How to bet the 2021 Dinner Party Stakes

An octet of turf specialists will travel 1 1/16 miles on the Pimlico green in Saturday’s $250,000 Dinner Party S. (G2). The race, which precedes the Preakness S. (G1), did not come up especially deep this season. My top pick for the contest, and the entire day, rests with #1 Somelikeithotbrown (4-1) from the rail. The accomplished five-year-old has as much back class as any in the field, and he could be controlling speed with an alert break, as well.

Trained by Mike Maker, Somelikeithotbrown earned a lifetime best 107 Brisnet Speed figure over yielding ground in this race in 2020 when runner-up. The New York-bred son of dual classic winner Big Brown is not the most consistent horse in training, but he has knocked heads with some fine foes over the past few seasons while posting some excellent results.

The bay disputed a rapid pace before tiring late in the Maker’s Mark Mile (G1) in his seasonal debut and will improve off that performance. He has posted a trio of solid morning drills in the interim, and I love his 5-2-3-0 mark at the 1 1/16-mile trip. The classy sort has been good at two, three, and four, and I envision him continuing his career in a positive way in 2021. Jose Ortiz will be in the stirrups atop my best play of the afternoon.

I have a lot of confidence in the top pick and will be aggressive with my exotics plays with him in the win slot. Trainer Graham Motion excels off the layoff and will saddle two in here, including #2 English Bee (8-1). The chestnut son of English Channel seems to do his best work in the graded stakes ranks, and he will be overlooked in the wagering some in his five-year-old bow. Rosario will be in the silks on the late runner.

#5 Sacred Life (7-5) is a one-run closer with some class to him for Chad Brown. Third in the recent Maker’s Mark at Keeneland, the French-bred has not been worse than fourth since arriving in the U. S. which includes a trio of graded placings, and he has a lot of room for improvement in his second try of the season. Javier Castellano retains the mount atop the morning-line choice.

Dinner Party Wagers

• $20 exacta 1 with 2,5 ($40)
• $10 trifecta key 1 with 2,5 ($20)