A quintet of stakes winners along with Coastal Mission, chasing an elusive stakes triumph after placing four times in as many tries including three over the local track, help comprise a wide-open baker's dozen entered for the 12th edition of the $100,000 City of Laurel this Saturday at Laurel Park.
Based at Charles Town with trainer Jeff Runco, a winner of more than 4,600 career races, Coleswood Farm, Inc's Coastal Mission ran second in the Maryland Million Nursery and third in the Maryland Juvenile last fall at Laurel, where he began this year finishing second to Witty in the Jan. 29 Spectacular Bid.
The Great Notion gelding has not raced since closing to be second as the favorite by less than a length to next out winner Math Man Marco in the 4 ½-furlong Coin Collector May 14 at Charles Town.
Bird Mobberley's Local Motive won the Hickory Tree on turf and James F. Lewis III at 2 and the Feb. 19 Miracle Wood, the latter two at Laurel, also finishing 2 ¼ lengths behind Coastal Mission when third in the Spectacular Bid. He has faced older horses in each of his three starts since coming back from a freshening following the May 21 James Murphy on grass at Pimlico, most recently running fourth in a one-mile optional claiming allowance Nov. 4 at Laurel.
Thomas Coulter's Nimitz Class strung together three straight wins capped by the six-furlong Danzig against Pennsylvania-breds June 3 before having his streak snapped running second by a length following a troubled trip in Laurel's July 2 Concern. Bonuccelli Racing's Cynergy's Star won the Timonium Distaff last summer and returns to the dirt after running fourth in the Maryland Million Turf Sprint.
Runnymoore Racing's Undercover Kitty was a six-length, front-running winner of an off-the-turf Crowd Pleaser going 1 1/16 miles June 27 at Parx, and has raced at a mile or longer in nine starts since running third in his October 2021 unveiling at Laurel sprinting 5 ½ furlongs on the grass. He is joined by two stablemates – Nick Sanna Stables' Defend, winless in five straight races since winning three of his first four; and Isabelle Haskell de Tomaso homebred Irish Boolum, a last out allowance winner at Delaware Park.
Kasey K Racing Stable, Michael Day and Final Turn Racing Stable's Twisted Ride won two of his first three starts this year after going unraced at 2, including the City of Brotherly Love at Parx in his stakes debut. He is cross-entered in Wednesday's Let's Give Thanks at Parx and Friday's $75,000 Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial for Maryland-bred/sired 3-year-olds and up at Laurel.
Built Wright Stables' Steinbeck, owned and trained by Norman 'Lynn' Cash, is entered to make his 12th start this year, all since being claimed for $30,000 out of a maiden win last December at Turfway Park. Purchased by WinStar Farm for $650,000 as a 2-year-old in training, the Frosted colt was originally trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher.
An open allowance winner against his elders sprinting six furlongs Oct. 8 at Aqueduct, Steinbeck set the pace before fading to sixth three weeks later in the Bold Ruler (G3), where his stablemate, Laurel stakes winner Eastern Bay, ran second by a nose. Steinbeck was off the board in a 6 ½-furlong allowance Nov. 12 over a sloppy Churchill surface.
“The track was nothing but slop, so I'm just drawing a line through that race. He's a better horse than what he showed there,” Cash said. “On paper it seemed like a good spot, but he didn't run well on the track and the race was incredibly tough, also.
“He's a nice horse, and it seems like he's just coming into his own, too. He ran second in an allowance at Laurel [March 11] and then we had to give him about three months off,” he added. “Now he's come back and it seems like he's just now getting in game shape. That allowance win at Aqueduct, he kept a 2-5 favorite on his hip the entire race. He was strong.”
Al Loves Josie, third in the July 30 Star de Naskra at Laurel; Little Vic, off the board in three prior stakes attempts, all in graded company; and Radical Right, first or second in each of his last three dirt attempts dating back to last November, are also entered.
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