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Monday Morning Qb’s Classic Victory Caps Four-Win Maryland Million Day For Russell

Jockey Sheldon Russell, a month into his return from a broken wrist, put an exclamation point on his comeback with four wins Saturday capped by a record-setting victory aboard Monday Morning Qb in the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

The 1 1/8-mile Classic for 3-year-olds headlined the 35th Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program of 12 races featuring eight stakes and four starter stakes on 'Maryland's Day at the Races,' celebrating the progeny of stallions standing in the state.

Given a textbook ride by Russell, Monday Morning Qb ($15.80) hit the wire in 1:48.13 over a fast main track, the fastest Classic since the race was moved to its current distance in 2009. The Classic was run at 1 1/4 miles from 1986-92 and 1 3/16 miles from 1993-2008.

Russell, 33, captured the $50,000 Starter Handicap with trainer Dale Capuano's Jumpstartmyheart in the opener and went on to wins in the $100,000 Distaff with Hello Beautiful, trained by his wife, Brittany, and $100,000 Turf with Pretty Good Year. Russell moved into sixth in Maryland Million history with 11 total wins.

“I'm a little bit of a pessimist. I'm thinking, 'How many does he have in him today? Did he use up all his luck before he got to me?' That's a natural trainer instinct,” winning trainer Robert E. 'Butch' Reid Jr. joked. “But, Sheldon's a good rider. I've known him for years and he's won some nice races for us, so I had complete confidence in Sheldon.”

Russell was leading the Laurel Park summer meet standings when he was injured in a gate mishap July 17 at Delaware Park. He returned Sept. 24 on opening day of the Preakness Meet at Pimlico, where he went 1-for-16 but rode Excessive in the Preakness Stakes (G1). A seven-time meet champion in Maryland and the state's leading overall rider in 2011, Russell was 7-for-30 at Laurel's fall meet before Saturday's 4-for-9 performance.

“It's just fantastic. I haven't really been back that long. We sort of came back Preakness week and I was able to pick up a Preakness mount and sort of pick my head up a little bit,” Russell said. “Business has been great, so I can't really complain. My agent, Marty Leonard, has done a great job.

“Going into today I had nine mounts and looking at all of them, you think they all sort of had a live sneaky outside chance,” he added. “It was good that Dale's horse put me on a good start to the day. When you win some races early on in the day it sort of gives you a second win and you want to win another one, but four wins is great. I couldn't have asked for a better day.”

Winner of the Heft Stakes for juveniles last December at Laurel, Monday Morning Qb became only the second 3-year-old ever to win the Classic, following Bonus Points in 2017.

Russell was able to settle Monday Morning Qb in second off an opening quarter-mile in 23.47 set by 2019 Classic runner-up Prendimi. Off the board in the James W. Murphy Oct. 3 at Pimlico, his grass debut, the Maryland-bred Imagining colt took over the top spot after a half in 46.81, gained some separation after going six furlongs in 1:10.94 and had plenty left to turn back historic Pimlico Special (G3) winner and Classic favorite Harpers First Ride.

“I thought there was a little more speed. For him to be in the catbird seat laying second was kind of a surprise to me,” Reid said. “I just told Sheldon to break him sharp and wherever he was comfortable was fine with me. The horse has no problem coming from off the pace or on the lead, whatever you want to do.

“The biggest thing you have to think about with him, and the only instruction that I gave Sheldon was, if you're in tight turning for home to open up and get away from horses a couple lengths and try and make him switch leads. Sheldon did a great job.”

Harpers First Ride, who had a two-race stakes win streak snapped, was second, three-quarters of a length ahead of 45-1 long shot Tattooed. It was five lengths back to Tap the Mark in fourth, followed by Cordmaker, Top Line Growth and Prendimi. Top Line Growth, the 2019 Iowa Derby winner, entered the Classic with a perfect 4-0 record at Laurel.

“He's a beautiful horse. I think he won the best-turned-out horse and I'm not surprised at all, because he's stunning,” Russell said. “Mr. Reid said he's sharp and just get him into a good position. Going into the first turn you could see I had a handful. He was really strong, he was eager, he was well-prepared today and that's sort of how he ran.”

Reid said he expects Monday Morning Qb to be part of a small string he'll have this winter at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream Park's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

“We'll digest this one a little bit. I'm hoping we can find one more 3-year-old race before the end of the year but they're going to be difficult to find,” Reid said. “I've taken some stalls at Palm Meadows this winter so he'll probably end up down there with us.”

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Classy Empire Maker Colt Becomes Latest Rising Star for Avengers and Baffert

Classier (Empire Maker) became the latest flashy colt unveiled by Bob Baffert and the stallion-making conglomerate nicknamed The Avengers as he streaked home an impressive winner at Santa Anita Saturday worthy of a ‘TDN Rising Star’ nod.

Having tuned up for this with a head-turning six-furlong work from the gate on Monday (6f, 1:12.40, 1/3, XBTV Video), the bay was let go at generous 7-2 odds as two foes with experience took more attention. Off a bit sluggishly from his rail draw, Classier quickly recovered to take command and zip away take a clear lead. He blew the race apart through a :45.68 half, and was never for catching as he continued on to the wire four lengths clear in a display of speed reminiscent of the connections’ 2019 GI American Pharoah S. winner and ‘Rising Star’ Eight Rings (Empire Maker). Second timer Go On (Nyquist) completed the exacta.

Classier is out of a half-sister to the dam of French and U.S. GSW/MGISP Homerique (Exchange Rate). His third dam produced Group 1 winner White Moonstone (Dynaformer). Dam Class Will Tell, by one of the hottest broodmare sires on the planet in Bernardini, has a yearling colt by Tiznow who sold for just $12,000 at KEESEP and a foal filly by Union Rags. Her dam was bred back to More Than Ready for 2021. For coverage on Classier’s sale at Keeneland, see SF, Starlight, Madaket Continue Building Their Empire.

9th-Santa Anita, $57,000, Msw, 10-24, 2yo, 6 1/2f, 1:16.94, ft, 4 lengths.
CLASSIER, c, 2, Empire Maker
                1st Dam: Class Will Tell, by Bernardini
                2nd Dam: Conchita, by Cozzene
                3rd Dam: Desert Gold, by Seeking the Gold
Lifetime Record: 1-1-0-0, $33,000. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by Fasig-Tipton. Click for the free Equineline.com catalog-style pedigree.
O-SF Racing LLC, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables LLC, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm LLC & Robert E. Masterson; B-Mary A Sullivan (KY); T-Bob Baffert. *$775,000 Ylg ’19 KEESEP.

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Pint-Sized Pretty Good Year Surprises In Maryland Million Turf

Lead Off Stable's diminutive gelding Pretty Good Year, standing just 13 hands tall, came with a steady run down the center of the track to catch leaders Cannon's Roar and favored Nick Papagiorgio and spring a 15-1 upset of Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Million Turf at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

Extended another furlong to 1 1/8 miles from 2019, the Turf for 3-year-olds and up was among eight stakes and four starter stakes on the 35th 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.

Pretty Good Year ($32) gave jockey Sheldon Russell his third win of the day, following Hello Beautiful in the $100,000 Distaff and Jumpstartmyheart in the opener. It was also the third win for sire Great Notion, extending his streak to 11 straight years with a Maryland Million winner and moving him into sole possession of third on the all-time list with 16.

Based at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., Pretty Good Year's owner is Bobby Goodyear, racing manager for the 4-year-old gelding's breeder, Stuart Grant's The Elkstone Group. Elkstone also bred and owns Classic contender Top Line Growth.

“It's pretty amazing. I am so proud of this horse, you have no idea,” trainer Kelly Rubley said. “[Goodyear] just loved this horse from the day he was born and look at how it's paid off for him. It's just remarkable. What a neat little horse for this man to have picked out of the field and said, 'He's the one.' He's just 13 hands. He's very small.”

Rising Perry and Seville Barber were in front through a quarter-mile in 24.17 seconds and a half in 48.46, with Nick Papagiorgio biding his time in the clear in third and Cannon's Roar chasing in between horses. Nick Papagiorgio forged a short lead off the turn at the top of the stretch until being passed with a rail move from Cannon's Roar, while Pretty Good Year fanned wide to reel in the front-runners.

“Distance has always been his thing,” Rubley said. “We keep hitting these one-turn miles here and he hits the board and he picks up checks, but the longer the better for him. At the three-eighths pole, I'm thinking, 'Oh my God, we have a lot of horse.'”

Cannon's Roar was second, snapping a three-race win streak, 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Nick Papagiorgio, the 8-5 top choice that had had won five of his last six starts, the only loss coming by a nose. It was 5 1/4 lengths back to defending Turf champion Mr. d'Angelo in fourth.

Pretty Good Year closed from far back to be third in last year's Turf, also with Russell aboard, but had never won on the grass.

“Last year he ran a really good third in the race and I probably had him a little too far back,” Russell said, “but, he had put in some pretty decent races on the dirt and it just happened to work out today. I felt like we had an honest pace, he's a deep-end closer and loves to be on the outside. I just stayed out of his way. At the three-eighths pole I was fully loaded and I knew that as soon as I got to the outside he was going to stretch his legs.”

Pretty Good Year was pre-entered in the Classic but Rubley opted to keep him on turf when the Classic drew only four Maryland-sired horses, allowing Maryland-breds like program favorite and Pimlico Special (G3) Harpers First Ride to run.

“What an experience,” Rubley said. “We were actually hoping the Classic wouldn't open this year because it's a mile and an eighth on dirt, and he runs on both. It would have been very exciting, but we'll certainly take this.”

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Adena Stallions Moving to Hill ‘N’ Dale at Xalapa

Horse of the Year Ghostzapper (Awesome Again), Mucho Macho Man (Macho Uno) and Point of Entry (Dynaformer) will join the stallion roster at John Sikura’s Hill ‘N’ Dale at Xalapa outside of Paris, KY, according to a release from the farm. They are being relocated from Adena Springs. The fees for the three stallions are: Ghostzapper – $85,000 LFSN; Point of Entry – $7,500 LFSN; Mucho Macho Man – $7,500 LFSN.

“I have known John since he was a young man in Canada and his rise as a pre-eminent horseman is something I respect very much,” said Adena Springs’ Frank Stronach. “Two of the sires we are relocating to his new facility represent the epitome of what we have looked to achieve with our racing and breeding operations. Homebred and GI Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Ghostzapper is the best horse we’ve bred to date. The power of his pedigree has made the performance of Ghostzapper’s progeny predictable and outstanding. Champion Mucho Macho Man is another Breeders’ Cup winner who is by a Breeders’ Cup winner that we bred and raced. His two Grade I winners in 2020 prove his ability to sire the type of runner that we are all looking to campaign.”

Stronach continued, “Anyone who has seen the work that John Sikura has done at his new facility at Xalapa will know that it was born from a respect for the land and a passion for excellence. We are partners in this venture and I have no doubt that the great legacy of Ghostzapper will be enhanced under his care.”

Added Sikura: “These three new additions to our roster for 2021 are significant. Ghostzapper has sired five champions and 12 GI/G1 winners. He is a broodmare sire of huge importance being the broodmare sire of Triple Crown winner Justify. We will support him with top mares and we expect breeders will do the same. It is an honor to stand such a great sire.

He continued, “Point of Entry was a serious racehorse who comes from a deep Phipps family and the best is yet to come with him. Mucho Macho Man is a stallion that the more you study, the more you love. He is the sire of GI Pegasus World Cup winner Mucho Gusto as well as Mucho Unusual, winner of the GI Rodeo Drive S. at Santa Anita.”

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