Racing at the Maryland State Fair at Timonium is over for 2023, but homebred allowance sprinters will remain in the spotlight when Pimlico’s fall meet begins this Friday, Sept. 8. The road to the 50-cent Late Pick 4 wager will go through the co-featured 5F turf sprint and 6F main-track dash. Here’s a closer look:

PIM 5th race (2:37 P.M. EST) -- HIGHER QUALITY was a nightmare trip and head short from winning three consecutive route races at Belmont prior to a Grade III stakes attempt at Monmouth last out. He ran off in the post parade two back, broke awkwardly, raced 5-wide on the backstretch and led late in a race that produced three next-out winners. UNCAPTURED emerged from a long duel at Timonium’s half-mile oval and shook clear in the stretch for an upset victory at 6-1/2F. His speed was no match for BOB MARCO, who led by a city block and held second at one-mile two starts ago, earning favoritism today. COOL QUARTET has two wins and two photo-finish setbacks in his last four main-track routes on a fast strip. He could return a quick claim dividend.

PIM 6th race (3:10 P.M. EST) -- Many ways to go in this Maryland-bred turf allowance. UPSIDEDOWNMAN continued to improve when he swung 6-wide in the stretch, just missed in a $40,000 grass sprint and finished ahead of Speed Warning, who won a turf allowance race at Hawthorne this week. FREEZE THE FIRE, a 14-1 debut winner at 6F and 7F allowance runner-up to an eventual repeat winner, tries the turf for the first time. His dam was 24/4-4-5 and a $200k earner on the lawn. TIDEWATER, reluctant to load and very wide on the backstretch, still managed to ‘power clear’ in the stretch to live up to favoritism off an eight-month layoff. BOSS MAN JJ is 0-8 on turf, but has three seconds and an average 74 Beyer in his last six grass sprints. FUN NOTION, shuffled back early, rallied 6-wide into a blanket finish won by stakes-placed Embolden.

PIM 7th (3:43 P.M. EST) -- ORDER OFTHE KETTLE hasn’t raced since he emerged from an early, five-way bumping match and romped to an 8-1/4 length maiden score 11 months ago. But the barn excels with layoff types and the three rivals that finished behind the now 3-year-old are a combined 30/9-5-4 with $367,000 in earnings today. He is today’s Pick 4 solo play.

PIM 8th race (4:16 P.M. EST) -- BANDONARUN ‘showed a burst to get early position’ and loomed boldly outside the two favorites, only to finish third in her debut. New York invader LADY BANKER fought back after the class-dropping winner passed by and held second at Saratoga at 5-1/2F. LENDTHECREDIT was out-kicked at Monmouth in a race that has come up weak, but she handled the cutback in distance well, gets in light-weighted and can’t be ignored in this barn.

Suggested 50-Cent Ticket
PIM 5th Race: 2, 3, 6, 7
PIM 6th Race: 4, 6, 7, 8, 9
PIM 7th Race: 2
PIM 8th Race: 6, 7, 8
Cost: $30