It was the first riding title for Cruz, who deadheated with Barbosa with 44 wins apiece. Cruz won two races Saturday to secure the tie with Barbosa. The latter is among the contenders for champion apprentice jockey of 2022 and had won both Laurel's spring meet and Pimlico's fall meet titles. Both riders are from Puerto Rico, where they've known each other for more than a decade, and are represented by agent Tom Stift.

“Angel is the reason Jeiron became a jockey,” said Stift. “They wanted to finish 1-2 [in the standings], and it worked out even better.”

In the training ranks, Russell won 29-24 over Jamie Ness for the fall meet title. She had also wrapped up the honors at Laurel's spring meet and tied for the lead at the Preakness Meet at Pimlico. She is just the fourth female trainer to lead the meet standings in Maryland following Karen Patty, Mary Eppler, and Linda Rice.

For the entirety of 2022 in Maryland, she was second to Claudio Gonzalez, 74-73. Russell set career highs with 453 starters, 100 wins, and more than $4.3 million in earnings for 2022.

Laurel's 2023 winter meet opens New Year's Day with a nine-race card and first post at 12:25 p.m.

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The inaugural Manfuso for 3-year-olds and up going about 1 1/16 miles and the return of the 1 1/8-mile Carousel for fillies and mares 3 and up, which carried Grade 3 status from 1988 through 1997 and was last run in 2002 at Laurel, were among six $100,000 stakes on a nine-race Christmastide Day program.

Cordmaker ($4.40) was bred in Maryland by Manfuso and his life partner, Laurel-based trainer Katy Voss, who presented the winner's trophy to the connections, including Hillwood's Ellen Charles, trainer Rodney Jenkins and regular rider Victor Carrasco.

A longtime owner and breeder and former owner of both Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course who was instrumental in revitalizing Maryland racing, Manfuso passed away in March 2020.

“We've all been talking about it for about a week. I'm glad we were able to get it done,” Jenkins said. “It was nice. He's such a good horse.”

A gelded son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin, Cordmaker won for the third time in four starts – all in stakes – and clinched the older male long dirt division and overall MATCH Series titles.

Breaking from the rail as the 6-5 favorite in a field that scratched down to six, Cordmaker settled in fourth as multiple stakes winner Alwaysmining took the lead and held it through a quarter-mile in 23.47 seconds and a half in 47.38 pressed by Workin On a Dream, who finished second to Cordmaker in the Richard W. Small Nov. 27 at Laurel.

Carrasco tipped Cordmaker out leaving the far turn and set his sights on 3-2 second choice Shackqueenking, who had inherited the lead after Alwaysmining began to fade. Cordmaker straightened out, powered past Shackqueenking and opened up for a 3 ½-length victory. Workin On a Dream edged Shackqueenking by a half-length for second, with Plot the Dots a nose better than McElmore Avenue in fourth.

“Naturally he drew the one hole of all days, but he figured it out,” Jenkins said. “He got around that turn and saved some ground there, and then when they straightened out and Victor asked him, I think he won as easy as he's won any race in his life.”

Cordmaker has finished third or better 23 times in 34 career starts including 12 wins and $794,640 in purse earnings. He is 17-for-26 in the money at Laurel, his home track, with other stakes wins in the 2018 Jennings, 2019 Polynesian, and 2019 and 2021 Harrison Johnson Memorial and last month's Small. He also won the Aug. 23 Victory Gallop at Colonial Downs and 2019 DTHA Governors Day Handicap at Delaware Park, and was third in the 2019 and 2020 Pimlico Special (G3).

Miss Leslie wins her third consecutive race in the Carousel for trainer Claudio Gonzalez

Miss Leslie Runs Win Streak to Three in $100,000 Carousel
BB Horses' Miss Leslie extended her win streak to three races including back-to-back stakes after sweeping to the lead once straightened for home and sprinting clear through the stretch to a 3 ¾-length triumph in the $100,000 Carousel.

Ridden by Angel Cruz for fall meet-leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez, Miss Leslie ($5) ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:52.21 over a fast main track as the 3-2 favorite in a field of eight fillies and mares. Fellow multiple stakes winner Artful Splatter was second, 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Kiss the Girl, who edged Belle of the North by a neck for third.

Scatrattleandroll, breaking from one spot inside Miss Leslie who drew the far outside, was sent out of the gate by jockey Jaime Rodriguez and in front through fractions of 24.58 and 49.11 seconds, pressed by Artful Splatter. Smooth With a Kick, racing for the first time since Jan. 17, led the second flight with Kiss the Girl.

Cruz gave Miss Leslie her cue leaving the backstretch and the 3-year-old daughter of Paynter began to roll while in the clear on the outside, reeling in Artful Splatter at the top of the stretch and opening up after a mile in 1:39.52.

“I felt really comfortable because we worked her last week and she worked really good,” Cruz said. “Today, every horse was coming from off the pace and my filly comes from off of it. It played out really well.”

Miss Leslie won the Anne Arundel County to cap her 2-year-old campaign and the April 24 Weber City Miss in her third start at 3. She went winless in five starts, including graded attempts in the Black-Eyed Susan (G2), Monmouth Oaks (G3) and Charles Town Oaks (G3), before ending the slide with a last-to-first optional claiming triumph Oct. 21 at Delaware Park.

In her prior start, Miss Leslie rallied from next-to-last to capture the Nov. 13 Thirty Eight Go Go going about 1 1/16 miles at Laurel. Each of the wins during her streak have come over older horses and with Cruz aboard.

“She's a good filly. She's nice to ride. We've had to work hard with her but she does everything right,” Cruz said. “A lot of times I just work her because she's really nervous in the morning. Claudio lets me work her and it's been playing out really good. She works good and she runs good.”

Notes: Laurel will host a special Monday program of nine races Dec. 27 featuring carryovers of $10,645.14 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 and $2,170.08 in the $1 Super Hi-5. Tickets with five of six winners in Sunday's Rainbow 6 each returned $1,419.50.

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The 1 1/16-mile Thirty Eight Go Go for fillies and mares 3 and up, part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series, was the last of three $100,000 stakes on the card, preceded by the James F. Lewis III for 2-year-olds and Smart Halo for 2-year-old fillies.

Miss Leslie ($4) was ridden by jockey Angel Cruz, who escaped injury after being unseated during Saturday's third race. Together they settled near the back of the pack in the early going, trailing all but one horse as Sosua and Grade 1-placed Off Topic raced together through splits of :23.94 and :47.29.

Cruz tipped Miss Leslie off the rail leaving the backstretch and began to roll on the turn, getting into contention after six furlongs went in 1:12.02. They continued on once straightened for home and hit the wire in 1:43.63 over a main track rated good, turning back Lookin Dynamic by a half-length. It was just a head back to Villanelle in third.

Miss Leslie entered the Thirty Eight Go Go off a 5 ¼-length optional claiming allowance win going one mile, 70 yards Oct. 21 at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del., with Cruz up. Her previous stakes wins came in the April 23 Weber City Miss April 23 and last December's Anne Arundel County, both going 1 1/16 miles at Laurel.

“I rode her one time so I knew how she does. She breaks a little slow,” Cruz said. “Claudio just told me to wait for a moment to move and that's what I did. I waited, I moved on the outside and she kicked on.”

The Thirty Eight Go Go honors the two-time Maryland-bred champion bred and trained by Hall of Famer King Leatherbury. Eight of her 10 career wins came in stakes including the Grade 2 Gardenia, Grade 3 Tempted, and Maryland Million Lassie in 1987 and three consecutive runnings of the Geisha (1988-90).

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Rating well back of pacesetter Trifor Gold, who was in front through splits of :25.02, :50.72, and 1:15.40 before being reeled in by a group led by Nick Papagiorgio, Somekindofmagician trailed each of his six rivals midway around the turn. Jockey Angel Cruz moved the 7-year-old gelding off the fence approaching the stretch and set down for a stretch drive.

Nick Papagiorgio held on for second, a neck ahead of Alwaysmining, who rallied up the rail for third. Trifor Gold stayed up for fourth with 3-2 favorite Cannon's Roar checking in fifth followed by Benny Havens and Closer Look. The winning time was 1:48.13 over a turf course rated yielding.

Somekindofmagician entered the Find off successive $20,000 optional claiming wins at Delaware Park July 21 and Aug. 7, the latter at 1 1/16 miles. They were his first wins since a similar spot last summer at Parx for previous trainer Jamie Ness; he joined trainer Gary Ness this spring.

“He's showing us signs that he's doing very well. Honestly, his last two wins for like $20,000 claiming, but he's gotten so much better. I think he needed that,” Contessa said. “He went a long dry spell without winning a race, and each win I've watched him just improve drastically.”

Somekindofmagician had previously placed twice in stakes, running second in the 2017 and 2019 Maryland Million Turf at Laurel Park. He was also sixth in the race in 2018.

“We thought, 'Hey, let's take a shot at this stake.' It's a Maryland-bred, Maryland-sired race, which he fits,” Contessa said. “We just thought he was coming in on top of his game and we'd find out if the top of his game was good enough. Sure enough, he delivered.”

The Find is named for the Sagamore Farm homebred that raced through age 11, starting 110 times with 22 wins, 27 seconds, and 27 thirds and purse earnings of $803,615. He won or placed in 51 stakes, retired in 1961 as Maryland's all-time leading money winner and the second-richest gelding in history.

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The 25th edition of the 1 1/8-mile Deputed Testamony for 3-year-olds and up was the second of three $100,000 stakes on the final program of July, preceded by the Alma North for fillies and mares 3 years old and up and followed by the Challedon for 3-year-olds and up, both sprinting six furlongs. All three races are part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

Ridden by Angel Cruz for Maryland's leading trainer, Claudio Gonzalez, Harpers First Ride ($7.20) completed the distance in 1:49.52 over a fast main track. Having also been contested at one and 1 1/16 miles, it was the third-fastest time in 15 runnings of the Deputed Testamony at nine furlongs.

Harpers First Ride now has won two straight since rejoining Gonzalez's barn in mid-May after being sold over the winter, and 11 together for horse and trainer. Cruz has been up for seven of those wins, including all five of the 5-year-old gelding's stakes victories.

“I'm happy the owners thought of me. They said, 'Do you want to ride him back' and I said, 'Yeah, that's my big horse.' I love that horse,” Cruz said. “He's a special horse. This horse always tries. Claudio Does a great job with him.”

Breaking from the far outside following the scratch of Bourbon Calling, Cruz and Harpers First Ride strolled to the front and led the way around the first turn and into the backstretch through a quarter-mile in :25.38 flanked by Cordmaker. Harpers First Ride conceded the lead to his fellow multiple stakes winner after a half in :49.34, but quickly erased the half-length deficit while on the rail and went six furlongs in 1:12.73 to put a head in front.

“We talked about that before the race. There was no speed in the race, so it was his call,” Gonzalez said. “If somebody inside goes, he can sit second or third. But he broke too good and he made the decision to go. Nobody wanted to go, and he did a good job because they went in :25 and :49, really slow for these horses.”

Harpers First Ride put away Cordmaker and began to draw away but Magic Michael, who had a three-race win streak snapped in the July 10 Battery Park at Delaware in his stakes debut, came with a run on the outside to make a late bid but was unable to close the gap.

“When we broke, nobody wanted to take the lead so I took advantage of that. Then they pressured me because we were going so slow, and I didn't mind that because we were going an easy pace,” Cruz said. “When I asked him, he kicked for me.”

Cordmaker finished third, 2 ¼ lengths behind Magic Michael. It was another three-quarters of a length back to Mischief Afoot in fourth, followed by Forewarned and Two Thirty Five.

Harpers First Ride won seven of 11 starts and nearly $500,000 in purse earnings in 2020, including stakes wins in the historic Grade 3 Pimlico Special, Native Dancer, Richard W. Small, and Deputed Testamony. He was sold privately prior to an off-the-board finish in the $3 million Grade 1 Pegasus World Cup Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park and went winless in three races this year with trainer Robertino Diodoro, running 10th in defense of his Pimlico Special title May 14.

“This horse, you have to ride him for him to give you everything,” Gonzalez said. “It's a good feeling. I believe he is going the right way.”

Gonzalez said he would consider the next MATCH Series race in the 3-year-old up, long dirt division – the $100,000 Victory Gallop going 1 3/16 miles Aug. 23 at Colonial Downs – for Harpers First Ride.

“Maybe we'll point for the next race,” he said. “It all depends on how he's doing.”

The Deputed Testamony returned to the Maryland stakes calendar last year after not having been run since 2008. It pays homage to the last Maryland-bred winner of the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, who upset Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Sunny's Halo in 1983. Bred and raced by Bonita Farm and Francis P. Sears and trained by Bill Boniface, Deputed Testamony also won the 1983 Grade 1 Haskell and Federico Tesio.

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The 40^th running of the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio headlined an 11-race Spring Stakes Spectacular program featuring six stakes worth $650,000 in purses. For the sixth straight year, the Tesio offered Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds and automatic berth in the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15 at Pimlico.

Saturday marked the return of the Tesio to Pimlico, where it debuted in 1981 and stayed every year but two through 2015. Named for the noted Italian breeder, owner and trainer whose homebreds Nearco and Ribot dominate Thoroughbred bloodlines around the world, the Tesio was held at Laurel Park in 1987 and 1989 and each year since 2016.

Sent off the 9-5 favorite in a field of eight that included stakes winners Shackled Love, Hello Hot Rod and his former stablemate Maythehorsebwithu, The Reds ($5.80) gave both local jockey Victor Carrasco and New York-based trainer John Kimmel their first Tesio victory.

“I thought he showed tremendous courage, really,” Kimmel said by phone. “He got squeezed at the start so he ended up losing his spot. He should have been much closer. Then he had a terrible trip getting to where he was when the horse came out on him, which was a call I thought was deserved. We were just very fortunate.”

Shackled Love, who edged Maythehorsebwithu in the March 13 Private Terms at Laurel, broke side-by-side from the two outermost posts and both were intent on the lead, going the first quarter-mile in 24.13 seconds and a half in 48.12 with Excellorator and jockey Angel Cruz tracking in third. Six furlongs went in 1:11.50 with the top two still in front, though Excellorator was closing the gap.

Neither leader was able to maintain their momentum and began to drop back as they came into the stretch, leaving Excellorator to inherit the lead. Meanwhile The Reds, shuffled back between Royal Number and Hello Hot Rod early and steadied on the far turn, got straightened out and was coming with a run when Excellorator drifted out under Cruz's left-handed urging. The Reds was forced to alter his path and had Royal Number closing on his outside.

Once on a straight path, Excellorator dug in and held off The Reds by a head after completing the distance in 1:49.98 over a fast main track. Following a lengthy stewards' inquiry and objections from both Carrasco on Cruz and Royal Number jockey Julian Pimentel on Carrasco, Excellorator was taken down and placed second behind The Reds.

“Not too disappointed really, because the horse ran a wonderful race,” Excellorator's trainer, Hugh McMahon, said. “We did our part. There's just so much we can do, but there's so many external variables that influence these kinds of outcomes.”

The remaining order of finish was unchanged. Royal Number was third, followed by Hello Hot Rod, Maythehorsebwithu, Shackled Love, Zertz and Tiz Mandate.

“He broke good. You could see going into the turn, I'm trying to get him to relax. We had a great outside post and I wanted no part of dueling for the first three-quarters,” jockey Sheldon Russell, aboard Maythehorsebwithu, said. “I'm making every effort to sort of break his stride and get him to relax. We do a lot of work trying to teach them to relax in the afternoon, but we probably had him a little too fresh today. He just ran his race early on. We'll regroup and see how he comes out.”

By Belmont Stakes (G1) winner Tonalist, The Reds broke his maiden in his fifth career start and second this year, a 1 1/8-mile maiden special weight Jan. 31 at Aqueduct. Last time out, he ran fifth in the one-mile Gotham (G3) March 6, also at the Big A.

The Reds is not Triple Crown-nominated, but can be supplemented to the 1 3/16-mile Preakness at the time of entry, May 10.

“This horse is really suited to run further. He's got that kind of temperament. He settles really well,” Kimmel said. “I'm not sure if we'll come back in three weeks but we'll see how the Derby and the participants in the Preakness shakes out and we'll go from there.”

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The 21^st running of the Clark for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles was the second of three turf stakes on an 11-race Spring Stakes Spectacular program featuring six stakes worth $650,000 in purses. Headlining the card were the $125,000 Federico Tesio, a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds to the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15, and the $125,000 Weber City Miss, a 'Win and In' event for 3-year-old fillies to the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 14.

The $100,000 Dahlia for fillies and mares 3 and up, also at 1 1/16 miles, kicked off both the stakes action as well as the 2021 turf season in Maryland. The $100,000 King T. Leatherbury for 3-year-olds and up sprinting five furlongs on the grass closed the card.

Ridden by Jevian Toledo for trainer Jonathan Thomas, Corelli ($12) hadn't raced since finishing seventh in a 1 1/8-mile allowance Oct. 17 at Keeneland. Prior to that he was fifth in the 1 ½-mile Sword Dancer (G1), third in the United Nations (G1) and fourth in the Tiller – the latter two at 1 3/8 miles – after arriving in the U.S. from England.

“I thought this year we'd just kind of reinvent him and let him fall off the pace and hope for a little bit of a stronger run race so he could finish up,” Thomas said. “I put blinkers on him last year and probably ran him too long, and he was just kind of idling at the end.

“We just thought we'd try something different. Honestly I thought he was going to come late and we were going to have to stretch him off of this, but he showed us a different dimension,” he added. “Really proud of how he ran.”

Ballagh Rocks was eager for the lead, breaking from outside all but one rival in the nine-horse field, going the opening quarter-mile in 23.73 seconds. Papal Law, sent off at 50-1, pressed the early pace before taking over after a half in 47.76, with 9-5 favorite Pixelate in fourth after moving off the rail for a clear run midway down the backstretch.

Pixelate forged a short lead once straightened for home but Corelli came with a steady run on the far outside after being set down for a drive by jockey Victor Carrasco. The two leaders matched strides inside the sixteenth pole before Corelli surged late, with Dreams of Tomorrow making a bold move to get up for third, 1 ¼ lengths back.

Unraced at 2, Corelli spent 2018 and 2019 racing in England for trainer John Gosden, winning once in six starts – none of them shorter than 1 ½ miles – and finishing second three times by a total of three-quarters of a length. Augustin's George Strawbridge moved the colt to Thomas last year.

“He was trained by arguably the greatest trainer on the planet so we just took over a really sound, nice horse,” Thomas said. “Really the credit goes to Mr. Strawbridge. Sharing a horse like this with us is a great credit and we're very fortunate to have him. I'm glad he got rewarded today.”

Xanthique Breaks Through with Stakes Win in $100,000 Dahlia
Thwarted by traffic and unlucky trips in her previous stakes attempts, VinLaur Racing Stables' Xanthique got an ideal ride from jockey Feargal Lynch and nabbed Grade 3-placed favorite Crystal Cliffs on the wire for a nose victory in Saturday's $100,000 Dahlia.

Shipped to Pimlico by Belmont Park-based trainer Tom Morley, on hand for the race, Xanthique ($14.20) ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.92 over a firm course in a thrilling opener to the 2021 turf season in Maryland.

“There was no unlucky in that trip,” Morley said. “It was as good a ride as you'll see around there. It was phenomenal.”

Making her sixth consecutive stakes start, Xanthique settled in mid-pack as 104-1 long shot Elegant de Domino outran Lagom for the early lead and they dueled through splits of 23.25 and 47.57 seconds with Vigilantes Way in the clear three wide in third and Crystal Cliffs saving ground inside in fourth.

Sheldon Russell and Crystal Cliffs was able to find a seam to take over the top spot at the top of the lane and Lynch followed on Xanthique, using the length of the stretch to wear down the favorite, racing for the first time since being beaten a head in the Regret (G3) last June. It was 2 ¼ lengths back to Vigilantes Way in third.

“She's a nice filly. Tom's done a great job. I followed Sheldon the whole way. She was the horse to beat. He got through and I followed him through and kept it simple,” Lynch said. “The turf course is beautiful. The guys have done a great job. The ground staff, they're working hard here and Laurel and doing everything they can.”

Xanthique, by Into Mischief, now owns five wins from 18 career starts and nearly $300,000 in purse earnings. Her best stakes previous stakes finishes were fourths in the Marie Krantz Memorial Jan. 16 at Fair Grounds and One Dreamer last September at Kentucky Downs.

“We were a little concerned there might be a lack of pace in the race, but we were delighted to see those two fillies go on in front of us. Feargal just stalked the favorite the whole way around there and turning in made a brave run up the rail but she's as game as a tiger, this horse. I never had any doubt that she put her head in the hole,” Morley said. “Huge credit to my team at Belmont. She's been a real project filly, so to claim her three years ago and now turn her into a stakes winner is very special indeed.”

Completed Pass Wins $100,000 King T. Leatherbury
Robert Bone's Completed Pass made his 7-year-old debut a memorable one when he gamely held off the 7-5 favorite and pacesetter Francatelli down the stretch to win the King T. Leatherbury, covering a firm five-furlong turf course in :56.52.

Saddled by leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez and ridden by Angel Cruz, Completed Pass, second in the Leatherbury in 2019 and a winner of the Laurel Dash last year, has won nine of 21 starts and more than $400,000. Cruz rated Completed Pass behind a :22.09 opening quarter set by Francatelli before drawing alongside him around the turn and putting a head in front entering the stretch. Despite a game performance by Francatelli, Completed Pass was never headed again.

For Cruz, the victory was a bit of redemption after being disqualified from first to second in the Tesio aboard Excellorator for bothering The Reds.

“I was a little upset because I didn't think I bothered him enough, but the stewards so I did,” Cruz said. “So to come back and win this stake makes me feel better, makes me happy.”

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Cruz, 25, is named on four horses when live racing returns Friday to Laurel Park – You Are Awesome in Race 3 and Seattle Ric in Race 9 for trainer Jerry Robb, Dream Happy in Race 5 for trainer Donald Barr, and Golden G in Race 8 for trainer Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon.

Following the races, the Puerto Rico native and finalist for the 2014 Eclipse Award as champion apprentice will board a plane headed for Hallandale Beach, Fla., where he is named aboard Harpers First Ride in Saturday's $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) at Gulfstream Park.

“I'm so happy. It's going to be my first time riding in a big race like this, like a big, known race,” Cruz said. “I've won big races, but this is going to be my biggest one. It's a $3 million race. I'm going to be riding against the top riders, and it's a dream come true.”

Cruz has ridden 5-year-old gelding Harpers First Ride in seven of his 17 lifetime starts including each of the last five, with five wins and a second. Four of the wins have come in stakes, led by the historic Pimlico Special (G3) Oct. 3 on the undercard of the 145th Preakness Stakes (G1).

Together, Cruz and Harpers First Ride have also won the Deputed Testamony, Richard W. Small and Native Dancer, the latter at the World Cup's 1 1/8-mile distance. Trained by Laurel-based Claudio Gonzalez, Harpers First Ride was bred in Maryland by Sagamore Farm.

“I love Harper. I have a lot of confidence in him, and he does in me,” Cruz said. “And Claudio, he has him ready. We're going ready to the Pegasus.”

Of his 538 career wins, three have come in graded-stakes. Besides Harpers First Ride, he won the Alcibiades (G1) with Dancing Rags and Sycamore (G3) with Renown in 2016 at Keeneland. Their respective trainers, Graham Motion and Elizabeth Voss, are both based in Maryland.

Cruz grew up in Puerto Rico with Eclipse Award-winning brothers Irad Ortiz Jr. and Jose Ortiz, coming to the U.S. at the age of 11. He won his first race on April 8, 2014 at Charles Town and also spent time riding in California and New York, where he captured Aqueduct's 2015 spring title.

Overall, Cruz ranked fifth with 64 wins at Maryland tracks in 2020. His uncle, Joel Hiraldo, and grandfather, Jose Hiraldo, were both jockeys, and his cousin, 19-year-old John Hiraldo, is currently a 10-pound apprentice at Laurel. Cruz is represented by agent Paul Plymire.

Harpers First Ride drew Post 8 in a field of 12 for the Pegasus World Cup, where he is listed at 10-1 on the morning line behind multiple Grade 1-winning favorite Knicks Go (5-2), another Maryland-bred. Harpers First Ride arrived at Gulfstream Jan. 11 and had a half-mile breeze over the main track Jan. 16. Gonzalez has been in Florida since Jan. 13.

“I think he'll love the weather. In the summer, when I first started riding him, he loved the weather,” Cruz said. “Gulfstream is a fast track. I think he's going to like it because there will be a lot of speed and it's going to play out for him, I think. Knicks Go and a couple of other horses have speed and I think Harpers is going to do really well over there. Claudio's going to have him ready. He'll be a good fit for that race.”

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Flat Rate ($69.80), a 4-year-old Violence gelding, ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1:05.90 over a fast main track in the beaten claimer for 3-year-olds and up to earn his fourth career victory and first since joining trainer Michael Jones Jr.

“It's something very special, unbelievable really. I can't believe it,” Hiraldo said. “I'm very happy. I have to thank God for always watching over me and all the other riders. I'm just very happy. I've worked so hard for this moment and I've dreamed about it since I was a little kid. It's something very special for me.”

Hiraldo, 19, is a native of Puerto Rico who galloped horses for trainer Brittany Russell before making his professional debut running fourth on Maximo Strong Dec. 10 at Laurel. Hiraldo had gone winless in his first 18 mounts including a third on Frontier Woman in Thursday's third race.

“My cousin, Angel Cruz, he has been a big part of my short career. Xavier [Perez], Sheldon [Russell]. Sheldon is one of the best ones in there. He's a great guy on and off the racetrack and he's been a good mentor for me,” Hiraldo said.

Angel Cruz is member of the Maryland track's riding colony who won with Dance and Dance ($16.60) Thursday and finished sixth in the fall meet standings with 20 wins. Hiraldo's father, Joel, won 200 races between 2001 and 2011, the last coming at Charles Town.

“When I was growing up, my dad was a jockey so he was the person I would always look up to. I would go to school and always think about riding. I didn't care about the grades, I just wanted to go to be a jockey when I grew up,” Hiraldo said. “When I grew up I went to the farm and started learning as much as I could. I came back and was here for a couple months working for Brittany Russell. I have to thank her for all her help. I just felt like it was the right time to do it.”

Flat Rate and Hiraldo posing for pictures

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Trained by Claudio Gonzalez, Harpers First Ride – a 4-year-old gelding by Paynter bred in Maryland by Sagamore Farm – covered 1 3/16 miles on a fast track in 1:54.97.

He paid $13 for the win.

Owendale, a three-time Grade 3 winner who finished third behind War of Will in last year's Preakness at the Baltimore, Md., track, held second after dogging Harpers First Ride throughout under John Velazquez. Cordmaker finished third, with 7-2 second choice Tenfold (third behind Justify in the 2018 Preakness) fourth and Forewarned fifth in the field of seven older runners. Monongahela and Plus Que Parfait were scratched.

Harpers First Ride set moderate fractions of :24.41, :48.41, 1:12.11 and 1:35.94 en route to his final clocking.

The Pimlico Special winner was coming off a victory in the Sept. 5 Deputed Testamony Stakes at Laurel in which he sat third, then rallied in the stretch. That  was his first stakes victory and fourth win of 2020 in seven starts.

Harpers First Ride began his career in Kentucky racing for his breeder. He was claimed for $30,000 in his third start, a maiden victory on Sept. 14, 2019, then transferred to the Maryland circuit and the barn of Gonzalez, who has dominated the training ranks.

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