the winner and I don’t know if he got stopped or what happened, but he just didn’t pick it up. I feel like he came back last time and made a big step forward.”
The presence of Preakness and Haskell (G1) runner-up Gosger in that race relegated Navajo Warrior to third choice in a field of four after being favored in six of his prior eight starts. He trailed the field for a half-mile before moving within a head at the top of the stretch and going on to win by 1½ lengths.
“He won a solid allowance race and now it’s just time to jump up into this league,” Joseph said. “We feel like he’s a graded stakes horse. We’re happy with him. We feel like he’s capable of winning these types of races.”
Flavien Prat has the riding assignment from Post 2.
“I really like the horse,” Joseph said. “I think he’s a fun horse that, if he stays sound and healthy, he’s going to win a lot of graded stakes.”
Gosger is trained by Brendan Walsh, who entered Andrew Farm, Mountmellick Farm, Ocean Reef Racing, White Mountain Stables and Stonecrest Farm’s San Siro. The 5-year-old gelding was fourth in last year’s Pimlico Special, beaten 6¾ lengths after requiring a shoe repair in the paddock. He has placed three times in graded-stakes including thirds in the Essex and Ben Ali this year.
Completing the field are PrepsToThePros Racing Stables and July Cavalry Racing’s Maclean’s Rook, third in the restricted one-mile Jennings Jan. 17 at Laurel for trainer Michael Trombetta; and Regulator Racing Stable’s 6-year-old Xcellent Start, an 11-time winner from 43 lifetime starts primarily at Charles Town that was third in Laurel’s 1 1/8-mile Native Dancer April 4.
The Pimlico Special was created in 1937 by Alfred Vanderbilt, the master of Sagamore Farm, as the first major stakes in the United States set up as an invitational, and was won by Triple Crown champion War Admiral. The following year, War Admiral was upset by Seabiscuit in what Sports Illustrated called the ‘Race of the Century.’
Revived in 1988 by late Maryland Jockey Club president Frank De Francis, the Special’s illustrious roster of winners also includes Triple Crown winners Whirlaway, Citation and Assault, and modern-day Horses of the Year Criminal Type, Cigar, Skip Away, Mineshaft and Invasor.
This story was originally published by Paulick Report on May 10, 2026, where it first appeared in the News section. Add Paulick Report as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
