Awards will be given for the top Maryland owner, trainer, jockey, dirt horses, turf horses, claimer, Maryland stallion, broodmare and breeder and champion Maryland-breds of 2023. Special awards will be presented to Pimlico and Laurel Park Backstretch Employees of the Year.

The announcement schedule is as follows:

Monday, Feb. 26 – Maryland-bred Champion 2-year-olds (male, female) and 3-year-olds (male, female)

Tuesday, Feb. 27 – Maryland-bred Champion Older Male, Older Female, Turf Runner and Sprinter

Wednesday, Feb. 28 – Maryland-bred Horse of the Year, Broodmare of the Year, Stallion of the Year, Breeder of the Year

Thursday, Feb. 29 – Maryland Jockey of the Year, Trainer of the Year, Owner of the Year

Friday, Mar. 1 – Maryland Dirt Male, Dirt Female, Turf Male, Turf Female and Claimer

Saturday, Mar. 2 – Special recognition of Pimlico and Laurel Backstretch Employees of the Year

   To view the finalists and winners, follow on social media:

Facebook: Facebook.com/MarylandTB

Instagram: @marylandtb

Twitter/X: @marylandtb

The following are finalists (listed alphabetically) in the award categories:

Maryland-bred champion 2-year-old male: Catahoula Moon (bred by Angela Coombs, owned by Super C Racing Inc.), Circle P (bred by Marathon Farms, Inc., owned by DeSales 85 LLC), Fulmineo (bred by Country Life Farm and Starr of Quality LLC, owned by Starlight Racing and Mark B. Grier)

Maryland-bred champion 2-year-old filly: Kissedbyanangel (bred by Super C Racing Inc, owned by Joanne Shankle), Miss Harriett (bred by David Baxter, owned by Narrow Leaf Farm), Sheilahs Warcloud (bred by Dr. Megan Kerford DVM & Justin Nixon, owned by Justin Nixon)

Maryland-bred champion 3-year-old male: Coffeewithchris (bred by Thomas J. Rooney, owned by John E. Salzman Jr., Fred Wasserloos, Anthony Geruso), Post Time (bred by Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Dr. Brooke Bowman & Milton P. Higgins III, owned by Hillwood Stable LLC), Seven's Eleven (bred and owned by The Cottonwood Stable LLC)

Maryland-bred champion 3-year-old filly: Bosserati (bred and owned by Joel Politi), Liquidator (bred by Country Life Farm/Stone LLC, owned Not the 1 Stable Inc.), Talk to the Judge (bred by Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Bowman, owned by Waldorf Racing Stables LLC)

Maryland-bred champion older male: Alwaysinahurry (bred by Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Quin Bowman, & Rebecca Davis, owned by Mopo Racing), Double Crown (bred by Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Bowman & Rebecca Davis, owned by Built Wright Stables LLC), Eastern Bay (bred by Nancy Lee Farms, owned by Built Wright Stables LLC)

Maryland-bred champion older female: Award Wanted (bred by Dr. Alexandro Rubim Dias, owned by No Guts No Glory Farm & Erica Upton), Intrepid Daydream (bred and owned by Paul L. Fowler Jr.), Spun Glass (bred and owned by R. Larry Johnson)

Maryland-bred champion turf runner: Bosserati (bred and owned by Joel Politi), Wet My Beak (bred by Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds LLC, owned by Thelma & Louise Stable LLC), Wicked Prankster (bred by Country Life Farm & Broken Trust Fund LLC, owned by Samuel G. Davis)

Maryland-bred champion sprinter: Intrepid Daydream (bred and owned by Paul L. Fowler Jr.), Post Time (bred by Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Dr. Brooke Bowman & Milton P. Higgins III, owned by Hillwood Stable LLC), Seven's Eleven (bred and owned by The Cottonwood Stable LLC)

Owner of the Year: Mens Grille Racing, Michael Scheffres, The Elkstone Group LLC

Trainer of the Year: Kieron Magee, Brittany Russell, Mike Trombetta

Jockey of the Year: Jaime Rodriguez, Sheldon Russell, Jevian Toledo

Breeder of the Year: Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Country Life Farm, Jagger Inc., Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds, The Elkstone Group LLC

Broodmare of the Year: Chrusciki, Otherwise Perfect, Touring Hong Kong

Stallion of the Year: Blofeld, Golden Lad, Great Notion

Maryland Male Dirt Horse of the Year: Double Crown, Factor It In, Seven's Eleven

Maryland Female Dirt Horse of the Year: Fille d'Esprit, Hybrid Eclipse, Intrepid Daydream

Maryland Male Turf Horse of the Year: Nagirroc, Wicked Prankster, Witty

Maryland Female Turf Horse of the Year: Bosserati, Canadian Ginger, Shasta Star

Maryland Claimer of the Year: Brother Conway, Classier, Uncaptured Storm

Pimlico Backstretch Employee of the Year: Damon Gladden

Laurel Park Backstretch Employee of the Year: Jenile Tapscott

The post Maryland Thoroughbred Industry Renaissance Award Finalists Announced appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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“[Double Crown] is chomping at the bit to get out there, he's probably got more energy than he's ever had,” said Cash, who owns the Maryland-bred with his wife, Lola. “I was wanting to find something either 14 days or 21 days out, so that he would be coming off of about three weeks' rest, but it just worked out that there was nothing we could really find that seemed like a good fit for him, so we just kept him on the shelf. He's training really well and we're hopeful.”

The 5-year-old bay gelding, sitting at 15-1 on the morning line, drew the rail, while Outlier drew the sixth post.

“This is only the second Grade I I've ever had horses in and the way it's looking, we have a mediocre chance, but then again, that's about as good as we've had. I've got [Outlier] in there that likes the front end, who will hopefully keep the pace honest,” said Cash. “In my mind sometimes, I have to pick things apart and find the strength of my horses and the weaknesses of others. I think there's a couple of them that like it a little shorter, that maybe the mile is the far end of their comfort zone, and I'm hoping that the deep mile in that deep track at Aqueduct kind of plays to our advantage.”

For Cash, the numbers speak volumes, especially when it came to Double Crown. So much so, that the Midway, Ky., resident, on a rare day with no horses running, took a special trip to Churchill Downs in early June to drop a claim slip on the Maryland-bred who was entered in a mile-long claimer for a $40,000 tag. Double Crown finished second, by a neck, while Cash came out on top in the seven-way shake.

“I'm stabled at Laurel Park and here in Lexington, and that was the first thing that made me look at him: he was a Maryland-bred and he had solid numbers,” said Cash. “He had won a couple of stakes early on in Florida [as a 3-year-old] and ran second in the Maryland Million Sprint [last year]. It's a small thing, but the extra 15% that Maryland pays for Maryland-breds, when you're trying to get your bills paid at the end of the month, sometimes things like that make a difference.”

Double Crown romped in the Kelso | Coglianese

Cash kept his new trainee in Kentucky for his next two starts, where the gelding picked up back-to-back seconds at Churchill, before shipping him up to his Maryland base. He tried running him at a variety of distances, over a range of surfaces, including the turf at Laurel for the Ben's Cat S. (going 5 1/2 furlongs) and the all-weather track at Presque Isle Downs for the Peach Street S. (going a mile and 70 yards), through the summer into early fall, with his best results a victory at Colonial Downs in allowance company and a runner-up finish in the Polynesian S. at Pimlico, both going 1 1/16 miles on the dirt.

All of this led to his start in the Oct. 22 Maryland Million Classic S., which resulted in a disappointing fourth, as he finished 6 1/4 lengths behind the winner Ournationonparade (Cal Nation).

And when it was time to look ahead for a potential next target, it seemed things began to fall into place, all pointing toward the mile-long Kelso, just seven days later.

“It was like he never really got out and was able to move in the Maryland Million Classic, when he ran fourth, and we felt like he just wasn't spent, that he had effort to go. We debated whether or not to put him in the Kelso, and finally, probably what made the decision was that I had [fellow Maryland-bred] Eastern Bay [E Dubai] in that same day, so I [already] had a van going. I called the racing office there in New York and they said they've got a five-horse field and I'm like 'Wow, how do you not go to that race?'” said Cash.

The rest was history, as Double Crown bided time near the back of the pack, found his opening while coming down the stretch, hit a second gear to catch Baby Yoda and flew past to cross the wire 1 3/4 lengths ahead, securing the first career graded stakes victory for himself and his owner/trainer.

The whirlwind of emotions hit Cash and his wife all the way in Salt Lake City, Utah, where they had traveled to attend a family member's funeral. They made it to their rental car just two minutes before the horses loaded into the gate, watched the race unfold on their iPad, felt their hope grow as the field turned for home and erupted in celebration as Double Crown and jockey J.D. Acosta, sporting the red and black silks of the Cash family's Built Wright Stables, crossed the finish line first.

Cash (middle) and his wife, Lola (right), at Turfway earlier this year | Coady

“We probably looked like we were crazy as people drove past, because we were laughing and high-fiving and jumping and pumping, just ecstatic over this. It was quite a day and then, an hour later, Eastern Bay missed the GIII Bold Ruler S. I bet by two or three inches,” said Cash. “I can assure you that nobody was more surprised with the win with me.”

Rising from the claiming ranks to stakes company and later the winner's circle following a Grade II victory, with a Grade I debut just ahead, Double Crown reflects the successful, albeit unique, training program by today's industry standards that Cash has developed since getting into the sport.

“You've probably noticed that we run our horses a little more frequently. If I could plan every race I had, every horse would have 11 or 12 days off. Any time I have to choose between a race [coming up] at nine days and another coming up at 19 days, where I either have to go two or three days before what I think is perfect, or seven days later than what I think is perfect, I go nine days every time, [depending on] the horse being sound and everything,” explained Cash.

Between the time he was claimed, June 5, and his most recent start, Oct. 29, Double Crown has averaged two starts a month, with his longest break the past five weeks leading up to the Cigar.

“He's a horse that runs his race, whatever level that is. Let's say we're doing speed ratings. He runs a 98 to 102 speed rating, and if the race falls below that because maybe the pace is too fast and they all are tired in the end and he can come get them, then he wins. If the race stays above that level, he gives you everything he has but that's what he can give you, and he comes in second, third. But he's definitely an honest horse, he leaves it out there for you every time, [off of a] short or long rest,” said Cash.

Another prime example is Cash's trainee Beverly Park (Munnings), who recently scored his 13th win of the year in his 28th seasonal start Nov. 28 at Mahoning Valley Race Course. Claimed for $12,500 Aug. 5, 2021, Beverly Park's number of starts this year also leads the continent, and if all bodes well, he isn't finished with his 5-year-old season just yet.

“I don't know if I'm a fan-favorite but I know the horse is,” added Cash.

Beverly Park in one of his 13 wins of 2022 | Coady

The growth of Cash's stable, his ever-increasing success on the track and his love of the horse fuels the passion that inspired him to turn a hobby into a fully fledged career in the first place.

“I do feel that horses know when they're loved and when they're not, and I feel like they produce better when they're treated [well]. I'm probably more handsy and 'huggy' and 'kissy' with my horses than most trainers are, maybe it's not a manly thing, but when I saddle, I'll be right there and I just kind of stand there and rub their neck underneath, just spending some time with them,” said Cash.

When it comes to the Cigar, Cash knows that Double Crown and Outlier will both likely be perceived as the underdogs, just as the Maryland-bred was in the Kelso, but he's okay with that.

“Sometimes it doesn't matter what the odds board says, what the speed rating says, whatever. It comes down to how the race goes and again, I think I have a hard-knocker here that will give his 100 speed rating performance.”

Though nothing is official yet, Cash says he's had a couple of phone calls about big races that are coming up, which may be on the horizon for Double Crown in 2023.

Despite the weight of what Saturday could bring, Cash continues with his regular day-to-day operation, overseeing the 45 to 50 horses in training, all owned by him and his wife, between his 27 stalls at the Thoroughbred Center in Lexington and his 30 stalls at Laurel, along with his own 31-acre farm in Midway, which houses layups and a few mares.

“I'm a roofing contractor, a year and a half away from roofing contracting, that is having the time of his life and never dreamed any of this. I was just going to claim a few horses and have some fun when I got my trainer's license and it's just crazy how some of these horses have blossomed,” said Cash. “Eastern Bay, what an amazing 8-year-old that guy is, and Double Crown, I don't know if he's improved the most, but by type of races he's won, he certainly has. It seems like we're running in five, six, seven stakes a month, with different horses, and I've probably got five or six legitimate stakes horses. That's exciting.”

The post Double Crown, Cash Seek First Grade I In Cigar appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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Air Token, second earlier in the year in the Ben's Cat and fifth in the Bert Allen, raced second behind the longshot Valued Notion under jockey J.D. Acosta. After Valued Notion set fractions of :22.35 and :44.93, Air Token took over down the stretch before covering the six furlongs in 1:09.63. Corrales couldn't ask for a better trip.

“He doesn't like to be in front,” he said. “He likes to sit behind horses and make the right move.”

“He's always a good breaker from the gate,” Acosta said. “I didn't want to put him on the lead, because he likes to chase horses. I knew there was a lot of speed and you saw how fast they went. The only thing with this horse is, when he starts to make a move he likes to lay into horses. I got beat one time at Pimlico because he was lugging in. When he switched leads I had to make sure that I kept him away from other horses. As soon as we turned for home, he was really aggressive down the stretch.”

The post Air Token Wins Maryland Million Sprint At Laurel appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The six-furlong Sprint for 3-year-olds and up on the main track and $100,000 Turf Sprint, a 5 ½-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up, are among eight stakes and four starter stakes on the 36th Jim McKay Maryland Million program, 'Maryland's Day at the Races' celebrating the progeny of stallions standing in the state.

Highlighted by the $150,000 Classic for 3-year-olds and up, first race post time is 11:30 a.m.

Bred in Maryland by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman and Rebecca Davis, Double Crown was an impressive debut winner by a neck over Ournationonparade in September 2019, his only previous run at Laurel. Both horses were purchased privately by Dean Reeves following the race, and Ournationonparade would return the following month to capture the Maryland Million Nursery.

Double Crown was sent to South Florida, where he won the 6 ½-furlong Roar and seven-furlong Carry Back and was third in the Smile Sprint (G3) last summer at Gulfstream Park. The 4-year-old Bourbon Courage gelding was at historic Pimlico Race Course last fall for the Chick Lang (G3), where he ran second to Yaupon.

This year, Double Crown had one win and one second from four starts and was fifth in the July 3 Smile Sprint (G3) before being sent to Keeneland-based trainer Tom Amoss, for whom he will be making his first start.

“He's been working out at Keeneland and he's had some good breezes. He's doing good, he looks great and he seems to feeling good, Reeves said. “It's not too long a ship. We had come from Florida the other times, and coming from Kentucky is not quite as bad. Hopefully that'll help. We're looking forward to it. I think we're going to be real competitive in it.”

Double Crown is favored at 9-5 and drew Post 7 in the main body of a field of 12 where fellow multiple stakes winners Jaxon Traveler (7-5) and Whereshetoldmetogo (8-5) join Abuelo Paps and Where Paradise Lay on the also eligible list.

“He's just so consistent and tough. He runs every time. You've got to bring your 'A' game if you're going to beat him. He just does it all right. He goes to the track and he works hard in training. He's just been a great horse to have as part of the stable,” Reeves said. “The Maryland program is a solid program and I think he fits with the upper echelon of horses in that program. I think it'll be a really good race, and we're excited to be coming.”

Feargal Lynch gets the riding assignment from Post 7.

Bred, owned and trained by longtime Maryland horseman Nancy Heil, Karan's Notion sprung a front-running 16-1 upset of last year's Sprint, the first of back-to-back victories for the gelded son of Great Notion, who ranks third all-time among stallions with 16 Maryland Million wins.

Karan's Notion (10-1) in winless in six starts this year, returning from a five-month break to be seventh going 6 ½ furlongs Aug. 27 at Timonium. Following a failed turf experiment Sept. 11 at Laurel, he returned to the dirt and rebounded to be second by three lengths in a similar 5 ½-furlong optional claimer Oct. 1.

“Our first two races [after the break] were not good. He didn't like the turf and then he got the one hole at Timonium and was going to duck in there where you break and he had to take up and he displaced and just trailed the field,” Heil said. “He did have a nice little prep before this race and he's training very well, so I think he's coming in just as good as he did last year.”

Karan's Notion has raced primarily at Laurel, with four wins and five seconds in 12 of his 16 lifetime starts. Regular rider Yomar Ortiz gets the return call from Post 6.

“In training he's done everything right. He couldn't do it any better. I have to throw away the first two races and just go on. In the last race, he was rated a little bit and he got stuck behind some horses, so he couldn't catch the speed at all. But, he did get open late and got second. He's running his heart out,” Heil said. “He likes to run on the front. He likes to be free. My only hope is that he gets free to run and then the best horse wins.”

Louis Ulman and Neil Glasser's Kenny Had a Notion (12-1) was a stakes winner on both turf and dirt as a 2-year-old, capturing the Maryland Million Nursery over stablemate Alwaysinahurry. He won the seven-furlong Spectacular Bid Jan. 16 at Laurel to open 2021 but has struggled with one second and two thirds in six subsequent starts. He was third, a neck behind runner-up Karan's Notion, in the Oct. 1 race at Laurel and his trainer, Dale Capuano, has the most wins in Maryland Million history with 14.

Second choice on the morning line at 2-1 is Smart Angle's Fortheluvofbourbon, a winner of four of seven starts, all at Parx, for trainer Michael Pino since being claimed for $50,000 last May at Churchill Downs. Among the victories was the six-furlong Banjo Picker Sprint Aug. 23, contested over a sloppy and sealed track.

Also entered are Valued Notion and Air Token, respectively first and second in an off-the-turf edition of the five-furlong Ben's Cat June 13 at Pimlico; Whiskey and You, most recently fifth in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) Sept. 18; and Band On Tour, a winner of two straight of four of his last five races.

More than two years after becoming a stakes winner in the 2019 Howard County at Laurel, Runnymoore Racing's 4-year-old gelding So Street goes after an elusive second stakes victory in Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Million Turf Sprint.

Bred in Maryland by R. Larry Johnson and trained by Jamie Ness, So Street ran second to Fiya in last year's Turf Sprint when it was reintroduced following a seven-year absence. He has gone winless since, finishing sixth in the 2019 Maryland Million Nursery.

“He's just got bad luck,” trainer Jamie Ness said. “Every time we're in a good spot, it comes off the turf, or he's been right there every time. He's ready but, unfortunately, just hasn't won.”

Sixteen of So Street's 20 career races have come in stakes. He has placed four times since the Howard County, contested at 5 ½ furlongs on the Laurel turf, with a third in the 2019 Atlantic Beach and seconds in the 2020 Tom Ridge, Laurel Dash and Turf Sprint. He has also finished fourth three times, including the Aug. 23 Parx Dash (G3).

“I think he's in a great spot,” Ness said. “We're restricted to Maryland-sired so it's a little easier than all those other stakes I've run him in. He runs just good enough to make me run him back in stakes, but he just can't quite get there. Maybe Saturday is his day. We're hoping. He tries. He really tries.”

Rated at 3-1 on the morning line, So Street will have Jaime Rodriguez aboard from Post 6 in a field of 11 that includes also-eligible Can the Queen, winner of the July 24 Sensible Lady Turf Dash at historic Pimlico Race Course.

Favored at 7-5 in the program is Gordon Keys' homebred Grateful Bred, fourth in last year's Turf Sprint and winner of the 5 ½-furlong Meadow Stable July 19 on the Colonial Downs turf. In his most recent start, the 5-year-old Great Notion gelding was fifth, beaten a length, by Xy Speed in the Oct. 2 Laurel Dash.

Joining the top two returning from last year's Turf Sprint are Godlovesasinner (third), Love You Much (fifth) and Joseph (sixth). Showtime Cat, Sue Loves Barbados, Sky's Not Falling, Rock the Boat and Grand Skylark are also entered.

The post Maryland Million: Double Crown Returns In Sprint, So Street Chasing Second Stakes Victory In Turf Sprint appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The proof was in Pudding Sunday at Gulfstream Park, in Hallandale Beach, Fla., where she saddled the 6-year-old gelding for late-rallying victory in the featured $60,000 handicap for older horses, three weeks after claiming him for $25,000 for herself.

Pudding's upset victory over odds-on favorite Double Crown in the six-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up was Dobles' second high-profile success of the weekend with a recent claim. Saturday, Dobles saddled Harry's Ontheloose for a triumph in Saturday's $60,000 Miami Beach Handicap at Gulfstream three starts after claiming the 5-year-old campaigner for $35,000 for Imaginary Stables LLC.

“Pudding caught my eye. He had won a couple in a row, and he had some back class. Those are the ones that I really get attracted to,” said Dobles, who has enjoyed success with veteran performers, War Story, Royal Squeeze and My Point Exactly, among others, in the past.

Pudding broke from the No. 1 post position and saved ground under Chantal Sutherland along the backstretch, as One Fast and Jackson contested the pace during the first quarter of a mile in :22.26 seconds. Double Crown, a multiple-stakes winner who has been graded stakes-placed twice, raced a few lengths behind the pace into the far turn before making a three-wide sweep to the lead on the turn into the homestretch, as Pudding remained trapped behind the tiring pacesetters at the top of the stretch.

Just as Double Crown appeared on his way to victory, Sutherland sent Pudding through an opening that had developed inside the 1/8th-pole, and the son of Two Step Salsa accelerated quickly to catch the favorite by three-quarters of a length.

“I thought we were in a horrible spot to be in, but when it opened up, it was heaven,” Dobles said.

Pudding ran six furlongs in a swift 1:09.94 to win his fourth straight race. Double Crown, who was ridden by Luca Panici, finished 2 ½ lengths clear of third-place finisher Tonalism.

The post Pudding Much The Best In Handicap At Gulfstream appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Double Crown, who finished third in last year's Smile Sprint, had been idle since finishing second in the Chick Lang (G3) at Pimlico Oct. 1. Shooting Star Thoroughbreds LLC's Chance It, the hero of the 2019 FTBOA Florida Sire Stakes series and winner of the 2020 Mucho Macho Man at Gulfstream, had been out of action since finishing fifth in the Tampa Bay Derby (G2) March 7, 2020.

Both horses were clearly ready for their long-awaited returns to action.

Trained by Kathy Ritvo, Double Crown ran six furlongs in 1:10.10 while prevailing over a very game Chance it by three-quarters of length.

“Kathy's done a fabulous job. Her staff, they always have these horses look good,” said Dean Reeves, who operates Reeves Thoroughbred Racing with his wife, Patti. “Kathy gets them ready for certain spots and you know when they go in there, they're going to run good. He was off a little while. We gave him time to grow a little, and now we're ready to go. It's hard sometimes as an owner to be that patient, but Kathy makes me be patient.”

Double Crown was also the recipient of a patient ride by Luca Panici, who notched his first victory since recently returning to the saddle following a three-month recovery and rehabilitation of a back injury sustained in a February accident.

“Luca rode a great race. He was patient and they finished up great,” Ritvo said. “Luca said the horse has a great mind.”

Double Crown dropped to the back of the five-horse field as Inter Miami outsprinted Chance It to grab the lead along the backstretch and went on to set fractions of 22.64 and 45.64 seconds for the first half-mile of the six-furlong optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up. The Saffie Joseph Jr.-trained Chance It advanced on the leader between horses on the turn into the homestretch and took the lead at the top of the stretch as Double Crown launched a four-wide drive that would carry him to his fourth victory in seven career starts. Chance It, the even-money favorite ridden by Edgard Zayas, finished 3 ½ lengths clear of Inter Miami.

Double Crown's victory was his fourth in seven career starts. The 4-year-old gelded son of Bourbon Courage won back-to-back stakes at Gulfstream last year before his graded-stakes placings in the Smile and Chick Lang.

Dean and Patti Reeves and Ritvo campaigned Mucho Macho Man, the 2013 Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) winner.

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 Jackpot Pool will be guaranteed at $400,000 when live racing resumes Friday at Gulfstream Park.

The popular multi-race wager went unsolved for the fifth consecutive racing day Sunday, when multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $8,382.04.

The jackpot pool is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 70 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners, while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

There will also be a Super Hi-5 carryover of $41,456.72 heading into Friday's program.

Friday's card kicks off a four-day Memorial Day Weekend at Gulfstream that will offer three stakes – Saturday's $75,000 Musical Romance, a 6 ½-furlong sprint for fillies and mares; Sunday's $60,000 Biscayne Bay, a five-furlong overnight handicap on turf for fillies and mares; and Monday's $75,000 Soldier's Dancer, a 1 1/16-mile stakes for 3-year-olds and up on turf.

The post Double Crown Denies Chance It In Gulfstream Feature; Friday’s Rainbow 6 Guaranteed At $400,000 appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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The 45th running of the six-furlong Chick Lang for 3-year-olds helps launch a spectacular Preakness weekend program of 16 stakes, nine graded, worth $3.35 million in purses over three days featuring the 145th running of the $1 million Preakness Stakes (G1) Oct. 3.

Also on Thursday's card are a pair of five-furlong turf sprints for 3-year-olds and up, the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint and $100,000 The Very One for fillies and mares. Post time for the first of 10 races is 12:40 p.m.

Bred in Maryland by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman and Rebecca Davis, Double Crown returns to his home state for the first time since breaking his maiden at first asking over Ournationonparade in a six-furlong maiden special weight last September at Laurel Park. Following the race, Dean Reeves purchased both horses and relocated them to South Florida with Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)-winning trainer Kathy Ritvo.

A minor foot issue kept Double Crown away from the races until April, where he overcame traffic trouble caused by Ournationonparade midway through the maiden special weight sprint at Gulfstream Park to get up for second, beaten only a length.

“If he doesn't get bothered by my own horse I think he'd have won that race, too, so he certainly could be undefeated since we got him and before we ran last time,” Reeves said. “He has definitely reaffirmed that I think he's going to be a player as he gets older, and being a gelding he should really strengthen up and be a factor.”

Double Crown reeled off impressive wins in the 6 1/2-furlong Roar and seven-furlong Carry Back this spring at Gulfstream, the latter earning him a short break prior to taking on older horses in the six-furlong Smile Sprint (G3) Sept. 5. He raced in contention along the rail and settled for third, 3 ¾ lengths behind winner Cool Arrow.

“He came out of the last race real good. Obviously it was tough against older horses, but I thought he showed himself well. He put up a good effort, we're just not at those times yet,” Reeves said. “I think he'll get there. We think this race fits him real well. He worked the other day, just a light maintenance work, and he's good to go so we'll take a shot at it.”

Double Crown, a gelded son of Bourbon Courage, has only been favored once in five starts, the Carry Back, going off at 7-1 in debut against his future stablemate, who would go on to win the Maryland Million Nursery.

“He showed a lot of tenacity to get up and win the race at Laurel and he also showed that he could sit a little off the pace. It just looked like a good strong horse and then when I went up to see him after I bought him I was really happy,” Reeves said. “I thought he really had some size and scope to him and was well-muscled. He has certainly done everything we thought he could do at this point.

“This is his first real on the road test. We leave Sunday and we'll get in there on Monday. I think he'll like the track,” he added. “He'll get around there that week and be ready to go Thursday. I'm hopeful that he takes to the track. I think he fits and so does Kathy. We all kicked it around and thought it would be a good spot.”

Gulfstream-based rider Cristian Torres will be in town to ride from Post 6 of 10.

A second-out maiden winner last spring at Laurel Park before running third in the Iroquois (G3) at Aqueduct, Lebda has been well-traveled with 11 starts including four wins, one second and three thirds. He captured the one-mile Miracle Wood and 1 1/16-mile Private Terms at Laurel prior to live racing being paused in Maryland for 2 ½ months amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Lebda has gone winless since his return, finishing sixth in the Ohio Derby (G3) and Haskell (G1) – the latter behind Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic – before the connections cut the 3-year-old colt back to sprints. Last out, he ran third after setting the pace in the seven-furlong Robert Hilton Memorial Aug. 28 at Charles Town.

“I didn't like how the jockey rode him because they went four lengths in front and waited for the others to come and then he started to move,” trainer Claudio Gonzalez said. “[Alex] Cintron is coming back with him and he knows him, so that's going to be better for the horse.

“It's not like he needs the front,” he added. “The only thing I try to tell Alex all the time is to be in the clear. I don't like him to be between horses because when it comes time to run, he has to check. He doesn't like that. I want him to break good and be in the clear.”

Gonzalez said Lebda's future will be sprinting, where he has two wins, a second and two thirds in distances ranging from 4 1/2 to seven furlongs. Cintron and Lebda will break from Post 5.

“He ran in some big races,” Gonzalez said. “I talked with the owners and, to me, he doesn't want to run long. He runs good because he's a good horse, but for me he wants no part of the long distances. I believe he's going to be OK.”

Gonzalez also entered MCA Racing Stable's Pitching Ari, second by a half-length to Relentless Dancer in the Robert Hilton Memorial Aug. 28 at Charles Town in his most recent start. Pitching Ari put together a three-race win streak over the winter but has gone winless in three starts since returning from the coronavirus break. Angel Cruz rides from Post 8.

Someday Farm's Dreams Untold hails from the same connections as his sire, 2004 Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones, trained by John Servis for Roy and Pat Chapman. In his previous trip to Maryland for the Miracle Wood, Dreams Untold was unruly at the gate and stumbled badly spotting the leader 15 lengths. He recovered to make a bold move into second and then tired to fifth, beaten 11 lengths as the favorite.

“He's a horse I've been very excited about from Day 1,” Parx-based Servis said. “His third start down there at Laurel he just completely lost all chance leaving the gate. Then he kind of rushed up there real quick and just burned out. It was just one of those throwout races.”

The nationwide pause in racing provided Servis an opportunity to give Dreams Untold a chance to recover from the Miracle Wood. He returned with a front-running allowance triumph going six furlongs June 17 at Delaware Park and will return to straight 3-year-olds after back-to-back tries against older horses, a second July 28 and a 2 ¾-length win Sept. 7 at 6 ½ and seven furlongs, respectively, against fellow Pennsylvania-breds.

“I wanted to give him plenty of time off of that race and make sure that he had recuperated. For a young horse like that to have to go through what he went through, mentally I just wanted to get that out of his system,” Servis said. “We've been working with him at the gate and he's been doing much better. His first race back after COVID at Delaware, he ran really good.

“His next race back at Parx actually came up really tough. He got hooked up in a speed duel and it set up for the winner. He ran a good race that day and then came back and won pretty easy, and he's trained really good since then,” he added. “I think it's time. There's not a lot around, especially now that we're getting to the end of the 3-year-old year … so we're going to take a shot.”

Trevor McCarthy has the call on Dreams Untold from Post 7.

William and Corinne Heiligbrodt's Yaupon is undefeated in three starts, all since June 20, capped by a front-running two-length triumph in the six-furlong Amsterdam (G2) Aug. 29 over a muddy Saratoga surface. The son of champion Uncle Mo is one of two Chick Lang contenders trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen along with Phoenix Thoroughbred's Little Menace, winner of the Grand Prairie Derby June 28 at Lone Star.

Also entered are Arkaan, third behind Preakness contender Pneumatic in the Aug. 15 Pegasus at Monmouth Park; Blackberry Wine, a 13-length maiden winner in March making his first start since mid-April; two-time New York-bred stakes winner Captain Bombastic; and Relentless Dancer, last out winner of the Robert Hilton Memorial for trainer Mike Maker.

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The Carry Back, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds co-headlined Saturday's Fourth of July program with the $75,000 Azalea, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies.

Double Crown, who captured the 6 ½-furlong Roar at Gulfstream Park May 16, rated just behind dueling Cajun Brother and Poe, who set fractions of 22.59 and 45.42 seconds for the first half mile, before making a sweep to the lead on the turn into the homestretch. The son of Bourbon Courage opened up a clear lead under Cristian Torres in mid-stretch and continued gamely to hold off Hutcheson Stakes winner With Verve by three-quarters of a length.

“He's tough. He has just enough speed to stay off the pace early and he closes well,” said Dean Reeves, who owns the Maryland-bred filly with his wife Patti.

Double Crown ran seven furlongs in 1:22.37 to with his third race in four career starts. With Verve finished 1 ¾ lengths ahead of late-closing Ournationonparade.

Double Crown and Ournationonparade were privately purchased by the Reeves following a Sept. 19 maiden special weight race, in which the former defeated the latter in their respective debuts at Laurel Park.

Ournationonparade came right back to win the $100,000 Maryland Million Nursery in his next start, while Double Crown went to the sidelines. Double Crown returned to action for Ritvo with a late-closing second-place finish in an April 26 allowance at Gulfstream before capturing the Roar Stakes.

“He's come around great. Kathy's done a great job with him. She gave him some time at the end of his 2-year-old year and let him grow into himself, because he's a good-size horse,” Reeves said. “It's amazing when you give them some time, they pay dividends for you,”

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The Carry Back highlights the July 4th program, along with the $75,000 Azalea, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies.

Double Crown is coming off a gutsy half-length victory over graded-stakes winner and Grade 1 stakes-placed Green Light Go in the May 16 Roar Stakes at Gulfstream, in which he rallied from mid-pack to get an edge over the 2019 Champagne (G1) runner-up to Tiz the Law in mid-stretch that he would maintain to the wire.

“He's so professional. What you see in his races is what you get,” Ritvo said. “He's just a nice classy horse.”

Double Crown was given time off after his debut victory and returned to action for Ritvo at Gulfstream with a second-place finish in an April 26 allowance, in which he ran into traffic before falling a half-length short of victory with a strong late rally. Double Crown, who came back to win the Roar, hasn't raced beyond 6 ½ furlongs in three starts.

“I think he'll go long. He's a nice enough horse that we decided to do everything right by him and give him the best opportunity to have a great career,” Ritvo said. “We're trying to give him time to develop into a good horse.”

Cristian Torres has the return mount.

The Carry Back will mark the fourth meeting between Double Crown and Ournationonparade, who made a wide bid on the far turn in the Roar before running evenly in the stretch to finish fourth, beaten 5 ¾ lengths by his stablemate.

Ournationonparade lost his rider after clipping heels in his previous race, in which Double Crown finished second April 26.

“He hasn't had the best of luck,” Ritvo said. “He's going into this race really well. I'm really happy with him too.”

After being purchased by the Reeves out of his debut, Ournationonparade returned immediate dividends, breaking his maiden in the $100,000 Maryland Million Nursery Oct. 19 for Haughton. Ournationonparade went on to finish third in the Feb. 29 Hutcheson, in which he was beaten a half-length in his first start for Ritvo.

Luca Panici is scheduled to ride Ournationonparade for the first time Saturday.

Eric Worth's With Verve looms as a strong opponent for the Ritvo-trained duo while cutting back to seven furlongs Saturday after finishing fifth behind graded-stakes winner Sole Volante in a mile allowance at Gulfstream June 10. The Larry Bates-trained son of Kantharos previously finished third in the Road, 1 ½ lengths behind Double Crown, and won the Hutcheson, in which he finished two necks ahead of Ournationonparade.

Hall of Famer Edgar Prado has the return mount.

Newtown Anner Stud and KimDon Racing LLC's Prince James is slated to make his 2020 debut in the Carry Back after finishing fifth in the Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct in his juvenile finale. The Kelsey Danner-trained son of Tiznow previously won his debut at Monmouth and finished second in an allowance race at Churchill Downs.

Edgard Zayas has the call on Prince James, who has run around two turns in all three of his career starts.

Shadybrook Farm Inc.'s Cajun Brother will be seeking to rebound from his first career loss while cutting back from a mile to seven furlongs. The Michael Yates-trained son of Cajun Breeze set a hotly contested pace before fading to sixth in a May 16 allowance. Previously, Cajun Brother scored back-to-back wins in a maiden special weight race and an optional claiming allowance, both at six furlongs.

Regular rider Miguel Vasquez has the call.

Arindel's Poe is slated to make his 2020 debut Saturday after winning two of seven starts last year. Emisael Jaramillo has be mount aboard the stakes-placed son of Brethren, who is trained by Juan Alvarado.

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