Jockey Sheldon Russell, who returned to riding over the weekend, will be favored to pick up the first win of his latest comeback when live racing returns to Laurel Park Thursday.
Russell, 35, is named on SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Robert Masterson, Jay Schoenfarber, Waves Edge Capital and Catherine Donovan's Langlee Avenue in Race 3, a maiden special weight for 3-year-olds sprinting seven furlongs.
Bred in Kentucky by Shadwell Farms, Triple Crown-nominated Langlee Avenue is the 6-5 program favorite breaking from outermost Post 6. He has breezed three times at Laurel for Russell's wife, trainer Brittany Russell, since mid-March after arriving from California and shares similar ownership as that of 3-year-olds Fort Warren and Uncle Jake, both nominated to Laurel's $125,000 Federico Tesio April 15.
“I've been on him a few times. He's at that stage now where he's ready to make his debut. He does everything good in the mornings,” Sheldon Russell said. “I'm really looking forward to it. I appreciate the owners giving me the chance. I'm very excited to ride him. It's nice because he's done everything that we've asked of him in the morning. He's done all his homework, so now he's just got to sort of put it all together in the afternoon. We're hoping he runs a good race.
“I think he was actually going to be my first ride back. He was due to run on Sunday, but the race didn't go and they brought it back,” he added. “I'm just excited. Hopefully he shows up. He's ready to run.”
An eight-time meet champion in Maryland represented by agent Marty Leonard, Russell finished second on 4-year-old Maryland-bred filly Thunder Boss in a maiden claimer April 2 at Laurel, his first race in 94 days since running third on Hybrid Eclipse in the Carousel Dec. 30.
Russell's latest absence was far shorter than the 10 months between races from mid-September 2021 to July 1, 2022, when he piloted Heldish to a debut triumph at Laurel after having surgery and rehab to recover from a Lisfranc injury to his right foot and a broken collarbone suffered on the comeback trail.
Rather than being forced out of action, Russell voluntarily placed himself on the sidelines to deal with his nagging left shoulder. Russell missed nearly eight months in 2015-16 with a torn labrum and fractured shoulder.
“I've had some problems with the left shoulder before. I'd had surgery on it. We'd done the routine checks with Dr. [James] Dreese there at MedStar, and it was either go back in and fix it up or take some time off and just see if the physical therapy would help,” Russell said.
“I didn't really want to do the whole surgery process again so I opted to just pull the plug. I ended up doing like 2 ½ months of physical therapy,” he added. “I was going up there two or three times a week and I feel like the rest has helped.”
Russell worked with physical therapist Steve Luca, the clinical director at Bel Air Athletic Club in Bel Air, Md., and began getting on horses again last month.
“I just sort of took my time. I got it strong enough to where we were feeling good in the physical therapy. I was doing everything else that I could do except get on a horse,” Russell said. “Obviously, we have the mechanical horse here at home. I think I had done like two weeks, maybe three, in the mornings. I just wanted to be ready.
“It wasn't going to heal itself if I was just going to keep racing and keep using it. I really had no choice but to just sort of take care of myself. If I still want to keep doing it then I needed to take care of it now before it got any worse,” he added. “Looking back now I feel good, I feel strong. Hopefully we can get some mounts and get some winners.”
Russell's time away coincided with the slower Maryland winter schedule where racing was conducted three days a week during the calendar year-opening winter meet that ended March 31. Brittany Russell finished second in the trainer standings with 30 wins, 24 of those with jockey Jevian Toledo, also represented by Leonard.
“Before I had pulled the plug and just stopped I had said, 'Look, if we're going to stop, let's stop now and hopefully we can have a busy summer together and go from there,'” Russell said. “It's never a good time to stop because you kind of always feel like there's live horses running week in and week out, but wintertime is sort of slower and there's no turf racing. Hopefully, we can stay healthy and enjoy this run.”
Starting Thursday, racing will be conducted four days a week at Laurel's spring meet which runs through Sunday, May 7, with the exception of Easter Sunday, April 9. Post time remains 12:25 p.m.
The feature on Thursday's eight-race program come sin Race 7, a six-furlong allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up that drew a field of seven led by SAB Stable Inc.'s Haleigh B, a 5-year-old mare that has two wins, a second and a third in four starts since mid-December after joining Brittany Russell's string. Jeremy Rose rides from outermost Post 7, while That's Some Kiss breaks from the rail under regular rider Forest Boyce exiting back-to-back runner-up finishes Feb. 11 and March 3 at Laurel.
Samuel Davis-owned and trained Wicked Prankster, unraced since extending his win streak to two races in the Maryland Million Turf last October, is entered to make his 5-year-old debut in Race 6 Friday, an optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up going about 1 1/16 miles. In Race 7 Shackled Love, winner of the 2021 Private Terms, is entered to make just his second start since August 2021 in second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up, also at about 1 1/16 miles. The 5-year-old gelding was last of eight in his comeback Jan. 16 at Laurel.
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