A couple of winters ago, Mike Maker readily conceded that his barn had become unbalanced, overloaded with older long-distance turf horses. But not much has changed. Maker has trained the winner of the Mac Diarmida Stakes four times in the last five renewals and has three of the 10 entrants in Saturday’s edition at Gulfstream Park. That said, none among the Maker trio of Starting Over, Catch That Party, and Dynadrive hold any apparent edge over several others in the Grade 2, $200,000 Mac Diarmida, a three-turn race over 1 3/8 miles. Dynadrive and Catch That Party exit the John B. Connally Stakes, a 1 1/2-mile grass race at Sam Houston that Maker also regularly wins. Catch That Party finished a distant sixth at odds of 5-2, while Dynadrive won by almost four lengths as a 6-1 chance. The Connally might not have much relevance to the Mac Diarmida since it was run over a grass course so sodden that Dynadrive needed 2:34 to reach the finish, the slowest Connally in the race’s nine-year history at 1 1/2 miles. Seven-year-old Dynadrive has been with Maker only three starts since being claimed by Three Diamonds Farm for $62,500 last August. In his first start for Maker he was second in the Colonial Turf Cup, which Maker won with Starting Over. Another 7-year-old, Starting Over followed his Colonial Cup score with a flop over yielding turf in the Canadian International, and while he was second of 11 Jan. 27 in the 1 1/2-mile William L. McKnight at Gulfstream, it was not an impressive second. A lumbering horse lacking much burst, Starting Over was no match for fast-finishing Francesco Clemente in the McKnight, and only a little more than two lengths separated the runner-up from the seventh-place finisher. Anglophile is the only other McKnight starter coming back in the Mac Diarmida, and he was frankly disappointing last month. A rising 4-year-old coming off a difficult trip over a distance short of his best in the Tropical Park Derby, Anglophile ran along at little more than one pace and checked in seventh, though his best races last year in Kentucky say he can do better. The pace scenario, at least, seems clear, with Main Event going to the lead from the rail and Tawny Port racing closest to him. An established eight- to nine-furlong horse, Main Event has nothing in his history suggesting he can set a slow pace and finish at this 11-furlong trip. Tawny Port, however, won last summer over 13 furlongs, and with only four grass starts is a 5-year-old with turf upside. He returns from a five-month layoff with ample foundation. “I think he’s ready. He’s fit,” said trainer Christophe Clement. “He’s a pretty versatile horse, though he is a galloping kind of horse who won’t be too far off the pace.” In fact, Tawny Port and Tyler Gaffalione could wind up in the perfect spot, chasing a leader with distance limitations while getting a jump on the Maker pack. The Very One Stakes Not all 10th-place finishes are created equal, and after beating just one horse Jan. 27 in the Pegasus World Cup Filly and Mare Turf, Cairo Consort can beat all nine of her rivals Saturday in the Grade 3, $150,000 The Very One Stakes. :: Access morning workout reports straight from the tracks and get an edge with DRF Clocker Reports Cairo Consort explores new territory in The Very One, a 1 3/8-mile grass race more than a quarter-mile farther than she ever has run. The 4-year-old filly has shown signs of wanting more ground. She had found stakes success as a miler early in her 3-year-old season, but returning from a long layoff this past December, Cairo Consort lacked the acceleration to contend in the Tropical Park Oaks, her start before the Pegasus. Last out, though, Cairo Consort showed signs of life. Her 28.59 final 2 1/2 furlongs ranked among the fastest in the Pegasus Filly and Mare Turf, and Cairo Consort’s best portion of that fraction was her last furlong, where she made up considerable ground. Cairo Consort crossed the finish 10th but was only a little more than two lengths out of second. This field, top to bottom, is softer and the Todd Pletcher-trained Cairo Consort could be somewhat overlooked. R Calli Kim looks like the clear favorite, but an outside draw with a short run to the first of three turns hurts her chances. Trained by Brendan Walsh, R Calli Kim does have the best recent form in the The Very One, though at age 7, she won’t be producing it indefinitely. R Calli Kim ought to have won the Jan. 27 La Prevoyante, where she had dead aim on the Pletcher-trained pacesetter Alpha Bella and could not get past while rallying along the fence. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.