Happy Go Lucky Stable Inc.'s Ournationonparade, racing first time for his new connections, paid immediate dividends with a popular and decisive 5 ¾-length triumph in Saturday's $150,000 Maryland Million Classic at Laurel Park.
The 1 1/8-mile Classic for 3-year-olds and up headlined the 37th Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program of 12 races featuring eight stakes on 'Maryland's Day at the Races,' celebrating the progeny of stallions standing in the state.
It was the second win of day for trainer Jamie Ness and jockey Jaime Rodriguez, who also teamed up in the $100,000 Lassie with 2-year-old filly Chickieness, bred and co-owned by Ness' Jagger Inc. It was also the second Maryland Million win for Ournationonparade, coming three years after his victory in the 2019 Nursery.
Ournationonparade ($6) was sent off as the 2-1 favorite in a field of 11 that included the past two Classic winners, Prendimi and Monday Morning Qb along with multiple stakes winners Double Crown and Tappin Cat.
Bred in Maryland by John Williamson III, Ournationonparade is a 5-year-old Cal Nation gelding out of the mare Parade of Colors, who Ness also trained.
“She was slow. She really was,” Ness said. “He approached me and said, 'What about that old mare? When you're done racing her, can I have her?' He said, 'I don't know what it is about her, but I just like her.' She's produced winner after winner after winner. Good for him. He was pretty choked up after the race, and that made me a little choked up.”
As he did in his front-running 2020 triumph, Monday Morning Qb took the initiative from outermost Post 11 and was in front after a quarter-mile in :24.65 and a half in :49.74, chased by Prendimi and Vance Scholars, winner of an off-the-turf Bald Eagle Derby Aug. 6 at Laurel.
Rodriguez had Ournationonparade settled in fifth with an eye on Predimi who, like Monday Morning Qb, was trying to become just the sixth multiple winner of the Classic and first since Admirals War Chest in 2015-16.
“He kind of broke a little bit slow out of the gate and when I saw the outside horse go so wide, I just let him go and I just sat off the pace. When [Prendimi] moved I just sat right behind him and every time he moved I just moved with him,” Rodriguez said. “When I got to the half-mile pole, I was loaded.
“By the time I got to the quarter pole, he just exploded. I didn't even ask him. I'm just sitting on him and he was cruising on,” he added. “When he changed leads he gave me another gear. Thank God everything came out good and we got it done today.”
Ournationonparade ranged up on Prendimi midway around the turn, matching strides approaching the stretch and surging past once straightened for home, going a mile in 1:38.71 and continuing to gain separation to the wire, finishing up in 1:51.78 over a fast main track. Vance Scholars came on to be second, a half-length ahead of The Poser, with Double Crown another head back in fourth.
Monday Morning Qb, Prendimi, Crouchelli, Ain't Da Beer Cold, Tappin Cat, Virginia Fulla and Torch of Truth completed the order of finish.
Ness claimed Ournationonparade for $50,000 out of a Sept. 28 win at Churchill Downs sprinting seven furlongs. He had never been 1 1/8 miles before but did win a 1 1/16-mile optional claimer by 9 ¾ lengths Aug. 2 at Horseshoe Indiana one start before he was claimed.
“It looked like the distance was no problem. That was the only thing I was worried about,” Ness said. “I didn't really know the horse that well. I've only had him a short period of time, so I just tried to keep what the previous trainer was doing and that's what we did.
“I think he's just a good horse. He's just a little bit better than these horses, and he proved it today,” he added. “I didn't do a lot with him since I claimed him. He had a nice, easy work at Parx where I am most of the time and he looked like he was much the best today.”
Ournationonparade extended his win streak to four races and now owns eight wins from 25 starts, the victory pushing him over the $300,000 mark in purse earnings.
“We'll probably leave him here. I don't think there's a lot of Maryland-bred races left, but he looks like a horse that could compete in open company,” Ness said. “We'll probably point for some open company stakes races and go from there.”
Johnyz From Albany Rolls To Victory In Nursery
Charles J. 'Chip' Reed's homebred Johnyz From Albany, out of a two-time Maryland Million winner, lived up to the family tradition by jumping out to an early lead and rolling to a front-running, five-length triumph in the 100,000 Nursery for 2-year-old fillies.
Johnyz From Albany ($10.20) is by Blofeld out of the Oratory mare Monster Sleeping, winner of the 2013 and 2015 Maryland Million Lassie going long on the grass.
Ridden by Jorge Ruiz, who won the 2020 Nursery with Capuano-trained Kenny Had a Notion, Johnyz From Albany exited sharply from Post 7 in a field of 11, quickly established command, and was never headed.
Time was 1:11.35 on a fast track.
Heldish finished second, 1 ½ lengths head of Wildhunch, who edged Bestsugardaddyever by a neck for third.
Chickieness Is Best In Lassie
Chickieness, the 4-5 favorite, drove past Skylar's Sister and Bosserati inside the final sixteenth to win the $100,000 Lassie, covering six furlongs in 1:12.58 under jockey Jaime Rodriguez.
A 2-year-old daughter of Blofeld, co-owned by breeder Jagger Inc. and Morris Kernan, and trained by Jamie Ness, Chickieness won by 1 ½ lengths over Skylar's Sister. It was three-quarters of a length back to Bosserati.
Chickieness retured $3.80.
Sky's Not Falling Takes Turf Sprint
Larry Johnson and RDM Racing Stable's Sky's Not Falling, making just his second start of the year, raced near the lead approaching the stretch before taking over the top spot and holding off Rock the Boat through the lane for a half-length victory in the $100,000 Maryland Million Turf Sprint.
Ridden by Paco Lopez, the 5-year-old Seville gelding won by a half length and finished 5 1/2 furlongs in 1:02.75 on firm turf. He returned $9.40
Coconut Cake Captures Ladies
Coconut Cake, nearly two years since she last visited the winner's circle, held off a game Double Fireball to win the $125,000 Maryland Million Ladies by a head. It was three-quarters of a length to Amplio Esquema in third.
Sheldon Russell piloted Coconut Cake, a 5-year-old Bandbox mare, across the finish line in 1:50.22 for the 1 1/8 miles on firm turf. Owned by N R S Stable, James Chambers, and Timothy L. Keefe, she paid $4.40.
Wicked Prankster Wins Turf
Samuel G. Davis' Wicked Prankster, who raced six days earlier after coming off a three-month layoff, led gate-to-wire to win the $125,000 Turf over Street Copper.
A 4-year-old gelding by Mosler, Wicked Prankster covered the firm 1 1/8-mile course in 1:49.44 under jockey Richard Monterrey and returned $11.80.
Wicked Prankster previously won at a mile on a good turf course Oct. 16 at Laurel after having last raced in July.
He set fractions of :23.42, :48.28, and 1:11.91 Saturday while being pressed a bit down the backstretch and around the turn by Nick Papagiorgio and then Crabs N Beer.
“I figured a week would not hurt him [between races],” Davis said. “Instead of breezing him last week we would run him and just get ready for this race.”
Fille D'Esprit Rallies For Distaff Victory
It didn't start out the way they planned, but CJI Phoenix Thoroughbreds and No Guts No Glory Farm's Fille d'Esprit, by Great Notion, made sure the $100,000 Maryland Million Distaff ended exactly the way they hoped.
Fille d'Esprit ($5.40) became a Maryland Million winner for the first time in the 11th start of her 6-year-old season with a 1 ¼-length triumph over fellow multiple stakes winner Malibu Beauty in the seven-furlong sprint for fillies and mares.
Under jockey Xavier Perez, Fille d'Esprit covered the distance in 1:25.05 over a fast main track to give trainer Jerry Robb his ninth career Maryland Million win and second in the Distaff following Anna's Bandit in 2019, also with Perez.
Malibu Beauty stayed up for second, a length ahead of Sweet Gracie with Bourbon Wildcat another 2 ½ lengths back in fourth.
Fortheluvofbourbon Wins Sprint
Smart Angle LLP's Fortheluvofbourbon, off at 1-2, moved three-wide entering the stretch under jockey Paco Lopez and drove to victory in the $125,000 Sprint.
A 5-year-old gelded son of Bourbon Courage, Fortheluvofbourbon ($3) covered the six furlongs in 1:10.96 and beat Karan's Notion by 1 ½ lengths. It was a neck back to Alwaysinahurry in third.
The post ‘Maryland’s Day At The Races’: Ournationonparade Wins Maryland Million Classic, Wicked Prankster Goes Gate To Wire In Turf appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.
