Luna Belle Gets Perfect Trip To Win Maryland Juvenile Fillies Championship

At Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., Luna Belle, who found trouble in the Maryland Million Lassie and Smart Halo Stakes, got a perfect trip under jockey Denis Araujo to win the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Fillies Championship by 2 ¾ lengths over Jester Calls Nojoy. Sweet Gracie was third.

Owned by Deborah Greene and Hamilton Smith and trained by Smith, Luna Belle, a daughter of Great Notion, covered the seven furlongs in 1:25.31.

After breaking her maiden at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va., in August, Luna Belle was steadied in the Maryland Million Lassie and was wide in the Smart Halo. She had no such issues Saturday. The Elkstone Group LLC's heavily favored Jester Calls Nojoy took the lead shortly after the start and breezed an opening quarter in :23.81 and a half in :48.05 under jockey Jevian Toledo. But Araujo moved Luna Belle toward the leader around the final turn and drove to the outside of Jester Calls Nojoy down the stretch before taking a clear lead inside the final eighth.

“She had two races there where she had a little bit of trouble,” Smith said. “I think we ran the best horse in the Maryland [Million Lassie], but she ran into trouble and got beat. But that's part of racing. Everything went her way today and she showed what she's worth. She's a real smart filly. I thought she was third good and I think the further she goes, the better she'll be.

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Rising Star Witty A Dominant Winner Of $200,000 Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes

Witty, a half-brother to graded stakes winner Caravel, handily defeated nine rivals in the $200,000 Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes at Parx Racing in a five and a half length triumph.

A homebred for Elizabeth Merryman, the 2-year-old Pennsylvania-bred son of Great Notion earned his second career victory and gave McLane Hendriks his first career winner as a trainer in the Pennsylvania Nursery.

After being forced to steady early, Witty moved up into contention on the backstretch under Carol Cedeno, settled in to save ground as the leader, Wispering Springs approached the quarter pole. Once in the clear, Witty responded when asked and drew away in the stretch.

“Very exciting…it's obviously a little bit stressful to train for your parents, but it makes it that much sweeter when you win,” said trainer McLane Hendriks. “I always kind of thought he was a turf horse, but he's been training so well on the dirt and handles it so well. We wanted to stretch him out a little bit here today and I do think he can get some more ground. It's exciting to have a horse like this and have a future wide open.”

Witty went off as the 2-1 favorite and returned $6.60 to win. Uncle Buddy ran second and Vine Jet completed the trifecta. The final time for the seven furlongs on a fast track was 1:26.44.

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Epic Idea Takes Maryland Million Ladies At Laurel

Call it poetic justice.

After surviving a steward's inquiry following a victory in the Maryland Million Ladies last year but being placed second upon review of the Maryland Racing Commission in May, Vivian Rall's homebred Epic Idea left no questions Saturday, driving between horses entering the stretch to win the $100,000 Maryland Million Ladies by a half-length over Maldives Model at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md. It was another three-quarters of a length to Judi Blue Eyes in third.

A 5-year-old mare by Great Notion trained by Michael Merryman and ridden by Daniel Centeno, Epic Idea covered a firm 1 1/8-mile turf course in 1:49.46.

“It's big redemption for us,” said Merryman after the race. “I have to bite my tongue a little bit right now because everyone knows that (the disqualification) was not right. But all the credit to the breeder, Vivian Rall. She's one of the best horsemen in Maryland. Credit to my mom for bringing this horse along with us…. just a credit to all the nice horsemen we have behind this filly.”

Breaking alertly from the gate, Epic Idea was rated fourth along the inside entering the first turn and down the backstretch by Centeno while longshot Tipsy Chatter set fractions of :23.63, :47.89, and 1:12.04. But entering the stretch, Centeno moved Epic Idea off the rail and outside a tiring Tipsy Chatter and outside Brushing to take the lead and the Maryland Million Ladies.

Epic Idea came into the Ladies off a third-place finish at 5 ½ furlongs Sept. 30. “She came flying last time,” Merryman said.

The race reunited Epic Idea with Centeno, who had ridden the mare last in October of 2020.

“If you look back at her form, the best race she ever ran was with Centeno,” Merryman said. “We wanted to win so I made him fly up from Tampa to ride her.”

Said Centeno: “I talked to Mike and he said she was training really good. She sprinted the last race and we were going back to long. I told him we had a little bit of speed outside, and she always breaks sharp, so going to the first turn she's going to be right there. She broke really sharp, and she got a perfect trip. I found some room turning for home and she finished strong.”

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Epic Idea Returns For Another Shot In Maryland Million Ladies

Disqualified from a first-place finish in last year's race, Vivan Rall's homebred Epic Idea will get a second chance at becoming a Maryland Million winner in Saturday's $100,000 Ladies.

A 5-year-old Great Notion mare, Epic Idea led every step of the way in the 2020 Ladies to edge Gennie Highway by three-quarters of a length. She survived a steward's inquiry following the race but was placed second upon review of the Maryland Racing Commission in May.

Epic Idea made her 2021 debut in the $100,000 The Very One May 14 at historic Pimlico Race Course where she ran up against subsequent Grade 3 winner Caravel, finishing eighth by less than four lengths. She has run third in back-to-back turf sprints, including a half-length loss to next-out winner Polished Gal in a Laurel allowance Sept. 30.

“Epic Idea has been training great,” trainer Michael Merryman said. “Hopefully we have her ready to go two turns. The way the races set up, we sprinted the last two races and she ran well in both. It's a bit tougher field than last year, so we'll see how it plays out.”

Daniel Centeno gets the riding assignment from Post 4.

Hillwood Stable's 3-year-old homebred filly Misty's Banshee will be making just her third career start and first in a stakes in the Ladies for fall meet-leading trainer Brittany Russell. A daughter of Golden Lad out of the Malibu Moon mare Misty in Malibu, she exits a front-running triumph Sept. 23 at Laurel in a one-mile maiden claimer originally carded for the grass.

“The last time she ran great, and I think she'll love the turf. I know it's a lot to ask off a maiden win, but we've always thought highly of her ability. It's a matter of getting her brain right,” Russell said. “We've always really liked this filly, but she has been a [challenge] to get to the races. She's had a tough path, but I think we finally got her on the right track.

“Her mother was a turf horse and she trains like she would like the turf. She liked that tight, sealed track the day she broke her maiden when it came off, if that is any indication,” she added. “You hope she's better on the turf.”

Kevin Gomez, up for each of her first two starts, both also against older horses, rides from Post 7.

Bonuccelli Racing's Breviary will be racing first time off the claim for trainer Kenny Cox, who took the 4-year-old filly for $25,000 out of a one-mile event Oct. 7 at Laurel. She has three career wins but is 0-for-4 lifetime on turf including a sixth in last year's Ladies, when she was beaten 3 ¾ lengths.

“When we went back and looked at her turf races, every time she ran it seemed like she was pretty far back and the winner went wire to wire and didn't back up enough for her,” Cox said. “We're going to go ahead and take a chance. We're going to try and get her to lay a little closer. Last year she ran in it for the other connections and got beat [3 ¾] lengths to the horse that won that went wire to wire. She had to make up a lot of ground. I know we're taking a shot but I don't think it's out of the question that she can't run well in there.”

Jevian Toledo has the call in the Ladies for a second straight year, breaking from Post 2.

The 5-2 program favorite is Burke, Campbell and Picarello's I Love You, coming out of a 7 ¼-length open allowance romp going one mile Sept. 11 on the Laurel turf. She owns four wins and two seconds from eight lifetime tries on the grass and has a record of 2-2-1 in five starts since being claimed for $160,000 in February.

Holly's Lady, Maldives Model, Tipsy Chatter, Artful Splatter, Sally's Mustang, Fool Yourself, Amplio Esquema, Judi Blue Eyes, Brushing and also-eligibles Awesome Jazz and Good Life Cider complete the field.

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