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Five Title Defenders Lead 249 Pre-Entries For Jim McKay Maryland Million Day

Five defending champions led by multiple stakes-winning filly Hello Beautiful, and graded-stakes placed horses Cordmaker, Galerio, Double Crown and No Mo Lady are among 249 pre-entries in 12 stakes on the 36th annual Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program Saturday, Oct. 23 at Laurel Park.

Five of the races on the groundbreaking Maryland Million program are scheduled to be contested over Laurel's world-class turf course. Entries will be taken and post positions drawn Wednesday, Oct. 20.

First race post time on Maryland Million Day is 11:30 a.m.

Cordmaker and Galerio are each among 23 horses nominated to the $150,000 Classic, the richest race on the Maryland Million program, for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles. Hillwood Stables' Cordmaker, a 6-year-old son of two-time Horse of the Year 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin, owns six career stakes wins, four of them coming at Laurel, and was third in the historic Pimlico Special (G3) in both 2019 and 2020.

Galerio is owned and trained by Jamie Ness, who claimed the 5-year-old Jump Start gelding out of a runner-up finish Aug. 16 at Colonial Downs. Overall, the Maryland-bred has been first or second in 22 of 28 lifetime starts, nine of them wins, and has placed in five stakes including a second to Cordmaker in the March 13 Harrison Johnson Memorial at Laurel and third in the June 12 Salvator Mile (G3) at Monmouth Park.

Also pre-entered in the Classic are multiple stakes winners Alwaysmining, who ran in the 2019 Preakness (G1); 5-year-old mare Artful Splatter, beaten a head when second in the Sept. 18 Twixt at Laurel; and 2019 Classic runner-up Prendimi, as well as Non Stop Stable's Tappin Cat, third in the 2019 Classic and currently riding a three-race win streak for Laurel trainer Gary Capuano.

Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables and Magic City Stables' Hello Beautiful is pre-entered to defend her title in the $100,000 Distaff for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting seven furlongs. The 4-year-old daughter of Golden Lad, winner of the 2019 Maryland Million Lassie, is 9-for-17 overall and 3-for-5 this year, each win coming in stakes, including the Alma North and Weathervane in back-to-back starts, the latter her most recent Sept. 18 at Laurel.

Lucky 7 Stables' 3-year-old Street Lute is an eight-time stakes winner who has faced her elders twice before, including a victory over stakes winner and fellow Distaff pre-entrant Malibu Beauty in the Sept. 25 Tax Free District at Delaware Park. Also pre-entered are Coconut Cake and multiple-stakes winner Never Enough Time, respectively second and third in the Weathervane; Kiss the Girl, winner of the Aug. 21 All Brandy at historic Pimlico Race Course; and 3-year-old Moquist, undefeated in her only two starts, both this year.

Another defending champion pre-entered in 2021 is Nancy Heil-bred, owned and trained Karan's Notion in the $100,000 Sprint for 3-year-old and up at six furlongs. Karan's Notion was a front-running winner of last year's Sprint by a length at odds of 16-1 and was third in the six-furlong Not For Love March 13 at Laurel in his most recent stakes attempt.

Also prominent among 22 Sprint pre-entries are Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Double Crown, a two-time stakes winner that in 2020 ran second in the Chick Lang (G3) at Pimlico and third in the Smile Sprint (G3) at Gulfstream Park; multiple stakes winners Jaxon Traveler, Kenny Had a Notion, Street Lute and Whereshetoldmetogo; and stakes winner Exculpatory.

The $100,000 Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds and up going 5 ½ furlongs returned to the Maryland Million in 2020 after an eight-year absence and was won by the talented Fiya. The second through sixth-place finishers from that race – respectively So Street, Godlovesasinner, Grateful Bred, Love You Much and Joseph – are among 24 pre-entries in 2021 along with stakes winners Can the Queen, Introduced and Kenny Had a Notion.

Lead Off Stable's Pretty Good Year pulled off a 15-1 upset of last year's $100,000 Turf for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles, but has gone winless in six subsequent starts, including two at Saratoga this summer. Among the 23 pre-entrants this year are stakes winners Trifor Gold and Somekindofmagician as well as 2020 Turf runner-up Cannon's Roar. Taking Risks Stable's Cannon's Roar has run in the past three Maryland Millions, finishing seventh in the 2019 Turf and fourth in the 2018 Turf Starter Handicap. His trainer, Dale Capuano, owns the most wins in Maryland Million history with 14.

The Turf's companion race, the $100,000 Maryland Million Ladies going 1 1/8 miles on grass for fillies and mares 3 and older, attracted 23 pre-entrants led by Vivian Rall's homebred Epic Idea who finished first by three-quarters of a length in 2020 but in May was disqualified to second following a Maryland Racing Commission ruling on the appeal of Dale Capuano, trainer of runner-up Gennie Highway, who was subsequently placed first. Kiss the Girl, a stakes winner on both turf and dirt, and Mike Trombetta-trained stablemate No Mo Lady, third in the 2020 Gallorette (G3) at Pimlico, are also among the 23 pre-entries.

Most popular among horsemen was the $100,000 Nursery for 2-year-olds, which drew 28 pre-entries led by Bonuccelli Racing's Cynergy's Star, winner of the Aug. 29 Timonium Juvenile in his most recent start, and Bird Mobberley's Local Motive, winner of the Hickory Tree on the Colonial Downs turf Aug. 2. The $100,000 Lassie saw 21 2-year-old fillies pre-entered including Waterworks, trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen and exiting a 9 ¼-length maiden special weight triumph Sept. 10 at Monmouth; stakes-placed Mama G's Wish; and Jester Calls Nojoy, sixth last out in the Frizette (G1) Oct. 3 at Belmont Park for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

Back for the fifth straight year are the $50,000 Turf Distaff Starter Handicap for fillies and mares 3 and older, where defending champion Jumpstartmyheart is among the pre-entries, and $50,000 Turf Starter Handicap for 3-year-olds and up, both at 1 1/8 miles on the grass.

Rounding out the stakes action are the $40,000 Starter Handicap for 3-year-olds and up, whose pre-entries include defending champion Glengar, and $40,000 Distaff Starter Handicap for fillies and mares 3 and older, with 2019 winner Yesterdaysplan and 2020 runner-up Calypso Ghost among the pre-entries. Both are contested at seven furlongs.

Edgar Prado leads all Maryland Million jockeys with 18 wins, one more than fellow Hall of Famer Ramon Dominguez. Sheldon Russell, currently sidelined with a right foot injury, rode four winners in 2020 including Monday Morning Qb in the Classic.

Dale Capuano and Hall of Famer King Leatherbury, who together have combined for more than 10,000 career victories, rank 1-2 among Maryland Million trainers with 14 and 10 wins, respectively, while Trombetta moved into third last year with his ninth win.

Named for the late Hall of Fame and 13-time Emmy Award-winning broadcaster who helped launch the groundbreaking concept in 1986, the Jim McKay Maryland Million has evolved into the second-biggest day on the state's racing calendar behind only the Preakness Stakes (G1). 'Maryland's Day at the Races' celebrates the stallions who stand in the state as well as a rich and diverse racing history that dates back to the founding of the Maryland Jockey Club in 1743.

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To Decide 2020’s Winningest Horse, Let’s Strike a Three-Way Match

The Week in Review, by T.D. Thornton

Saturday’s Claiming Crown races produced a three-way tie atop the North American leaderboard for winningest horse in terms of victories in 2020.

Galerio (Jump Start), Frost Or Frippery (Lewis Michael) and Combination (Alternation) all enter the final three weeks of the year tied with eight wins apiece.

How about scheduling a three-way invitational among these relatively matched geldings to settle the score prior to Dec. 31?

The category of most victories in a season is annually overshadowed by the purse-earnings rankings, which are dominated by high-end horses competing in elite graded stakes.

But the accomplishment of racking up the most wins on the year can be more difficult, because it usually involves keeping a less athletically gifted claiming- or starter-level horse in winning form over a 12-month span.

It’s also more intriguing to follow from an “everyman” perspective, because Thoroughbred racing’s annual victory leaders are generally overachieving underdogs who are easy to root for.

Combination was first up on Saturday. The Saffie Joseph, Jr. trainee for owner Frank Calabrese already had eight wins on the year and was seeking his ninth in the $75,000 Claiming Crown Express S. at Gulfstream Park. The 4-year-old, who has been claimed six times this year for tags between $8,000 and $25,000 while primarily sprinting in south Florida, tracked the favorite but couldn’t power past, checking in third.

Frost or Frippery ran in Saturday’s final Gulfstream race, the $75,000 Claiming Crown Iron Horse S. The 7-year-old was claimed once this year, for $20,000 by current trainer Brad Cox on behalf of owner Steve Landers Racing, LLC, back in April, and spent most of this season roughing up optional claiming and starter allowance foes at Oaklawn Park, Churchill Downs and Indiana Grand. He unleashed a furious late bid to spurt clear in deep stretch but was almost nailed at the wire by another onrushing challenger. A tight photo revealed he got a nostril down first, earning win number eight on the year (21st lifetime).

Galerio was not in action on Saturday. He won his eighth race of the year back on Nov. 21 at Laurel Park. The 4-year-old was claimed that day for $35,000 and is awaiting his next start for new owner SAB Stable, Inc., and trainer Dale Bennett.

This trio ranks as tops in the continent. There are nine horses with seven wins right behind them. But none are entered to race in the next few days, so let’s assume that only the three currently tied at eight are likely to be in the running for nine wins in 2020.

Might Gulfstream be induced to try and bring them together in a season-ending invitational for winningest horse bragging rights?

They aren’t very far apart numbers-wise: All three routinely run low-80s Beyer Speed Figures.

Logistically, Combination is already stabled in south Florida, and Cox, the trainer of Frost Or Frippery, is maintaining a division there for the first time this winter.

The connections of Galerio would have to be incentivized to leave Maryland. But he does appear to have a slight class edge based on success against allowance-caliber competition and his $35,000 recent claiming valuation (versus $25,000 for Combination and $20,000 for Frost Or Frippery).

Frost Or Frippery’s sweet spot is 1 1/16 miles. Galerio’s is a mile. Combination, however, is strictly a sprint specialist at five and six furlongs. Gulfstream’s extended backstretch chute would allow for flexibility in carding some middle-ground distance that might bring these three closer together. Perhaps seven furlongs or a one-turn mile? Maybe Combination could get a weight break for being out of his element, distance-wise?

This concept might seem a bit outlandish, but it’s not without precedent. In 1997, when I was a member of the Suffolk Downs press box crew, a local gelding named Maybe Jack had 12 wins by December. So did a Finger Lakes-based gelding named Pro On Ice. We proposed an end-of-season match race to bring the two together, and both trainers agreed to participate in the “Showdown at Suffolk” to see who would emerge atop the North American leaderboard with 13 wins.

Concessions had to be made both ways. Maybe Jack had the home-track advantage and preferred two turns but was a closer. Pro On Ice had to ship but was speed-centric, which gave him a theoretical edge in a two-horse race. The purse was $15,000, with $10,000 to the winner (with the track also paying shipping costs for Pro On Ice and hospitality accommodations for his connections). Maybe Jack was weighted at 124 while Pro On Ice carried 119.

“This is good for racing,” Mike Ferraro, the trainer of Pro On Ice, said at the time. “This is not about winning or losing. It shines the national spotlight somewhere else besides the multi-million dollar outfits.”

The late Al Borosh, who trained Maybe Jack, agreed: “This match race grabs people’s attention. You can hear that just walking around the backstretch or in the grandstand.”

Maybe Jack pressured Pro On Ice straight from the start and the two raced in lockstep to the eighth pole before Maybe Jack opened up in deep stretch to win by 9 1/2 lengths. The showdown wasn’t a blockbuster success from a handle-generating standpoint, but it made a huge splash publicity-wise during an otherwise slow time of the year for the sport.

Match racing has drifted out of vogue in the 23 years since that race took place. But being the owner of the winningest horse on the continent remains a huge point of pride for smaller outfits.

“It just doesn’t get any better than this,” said Maybe Jack’s then-owner, John Buckley Jr., who at the time was campaigning a three-horse stable. “With the buildup with this race and all the hype, it was my finest moment in the business.”

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Gonzalez Holds Strong Hand In Advance Of Oct. 24 Jim McKay Maryland Million

Claudio Gonzalez-trained stablemates Harpers First Ride, Galerio and Tap the Mark, each pre-entered for the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic Oct. 24 at Laurel Park, breezed a half-mile over its main track on a busy Saturday morning at the Laurel, Md., track.

The 1 1/8-mile Classic for 3-year-olds and up is the richest of eight stakes and four starter stakes on the 35th Jim McKay Maryland Million program. Created in 1986, “Maryland's Day at the Races” celebrates progeny of stallions standing in the state and the groundbreaking concept has spawned copycat events across North America.

Winner of back-to-back stakes including the historic Pimlico Special (G3) last out Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course, MCA Racing Stable's Harpers First Ride was clocked in 47.80 seconds. It was the fastest move of the Classic trio and ranked seventh among 58 horses at the distance.

Harpers First Ride has won four of his last six starts for Gonzalez, Maryland's leading trainer three years running. Prior to the 1 3/16-mile Pimlico Special, the 4-year-old gelding captured the 1 1/16-mile Deputed Testamony at Laurel, where he has six wins from seven career tries.

Among other Maryland-breds to win the Pimlico Special are Hall of Famers Cigar (1995) and Challedon (1939-40) as well as Include (2001) and Vertex (1958).

Robert D. Bone's Galerio breezed four furlongs in 48 seconds, eighth-fastest of 58 horses, while BB Horses' Tap the Mark went the distance in 48.40, ranking 11th. Entered in a one-mile optional claiming allowance Oct. 22, Galerio also has a stellar record over Laurel's main track with five wins and five seconds from 13 starts. After going winless in eight starts with five seconds in 2019, the 4-year-old gelding has won six of 10 races this year including his most recent, a 1 1/16-mile allowance Sept. 17.

Tap the Mark, a 4-year-old son of late Maryland sire Tritap, exits an optional claiming allowance victory going 1 1/16 miles Oct. 2 at Pimlico over fellow Classic pre-entrants Toughest 'Ombre and Tattooed. He has an overall record of 7-4-3 from 21 starts with nearly $200,000 in purse earnings.

“He is pointing for the Classic,” Gonzalez said. “He breezed really good today. It all depends, if he continues like this we're going to run in the Classic.”

Gonzalez also sent out Bone's Eastern Bay for a half-mile move in 47.70 seconds, second-fastest on the morning. The 6-year-old gelding, winner of the Polynesian Stakes Sept. 5 at Laurel and second by a nose in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) Oct. 3 at Pimlico, is pre-entered in the $100,000 Maryland Million Sprint for 3-year-olds and up. All three races are at six furlongs.

“All the horses that ran on the big weekend, Preakness weekend, they came back good, especially [Eastern Bay],” Gonzalez said. “We have to wait and see if we get in, but we wanted to be ready.”

Fellow Sprint pre-entrant Onmoregreattime was also on Saturday's work tab, going four furlongs in 49 seconds. Clover Hill Farm Inc. and Clover Hill Racing's 5-year-old gelding, trained by Jerry O'Dwyer, fifth in the Polynesian last out, will be making his fourth straight Million appearance. He finished third in the 2017 Nursery and respectively fourth and sixth in the 2018 and 2019 Sprint for previous trainer John Robb.

Robb has a pair of promising juveniles in Lucky 7 Stables' undefeated Street Lute and No Guts No Glory Farm's Moochie, each pre-entered in both the $100,000 Nursery for 2-year-olds and $100,000 Lassie for 2-year-old fillies. Both worked five furlongs Saturday at Laurel, with Moochie going in 1:02 (fifth-fastest of 16 horses) and Street Lute in 1:02.20 (ranking eighth).

Street Lute, by Street Magician, has made both her starts this year at Delaware Park, winning a five-furlong maiden special weight Sept. 7 and the 5 1/2-furlong Small Wonder Stakes Sept. 26, the latter by five lengths. Moochie was a debut winner June 29 at Delaware, then got loose and was fractious at the gate before running seventh in the Colleen, a turf sprint stakes Aug. 2 at Monmouth Park.

Another notable worker Saturday was 3-year-old filly Coconut Cake, going a half-mile in 49.20 seconds. Owned by NRS Stable, James Chambers and trainer Tim Keefe's Avalon Farm, the daughter of 2014 General George (G3) winner Bandbox has won her last three starts and was beaten a half-length when third on debut May 31, her only loss.

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