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Jorge Ruiz Notches Four Wins As Racing Returns To Laurel Park On Thursday

Live racing resumed at Laurel Park on Thursday, Dec. 16 for the first time since Nov. 28. The main track at Laurel was closed for an examination on Nov. 29 after an alarming number of fatalities – four from racing injuries and three while training – occurred between Nov. 6-28. The Maryland Jockey Club followed that inspection by cancelling racing and suspending morning workouts to allow for repair of the surface.

It was the second time in 2021 that racing at Laurel was halted because of track conditions. The first occurrence was in April after a spike in musculoskeletal injuries, which led to racing being shifted to Pimlico on an emergency basis. Track ownership undertook a multi-million dollar track renovation project that wasn't completed until August, with racing resuming at Laurel in September.

With help from noted trackmen Dennis Moore from California, Glen Kozak from the New York Racing Racing Association, and former MJC track superintendent John Passero, Maryland Jockey Club officials explained at last week's meeting of the Maryland Racing Commission that the most likely explanation for the cluster of fatalities was that water seeped into a seam in the base material of the stretch before that base material was able to cure, causing a slight depression. That has been repaired, and several additional changes have been made.

“We've been out every single day, day and night, to make sure that we have the best racing surface possible,” Laurel's track superintendent Chris Bosley said during this Tuesday's meeting of the Maryland Racing Commission. “There's been a huge learning curve with this material and this track from when it was put in in July to where we are now.”

Jockey Jorge Ruiz notched four wins on the day, and Sola Dei Gloria Stable's Bustoff completed a daily double for teenage riding sensation Charlie Marquez and trainer Hugh McMahon with his front-running triumph in Thursday's feature race.

A 6-year-old Maryland-bred Haynesfield gelding, Bustoff ($7.40) completed one mile in 1:38.96 over a fast main track to win the third-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up by 3 ½ lengths. Torch of Truth rallied late to edge 20-1 long shot Whiskey and You by a neck for second.

The return of racing and condition of the track was met with positive reviews by horsemen.

“It's much better; like night and day,” trainer Dale Capuano said. A winner of more than 3,500 career races, Capuano saddled Taking Risks Stable and Louis J. Ulman's favored Zen Pi ($4.60) to victory in the opener, a six-furlong claimer for 3-year-olds and up. The winning time under jockey Jorge Ruiz was 1:12.55.

“We're tickled to death. Jorge said the track felt good,” Capuano said. “You can tell by the time. These horses should run [1:12] and change and that's what he did,” he added. “It's good. I think they're run on the right track. I think getting [consultants] John Passero and Glenn Kozak was the right thing to do. We're all after the same thing. We might have different approaches to getting there but we're all for safe racing and keeping our horses and riders safe.”

Ruiz's other winners Thursday were Tenax ($12.20) for trainer Ken Cox in Race 3, Bourbon Wildcat ($30.20) for trainer Jose Magana in Race 6 and Capuano-trained Boss Logic ($6) in Race 8. Ruiz ranks second to Jevian Toledo in wins at the fall meet, 44-42.

Toledo leads all riders with 102 wins this year at Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course, two more than the 18-year-old Marquez. Angel Cruz is third with 84 and Ruiz fourth at 82.

“The track is now different. Before it was hard, now it's deeper and a little fluffier,” Ruiz said. “The horses hit the ground a little more softly.”

Notes: Laurel will host a nine-race card starting at 12:25 p.m. Friday … Saturday is Maryland Spectacular Day with nine live races including a pair of $100,000 stakes for Maryland-bred/sired horses: the Maryland Juvenile and Maryland Juvenile Fillies. Also on the day are Holiday Giving Tree and Give a Gift/Get a Gift promotions, as well as a 2022 Maryland racing calendar giveaway.

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Alwaysinahurry Dashes To Victory In Concern Stakes At Pimlico

Mopo Racing's Alwaysinahurry, making just his second start this year, collared Grade 3-winning favorite Mighty Mischief in mid-stretch and powered home a 4 ¾-length winner of Sunday's $100,000 Concern Stakes at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The fifth running of the six-furlong Concern for 3-year-olds, honoring the first Maryland-bred winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic, was the second of four stakes worth $375,000 in purses on the Independence Day holiday program.

Trained by Dale Capuano and ridden by Jorge Ruiz for his third win of the afternoon, Alwaysinahurry ($20.20) completed the distance in 1:10.56 over a fast main track. Mighty Mischief, who captured the Grade 3 Chick Lang Stakes May 15 at Pimlico, finished second to snap a three-race win streak. They were followed under the line by Three Two Zone, Singlino, Sibelius, and Roderick.

“He always trained well and I always liked him,” Capuano said. “Alwaysinahurry just disappointed me a few times so we gave him some time off for the winter and let him mature a little bit. Today he ran like I thought he could.”

Mighty Mischief broke running from Post 1 and quickly established command through a quarter-mile in :22.97 seconds, going a half in :45.95 while pressed to his outside by Roderick. Ruiz and Alwaysinahurry settled in third before tipping out approaching the stretch, then set down for the drive to the wire.

“He rode him excellent. We talked about that before the race. We thought there would be plenty of speed,” Capuano said. “We knew [Mighty Mischief] was going to go from the rail so we just wanted to sit off the pace and try to save ground and he did a good job doing that. He had a good trip and it worked out perfectly.”

It was the first career stakes win for Alwaysinahurry, who ran second to multiple stakes-winning stablemate Kenny Had a Notion in the Maryland Million Nursery last fall before capping his juvenile season running fifth behind Jaxon Traveler in the Maryland Juvenile Futurity, both at Laurel Park.

Alwaysinahurry, a gelded son of leading Maryland sire Great Notion, returned from a six-month layoff to be fourth by a length facing his elders in an open six-furlong allowance June 9 at Delaware Park, giving Capuano the confidence to return to stakes company.

“The Delaware race was a very tough race. They were all older horses and he fought all the way after the layoff and came out of the race really well,” he said. “I just thought that this race surely wasn't any tougher than the last race. That was kind of a hidden tough race. It all worked out well.”

Earlier wins for Ruiz on Sunday's card came with No Fooling Dude ($31.20) in Race 2 and Behind the Couch ($13) in Race 6.

Concern, trained by the late Dickie Small, won seven of 30 career starts and more than $3 million in purse earnings from 1993-95. His 1994 season included wins in the Breeders' Cup and Grade 2 Arkansas Derby, seconds in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes, the Grade 1 Super Derby and Grade 2 Ohio Derby, and thirds in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, Grade 1 Haskell, Grade 2 Molson Export Million, and Grade 3 Round Table.

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Kenny Had A Notion Holds Off Stubborn Maythehorsebwithu In Spectacular Bid

Louis J. Ulman and H. Neil Glasser's Kenny Had a Notion, a juvenile stakes winner on both turf and dirt, dueled from start to finish with a stubborn Maythehorsebwithu before prevailing by a neck in Saturday's $100,000 Spectacular Bid at Laurel Park in Maryland.

The inaugural seven-furlong Spectacular Bid for 3-year-olds and return of the $100,000 Xtra Heat for 3-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs were among six stakes worth $550,000 in purses on a Winter Carnival program that launched Maryland's 2021 stakes calendar.

Ridden by Jorge Ruiz for trainer Dale Capuano, Kenny Had a Notion ($8) led all the way to snap a two-race losing streak with his third career stakes win. The winning time was 1:23.98 over a fast main track.

“He's been showing a lot more speed the last few races. I think a lot has to do with him maturing and getting himself together,” Capuano said. “We're very pleased with him.”

Kenny Had a Notion was pressed by Maythehorsebwithu from the outset, the two running in tandem through a quarter-mile in 23.14 seconds and a half in 46.47, briefly joined in the chase by Shackqueenking, winner of the 1 1/16-mile Howard County Dec. 26 at Laurel. The top pair began to edge away once straightened for home and set the stage for a battle through the lane with Kenny Had a Notion, racing along the rail, refusing to budge under relentless pressure.

Maythehorsebwithu, who beat Kenny Had a Notion when second in the First State Dash over a sloppy track last fall, finished two lengths ahead of Shackqueenking. Tiz Mandate was another length back in fourth, trailed by Erawan, Nobody Knew, Scotch Rock's and Wicked Prankster.

“He's just gotten better,” Capuano said. “His first race when he won at Delaware, he ran a decent race but not that fast. Then the next time was on an off track and he didn't run well. Then he won on the turf and in the Maryland Million. The turf race seemed to turn him around.”

Kenny Had a Notion won the 5 ½-furlong Jamestown Stakes on Laurel's world-class turf course in October and now has also won at six and seven furlongs on the main track. He ran sixth after displacing his palate in the James F. Lewis III Dec. 13, had a procedure to correct the problem and came back two weeks later to be second by a neck in the Heft Dec. 26.

“He's run well at six and seven [furlongs], so I think we'll stretch him out at some point,” Capuano said. “He's game. He seems to carry his speed at seven, so it's exciting. We'll see how far he takes us.”

Spectacular Bid was named champion colt at 2 and 3 and champion older horse and Horse of the Year at 4 for the late Maryland-based Hall of Fame trainer Grover 'Bud' Delp, who called him “the greatest horse ever to look through a bridle.” 'The Bid' won the 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness and won each of his last 10 races, retiring with 26 wins and nearly $2.8 million in purse earnings from 30 starts. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982.

Street Lute Makes It Four Straight Victories in $100,000 Xtra Heat
Lucky 7 Stables' Street Lute, cutting back to six furlongs for the first time in two months, ran her win streak to four races, all in stakes, with a dominant five-length triumph in the $100,000 Xtra Heat.

A neck shy of being undefeated in seven career starts, Street Lute ($2.80) ran six furlongs in 1:10.31 over a fast main track under regular rider Xavier Perez in her 3-year-old season opener.

“The horses, they all improve after they win and she's done nothing but win, so she expects to win,” winning trainer John 'Jerry' Robb said. “I think that helps.”

Perez and Street Lute were outrun for the early lead by Trip to Freedom, the Maryland Million Lassie show finisher who went the first quarter-mile in 22.51 seconds. Street Lute, racing in the clear two wide, eased up to take over the top spot following a half in 45.64 and kept rolling, opening up by five lengths heading for home.

“It's easy to say now, but I kept looking for the fractions to make sure [Perez] was going easy and apparently he was,” Robb said. “I was confident coming into today but after watching the races today and all the closers were winning every race, I was a little nervous from that.”

Miss Leslie, winner of the 1 1/16-mile Ann Arundel County in her previous start, ran second to snap her three-race win streak. It was 3 ¾ lengths back to 30-1 long shot Breeze Off the Bay, who edged Whiskey and Rye by a neck for third. It Can, Plane Drunk, Trip to Freedom and Incomparable completed the order of finish.

Street Lute overcame an eye injury and subsequent surgery to win her debut, delayed to September at Delaware Park. The Street Magician filly won the Small Wonder in her second start and got caught at the wire in the Maryland Million Lassie before reeling off consecutive wins in the Smart Halo, Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship and Gin Talking, the latter Dec. 26.

Robb tied Mike Trombetta for second overall among all trainers with 43 wins in Maryland last year. It was Trombetta's Miss Nondescript that edged Street Lute in the Lassie.

“The whole barn's been doing good, not just her,” Robb said. “We've been having a great meet, thanks to everyone.”

Last run at Pimlico in 2007, the Xtra Heat honors the Maryland-based Hall of Fame mare and champion 3-year-old filly of 2001 that won 26 of 35 career starts, captured 25 stakes including the Prioress (G1), and was second against the boys in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), both during her championship season.

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Maryland Million: Kenny Had A Notion Best In Nursery; Miss Nondescript Snatches Lassie

Under a ground-saving trip by jockey Jorge Ruiz, Louis J. Ulman and Neil Glasser's Kenny Had a Notion ran away from a dozen others down the stretch to win the $100,000 Maryland Million Nursery Saturday on the 35th edition of Maryland Million Day at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

A 2-year-old son of Great Notion trained by Dale Capuano, Kenny Had a Notion beat stablemate Alwaysinahurry by five lengths while covering six furlongs in 1:10.55. Reassured was third.

Kenny Had a Notion, a determined head winner of his maiden special weight debut July 30 at six furlongs at Delaware Park, cut back to 5 1/2 for the First State Dash there Sept. 26, contested over a sloppy track. Capuano brought him back in 13 days for the Jamestown Stakes, a 5 1/2-furlong turf dash for Virginia-breds Oct. 9 at Laurel, where he romped by five lengths as the favorite.

On Saturday afternoon at Laurel, Kenny Had a Notion broke well and raced third down the backstretch behind pacesetter Tiz Golden and inside San Antone past an opening quarter mile in :22.68. But around the turn, Ruiz drove Kenny Had a Notion to the front along the rail and then cruised away. Alwaysinahurry, who also saved ground entering the stretch, split horses to get up for the place.

“They're both nice,” said Capuano of his first two finishers. “Kenny is getting better and so is Alwaysinahurry. [Kenny] showed more speed than I thought he would. He was on the bit very early and the rider had to just get a seam and lucky the rail opened up and he got through.”

Miss Nondescript Gives Sire Mosler First Stakes Winner
Barak Farm's Miss Nondescript, making her second start and first for trainer Michael Trombetta, rallied down the stretch and got up in the final strides to win the $100,000 Maryland Million Lassie by a neck over Street Lute, giving freshman sire Mosler his first stakes winner.

Miss Nondescript, who broke her maiden at first asking Sept. 4 at Monmouth Park, covered the six furlongs in 1:10.13 under jockey Trevor McCarthy.

“This filly gave me a great effort today,” McCarthy said. “She had a nice break and the pace was quick … we had a perfect pace to run at.”

Miss Nondescript (outside) is up just in time to win the Maryland Million Lassie

Trip to Freedom, who broke her maiden a week earlier, shot out of the gate and went the opening quarter in :21.93 and the half in :44.38 before Street Lute and Miss Nondescript both rallied to the outside inside the final eighth. But in the final yards, it was Miss Nondescript who put her neck out front at the wire.

“I was worried that she might run out of time,” Trombetta said. “I could see her chiseling into the margin but I didn't know if she had enough time. Fortunately it worked out.”

Trombetta, who has only had the filly about a month, said there were “a real good set of circumstances” about the Lassie, with the filly having seven weeks since her debut and the quick early pace of Saturday's race. When asked about the offspring of Mosler, Trombetta said, “From what I'm seeing of these guys I think they'll run on whatever you ask.”

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