Month: October 2023

Bryan Minnich's homebred gelding King's River, taking advantage of a class drop to graduate in dominant fashion last time out, will step back up into stakes company for the first time in Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Million Nursery at Laurel Park.

The Nursery for 2-year-olds and $100,000 Lassie for 2-year-old fillies, both sprinting six furlongs, are among eight stakes and four starter stakes on the 38th Jim McKay Maryland Million program, 'Maryland's Day at the Races' celebrating the progeny of stallions standing in the state.

Highlighted by the $150,000 Classic for 3-year-olds and up, first race post time is 11:30 a.m.

By millionaire Irish War Cry, whose three graded-stakes wins included the historic Pimlico Special (G3) in 2018, King's River was one of eight juveniles in for a $20,000 tag Sept. 29 on opening day of Laurel's fall meet. He had finished off the board in each of his first two races, the first in a waiver maiden claimer and the second in a $50,000 claimer on the grass at Colonial Downs.

“We felt we needed to make that move because he'd been struggling a little bit and we thought it would be something to give him a little confidence. I don't know if it gave him that much confidence, but we're going to find out. It was definitely the race I was looking for,” trainer Linda Albert said. “We'll see how it looks when we go to the big leagues this time.”

Breaking from the rail, King's River quickly recovered after being bumped at the start to assume an early lead and go on to a front-running 13-length triumph while pulling away despite being green under a hand ride from jockey Forest Boyce. The performance convinced the connections to take a shot in the Nursery, which Albert won in 2007 with Regal Solo, who would return to win the Classic in 2010.

“After the race we were sitting there saying that the race is coming right up. You do only get one crack at it with a 2-year-old. It's right here and it is one of my favorite days, so we'll give it a try,” Albert said. “He's doing great.”

King's River gets Boyce and the rail again in a full field of 14 that includes Maryland-bred also-eligibles Call Me Andy and It's My Rainbow.

“It's not ideal [but] it's where he was last time. It's going to kind of force his hand to be up close like that but, hopefully, he learned a little something last time,” Albert said. “That was the trouble in his other two races. He wasn't learning much, but we're going to give him a chance. We're glad to have Forest back. She's got the hot hand right now.”

Four horses – Bigdaddysboy, Blame the Tux, Point Pelee and Full Proof – enter the Nursery off victories. No Guts No Glory Farm's homebred Bigdaddysboy, a popular three-length debut winner Sept. 1 at Timonium, is one of three horses trained by John Robb, who won the Nursery in 1993 with Run Alden and 2011 with Glib.

Maryland's leading trainer, Brittany Russell, is represented by Karmac Stable homebred Prado Road. The gelded son of Golden Rod was beaten a neck in his lone start, a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight over a wet-fast track Sept. 30 at Delaware Park.

Rolling Meadows Farm's homebred maiden Summerstateofmind was second, beaten 2 ¼ lengths by Robb-trained Nursery entrant Dance for Green Aug. 6 at Laurel, and ran fourth in a six-furlong maiden special weight Sept. 15 at historic Pimlico Race Course. Trainer Tim Keefe is seeking his first win in the Nursery.

“I almost won it with a maiden a few years back [Dancing With Maude in 2016]. People thought I was crazy but I knew the horse belonged. He came flying and finished second,” Keefe said. “Obviously [Summerstateofmind] is still a maiden, but it doesn't matter. He's run well. His last race was good. He was beaten by a bunch of [well-bred] horses so we decided we'd give it a shot and see where we are with him.”

Catahoula Moon, Kohler's, Street Tough and Speedyness complete the field.

The post ‘You Do Only Get One Crack At It’: Homebred King’s River Steps Up For Maryland Million Nursery appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post

Multiple Maryland-bred champion filly Luna Belle, a five-time stakes winner that has gone unraced since last spring, is set to launch her long-awaited comeback in Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Million Distaff at Laurel Park.

The Distaff for fillies and mares 3 and older and $100,000 Sprint for 3-year-olds and up, both going seven furlongs, are among eight stakes and four starter stakes on the 38th Jim McKay Maryland Million program, 'Maryland's Day at the Races' celebrating the progeny of stallions standing in the state.

Highlighted by the $150,000 Classic for 3-year-olds and up, first race post time is 11:30 a.m.

Owned by Deborah Greene and trainer Hamilton Smith and bred by Smith, Greene and her late father, Fred Greene Jr., Luna Belle will be racing for the first time in 513 days in the Distaff after having her five-stakes win streak snapped in last spring's Black-Eyed Susan (G2), her graded debut.

“She came up with some minor problems,” Smith said. “She came out of the Black-Eyed Susan with some bone bruising and we had to give her time for that. After one thing or another we got her back into training. We were debating whether to not run her anymore and sell her as a broodmare in foal, and she did not catch.

“We decided to put her back into training and if she did well, we'd go ahead run her and then decide whether we want to sell her or not,” he added. “We have her booked in Kentucky in November, so this race will have a lot to say about whether we want to sell or keep her.”

The Keeneland Breeding Stock Sale is scheduled for Nov. 8-16.

Luna Belle is by Great Notion, who has had at least one Maryland Million winner for 13 straight years. Fourth by a length following a tough trip in last year's Lassie, she won the Maryland Juvenile Fillies to cap a campaign where she was voted the state's top 2-year-old female. She began her 3-year-old championship season with wins in the Xtra Heat, Wide Country, Beyond the Wire and Weber City Miss, all at Laurel, the latter earning her an automatic berth in the Black-Eyed Susan.

“When she had that streak of wins, she pretty much dominated,” Smith said. “Watching the replays of her races, she got in some traffic jams and stuff where a normal horse wouldn't have recovered and run as well as she did. But once she got loose, she just exploded. She was just much the best at that point in time.”

Luna Belle has been working steadily for her comeback since early August, posting nine times breezes at Laurel capped by back-to-back five-furlong bullet moves in 59.60 seconds Sept. 29 and Oct. 6.

“We're very pleased with the way she's doing right now, so hopefully she'll run her race,” Smith said. “I'd like to have gotten a race into her before the Maryland Million, but it didn't happen. She's been training well and her works have been pretty consistent, pretty strong. Hopefully she'll come back and be as competitive as she was last spring. That would be nice. If she does that then she'll run well.”

Smith also entered Mens Grille Racing's Response Time, a 5-year-old mare that has earned six of her eight career wins at Laurel, was second to Grade 3-placed Beguine in the July 29 Alma North, and exits a 1 ¼-length triumph in the 6 ½-furlong Timonium Distaff over multiple stakes winner Malibu Beauty, also entered in the Distaff.

“She ran well last time. Going around that bullring you never know how they'll perform, but she handled it well. That was one of her better races. She sat off the lead a little bit, then took the lead and went on with it and was pulling away there at the end,” Smith said. “She's been a consistent horse all year, running real well. We expect her to run well again Saturday.”

Among those lining up against Luna Belle are multiple stakes winners Fille d'Esprit and Malibu Moonshine. Happy Face Racing Stable's Malibu Moonshine, Maryland's champion 2-year-old filly of 2022, won the Maryland Juvenile Fillies and Gin Talking to cap last season and ran third in the Feb. 5 Ruthless before going to the sidelines. Based in New York, she returned to be eighth in the seven-furlong Miss Disco July 29 at Laurel.

CJI Phoenix Group and No Guts No Glory Farm's Fille d'Esprit is a 15-time career winner, 13 at Laurel, and is 2-for-3 this year after a 2022 campaign that saw her win five stakes including the Distaff and run third in the Barbara Fritchie (G3). Second in the Fritchie Feb. 18, she returned a winner Sept. 29 at Laurel to push her lifetime bankroll to $777,881.

Fille d'Esprit's Jerry Robb-trained stablemate, 2022 Lewes winner Mama G's Wish; Mavilus, winner of the 2022 Maryland Million Distaff Starter Handicap; Sweet Gracie, third in last year's Distaff; Moonboots and Quiet Imagination are also entered.

Maryland-breds on the also-eligible list are Intrepid Daydream, a winner of two straight including Laurel's Shine Again Sept. 16, Isabella's Glory and Canoodle.

The post Multiple Maryland Champion Luna Bella Returns From 513-Day Layoff In Maryland Million Distaff appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

Source of original post