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Jaxon Traveler Wins Star De Naskra At Pimlico

West Point Thoroughbreds and Marvin Delfiner's Jaxon Traveler added a third stakes win to his resume, the second in his home state of Maryland, with a professional three-length triumph in Saturday's $75,000 Star de Naskra at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The 28th running of the Star de Naskra for 3-year-olds sprinting six furlongs was the third of four stakes restricted to Maryland-bred/sired horses worth $300,000 in purses on a 10-race Maryland Pride Day program.

It was joined on the card by the six-furlong, $75,000 Miss Disco for 3-year-old fillies and a pair of 1 1/16-mile turf stakes, the $75,000 Find for 3-year-olds and up and $75,000 All Brandy for fillies and mares 3 and older.

Ridden for the first time by Sheldon Russell for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, Jaxon Traveler ($3) was returning to the dirt after placing in stakes on grass and all-weather surfaces in his previous two starts. Though his previous three wins – including his debut last fall at Pimlico and his first stakes win in Laurel Park's Maryland Juvenile Futurity – had come on the front end, he was content to rate behind Cry No More.

“I figured the horse on the inside was probably going to go to the lead and try and take it to us, so I'm glad he was able to relax. That's all part of trying to educate them,” West Point founder and CEO Terry Finley said. “They can only go so far if they're going this fast and as far as they can. They have to learn how to relax, so it worked out well. He's getting bigger and stronger, so we're in good shape with him.”

Russell had Jaxon Traveler at the right flank of Cry No More after a quarter-mile in :22.56 and closed the gap to a neck following four furlongs in :44.94. Jaxon Traveler straightened for home a length in front and sprinted clear, finishing up in 1:10.21 over a fast main track.

It was the second stakes win of the day for Russell, who also captured the Miss Disco with Malibu Beauty.

“He's a forward-going horse. The plan was to bang him out there and see where we're at,” Russell said. “Looking at the program, you could see [Cry No More] has a little bit of speed. Being on the outside he was always comfortable, he was always traveling. Great job to Steve and his team for having him ready today. I was just very fortunate that I was able to get to ride him.”

Alwaysinahurry, who beat Jaxon Traveler's stablemate, Mighty Mischief, to win the July 4 Concern at Pimlico, trailed throughout but came with a late run to nose out Cry No More for second. Kenny Had a Notion and Exculpatory were scratched.

“That was awesome. When they scratch down like that you're always a little concerned about trip, but he's got the tactical speed,” West Point COO Tom Bellhouse said. “It looked like [Cry No More] was set on getting the lead and he just sat right off of it. I was thrilled. I loved the way he did it.”

Bellhouse said the connections would likely point to the $100,000 Maryland Million Sprint Oct. 23 at Laurel Park for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs. Jaxon Traveler was bred in Maryland by Dr. and Mrs. A Leonard Pineau.

“Whether he runs one more time before then or not, I have to believe that would be the target,” Bellhouse said. “It was a great placement by Steve and hopefully onward and upward. He's such a cool horse. He shows up every single time.”

The Star de Naskra is named in honor of the 1979 champion sprinter bred and owned by Carlyle Lancaster. He had a record of 15-10-4 and purse earnings of more than $580,000 from 36 starts between 1977-79, winning eight stakes and three graded-stakes, the latter during his championship season.

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Jaxon Traveler, Alwaysinahurry Lead Nominations For Star De Naskra At Pimlico

Multiple stakes winner Jaxon Traveler, stakes winners Alwaysinahurry and Shackled Love, and graded-stakes placed Hemp head a list of 16 horses nominated to the $75,000 Star de Naskra Saturday, Aug. 21 at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The Star de Naskra for 3-year-olds is among four $75,000 stakes restricted to Maryland-bred/sired horses on the Maryland Pride Day program, joined by the Miss Disco for 3-year-old fillies, also sprinting six furlongs; 1 1/16-mile Find for 3-year-olds and up; and 1 1/16-mile All Brandy for fillies and mares 3 and older, both on the grass.

West Point Thoroughbreds and Marvin Delfiner's Jaxon Traveler was a 10-length debut winner last September at Pimlico and capped an undefeated 2-year-old season by defeating state-breds in the Maryland Juvenile Futurity at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md. Winner of the April 24 Bachelor at Oaklawn Park in Hot Springs, Ark., he was second to stablemate Mighty Mischief in the Grade 3 Chick Lang May 15 at Pimlico and made his two most recent starts on synthetic and grass, running third in the July 15 Grade 3 Quick Call at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Dale Capuano trains Mopo Racing's Alwaysinahurry, who emerged from multiple stakes-winning stablemate Kenny Had a Notion's shadow with a commanding victory over Mighty Mischief in the July 4 Concern at Pimlico. Kenny Had a Notion, also nominated, was entered at Pimlico Sunday.

ZWP Stable, Inc. and Non Stop Stable's Shackled Love won the 1 1/16-mile Private Terms March 13 at Laurel but has finished sixth in three subsequent starts, the Federico Tesio, Chick Lang, and Bald Eagle Derby, the latter 1 ½ miles on the Pimlico turf July 24. Narrow Leaf Farm's Hemp ran third in the Chick Lang and exits a runner-up finish after setting the pace July 2 at Charles Town in Charles Town, W. Va.

Six-time stakes winner Street Lute and Grade 3-placed Edie Meeny Miny Mo are prominent among 15 nominees to the Miss Disco. Lucky 7 Stables' Street Lute won five straight stakes last fall and winter at Laurel and captured an off-the-turf Stormy Blues June 13 at Pimlico. Most recently, she finished sixth, beaten 2 ½ lengths, in her first try on dirt and against older horses in the 5 ½-furlong M. Tyson Gilpin July 19 at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va.

Holly Hill Stables' Edie Meeny Miny Mo is undefeated at Pimlico, capturing an April 23 waiver maiden claimer by 4 ½ lengths and romping by six in a June 13 optional claiming allowance, her first two career starts. Last out, the Miguel Vera trainee ran second as the favorite after setting the pace in the July 31 Grade 3 Monmouth Oaks at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.

Most popular among horsemen was the Find, whose 29 nominees include 2019 Maryland Million Turf winner Mr. d'Angelo; 2020 Maryland Million Starter Handicap winner Beltway Bob; Cannon's Roar, second in the 2020 Maryland Million Turf and third in the West Virginia Speaker's Cup Aug. 7 at Mountaineer Park in New Cumberland, W. Va.; and dirt stakes winners Air Token, Alwaysmining, and Cordmaker.

The All Brandy attracted 27 nominations led by Danger Zone, 2-2-1 in seven starts since being moved to the turf this winter at Fair Grounds in New Orleans, La.; Dendrobia and Quiet Company, respectively second and third in the five-furlong Jameela July 4 at Pimlico; Fool Yourself, a winner of two straight for Preakness Meet leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez; and Artful Splatter, a multiple stakes winner on dirt.

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Capuano Considering Next Start For Alwaysinahurry

Mopo Racing's Alwaysinahurry is set to return to action later this month for the first time since his impressive upset victory over Grade 3-winning favorite Mighty Mischief in the July 4 Concern Stakes at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

Trainer Dale Capuano said the Great Notion gelding is being considered for both the $75,000 Star de Naskra Aug. 21 at Pimlico as well as the $150,000 Robert Hilton Memorial Aug. 27 at Charles Town in Charles Town, W. Va., contested at six and seven furlongs, respectively. Both races are restricted to 3-year-olds.

The Star de Naskra is among four $75,000 stakes for Maryland-bred/sired horses on Pimlico's Maryland Pride Day program, along with the Miss Disco for 3-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs on the main track, 1 1/16-mile Find for 3-year-olds and up, and 1 1/16-mile All Brandy for fillies and mares 3 years old and older, each on the turf.

“He's doing well. We're looking at the race at Charles Town, possibly the Star de Naskra. We're just going to play it by ear,” Capuano said. “We'll take a look at things and see how it shakes out.”

Bred in Maryland by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Quin Bowman, and Rebecca Davis, Alwaysinahurry burst from beneath the shadow of his multiple stakes-winning stablemate Kenny Had a Notion with a 4 ½-length triumph in the Concern at odds of 9-1. Mighty Mischief, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, had won three straight races including the May 15 Grade 3 Chick Lang at Pimlico.

The six-furlong Concern was only the second race this year for Alwaysinahurry, who needed five tries to break his maiden and raced eight times at 2 with two wins and a second to Kenny Had a Notion in the Maryland Million Nursery, one of his three runner-up finishes. Alwaysinahurry came back six months later to run fourth in a Delaware Park starter allowance as a tune-up for the Concern.

“It was impressive, wasn't it? He did it the right way,” Capuano said. “I always felt this horse could run. It took a little while for him to come around, so, hopefully, he's gotten it together now. We'll see what happens.”

Alwaysinahurry has worked three times at Pimlico since the Concern, with bullets going four and five-eighths and, most recently, an easy five-furlong move in 1:02.80 Aug. 6.

“Hopefully, he'll just improve a little bit more and get a little bit better as we go on,” Capuano said. “Time will tell.”

Louis Ulman and Neil Glasser's Kenny Had a Notion won stakes on turf and dirt as a 2-year-old and opened his 3-year-old season with a neck triumph over favored Maythehorsebwithu in the seven-furlong Spectacular Bid Jan. 16 at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md. He got a break after running third in the one-mile Miracle Wood Feb. 20 and was sixth to Wondrwherecraigis in his July 18 return at Pimlico.

Capuano put Kenny Had a Notion back on the grass for his most recent start, a five-furlong dash July 30 at Pimlico, where he raced between horses early before tiring to be seventh behind Mamba On Three.

“He ran OK the other day on the turf,” Capuano said. “He just hasn't come back to himself. It's a bit disappointing.”

Capuano said he plans to run Taking Risks Stable's Cannon's Roar in the Find. The 7-year-old gelding, second in the 2020 Maryland Million Turf and third in the July 8 Sussex at Delaware Park, was third to Logical Myth and Monarchs Glen in the West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker's Cup Aug. 7 at Mountaineer Park in New Cumberland, W.Va.

“He ran a big race, so my plan is to back in the Find,” Capuano said. “He ran his race and ran terrific. The two favorites beat him. He got beat a length and a half. They just outran him. He did everything right, he just wasn't quite good enough. The Maryland-bred race hopefully will be a little bit easier, and we won't have to ship six hours to get there.”

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Alwaysinahurry Dashes To Victory In Concern Stakes At Pimlico

Mopo Racing's Alwaysinahurry, making just his second start this year, collared Grade 3-winning favorite Mighty Mischief in mid-stretch and powered home a 4 ¾-length winner of Sunday's $100,000 Concern Stakes at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The fifth running of the six-furlong Concern for 3-year-olds, honoring the first Maryland-bred winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic, was the second of four stakes worth $375,000 in purses on the Independence Day holiday program.

Trained by Dale Capuano and ridden by Jorge Ruiz for his third win of the afternoon, Alwaysinahurry ($20.20) completed the distance in 1:10.56 over a fast main track. Mighty Mischief, who captured the Grade 3 Chick Lang Stakes May 15 at Pimlico, finished second to snap a three-race win streak. They were followed under the line by Three Two Zone, Singlino, Sibelius, and Roderick.

“He always trained well and I always liked him,” Capuano said. “Alwaysinahurry just disappointed me a few times so we gave him some time off for the winter and let him mature a little bit. Today he ran like I thought he could.”

Mighty Mischief broke running from Post 1 and quickly established command through a quarter-mile in :22.97 seconds, going a half in :45.95 while pressed to his outside by Roderick. Ruiz and Alwaysinahurry settled in third before tipping out approaching the stretch, then set down for the drive to the wire.

“He rode him excellent. We talked about that before the race. We thought there would be plenty of speed,” Capuano said. “We knew [Mighty Mischief] was going to go from the rail so we just wanted to sit off the pace and try to save ground and he did a good job doing that. He had a good trip and it worked out perfectly.”

It was the first career stakes win for Alwaysinahurry, who ran second to multiple stakes-winning stablemate Kenny Had a Notion in the Maryland Million Nursery last fall before capping his juvenile season running fifth behind Jaxon Traveler in the Maryland Juvenile Futurity, both at Laurel Park.

Alwaysinahurry, a gelded son of leading Maryland sire Great Notion, returned from a six-month layoff to be fourth by a length facing his elders in an open six-furlong allowance June 9 at Delaware Park, giving Capuano the confidence to return to stakes company.

“The Delaware race was a very tough race. They were all older horses and he fought all the way after the layoff and came out of the race really well,” he said. “I just thought that this race surely wasn't any tougher than the last race. That was kind of a hidden tough race. It all worked out well.”

Earlier wins for Ruiz on Sunday's card came with No Fooling Dude ($31.20) in Race 2 and Behind the Couch ($13) in Race 6.

Concern, trained by the late Dickie Small, won seven of 30 career starts and more than $3 million in purse earnings from 1993-95. His 1994 season included wins in the Breeders' Cup and Grade 2 Arkansas Derby, seconds in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes, the Grade 1 Super Derby and Grade 2 Ohio Derby, and thirds in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, Grade 1 Haskell, Grade 2 Molson Export Million, and Grade 3 Round Table.

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