Hello Hot Rod Returns to Maryland in Federico Tesio

It will be more than just a homecoming when stakes winner Hello Hot Rod returns to Maryland for only his second start of the year in the April 24 $125,000 Federico Tesio Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. The Maryland-bred son of Mosler comes in off three consecutive victories, but has gone unraced since Jan. 31. He will be making his debut in the colors of owner George Sharp, who purchased Hello Hot Rod for $335,000 at the Fasig-Tipton February Sale from previous co-owner and trainer Brittany Russell. Among his rivals will be former stablemate Maythehorsebwithu. And, there is a Triple Crown berth on the line. The 40th running of the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio serves to headline a Spring Stakes Spectacular program of six stakes worth $650,000 in purses. For the sixth straight year, it will serve as a 'Win and You're In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds to the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 at Pimlico. Hello Hot Rod, a younger half brother to the multiple stakes-winning filly Hello Beautiful out of the mare Hello Now, made each of his first three starts at Laurel Park. He lost his debut in a waiver maiden claimer last October by a neck before notching back-to-back wins in maiden and allowance company—the latter going a mile—by a combined 6 1/2 lengths. The dark bay then won the seven-furlong Jimmy Winkfield Stakes at Aqueduct Racetrack Jan. 31 in his sophomore debut. Various circumstances kept Hello Hot Rod from returning to the races until now, but he has a string of six steady works since March 9 in Kentucky at both Keeneland and The Thoroughbred Center, where his most recent drill of four furlongs in :47.60 seconds came April 17, fifth-fastest of 49 horses. "He's trained really well," said trainer Shawn Davis. "Because of the ice storms and sale and different things, we had some setbacks with him, but nothing serious. The horse, his last couple works he's done really well in them, and he'll be ready for the Tesio." Hello Hot Rod was already Triple Crown-nominated when he was purchased, and Davis said the Preakness bid did play a part both in the sale and choosing the Tesio, which will be his first attempt around two turns. "That does factor in. We'll just have to see how he does and how he comes out of the race and everything," Davis said. "What I liked about the horse since we got him is when you look at his form and everything, he'd never been trained really hard, and he looked like he had quite a bit of ability. At this point to us as we've been working with him, he seems like he's got a lot of class. We know that he's done well so far, and we're hoping that he's got the class he needs to go forward." Feargal Lynch is named to ride Hello Hot Rod from Post 5 in a field of eight. Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables' Maythehorsebwithu was among nine Triple Crown nominees at the late March 29 deadline. A dominant front-running winner of the Feb. 20 Miracle Wood Stakes by four lengths at Laurel, Maythehorsebwithu has been second in his other two stakes attempts this year, including a neck loss to multiple stakes winner Kenny Had a Notion in Laurel's Spectacular Bid Stakes Jan. 16. Maythehorsebwithu had an easy five-furlong breeze in 1:01.80 April 18 at Pimlico, where he has joined Russell's on-track string. Her husband, jockey Sheldon Russell, gets the return call from far outside in Post 8. "We felt this horse would be more of a sprinter type, and the longer we've had him and the more we've got to know him and race him, we've been just delighted with the results," Russell said. "I love our horse. I feel good about the position we're in regardless, so I'm just excited to have our guy to walk over."