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Laurel Park: Recovering From Spill, Carrasco To Miss Weekend Races

Journeyman rider Victor Carrasco, the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice of 2013, will sit out racing this weekend at Laurel Park in Maryland to continue his recovery from a Jan. 29 spill.

Carrasco was shaken up but escaped serious injury when he went down in the stretch of the fourth race last Friday. He took off his two remaining mounts that day as well as the Jan. 30 program. The Jan. 31 card was moved to Thursday to create a four-day live racing weekend.

“He was shaken up a little bit but the biggest problem he had was in his toe, which is doing good. Nothing major, just a little setback,” Carrasco's agent, Scotty Silver, said Thursday. “If he's feeling good, which he says he is as of today, because I talked to him this morning, we'll be good to go for next weekend.”

Carrasco entered Thursday's card ranking in the top 10 at the ongoing winter meet in wins (five) and purse earnings ($212,307). Live racing continues Friday through Sunday.

“He's actually doing much better and we're shooting for next weekend,” Silver said. “He's not going to ride this weekend but hopefully everything goes good and he'll be back definitely by next Friday.”

Agent Tom Stift reported Thursday that jockey Alex Cintron, who last rode Jan. 29 at Laurel, will return to ride Friday.

Notes: Jockey Xavier Perez swept the early daily double Thursday with wins aboard Valued Notion ($19.60) in Race 1 and Blue Sky Painter ($9.80) in Race 2 … Disputed Notion ($35) upset Thursday's finale and produced carryover jackpot payouts of $27,210.10 in the 50-cent Late Pick 5 and $25,658.34 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 to one lucky winner. Disputed Notion was the first winner for owner-trainer Carlyne Tapscott since March 4, 2018 … There will be a carryover of $875.69 in the $1 Super Hi-5 for the opener of Friday's nine-race program. Post time is 12:25 p.m.

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‘Old War Horse’ Alwaysmining Exits 2021 Debut In ‘Great’ Shape, Pointing To John B. Campbell

Runnymoore Racing's multiple stakes-winning Maryland-bred Alwaysmining, nominated to defend his title in the $100,000 John B. Campbell Feb. 13 at Laurel Park, emerged from his first victory since last year's race in good order, trainer Austin Trites said Wednesday.

“Alwaysmining, as you'd expect from the old war horse, is doing great,” Trites said.

The gelded 5-year-old son of Stay Thirsty rolled to a three-length victory in a one-mile optional claiming allowance Jan. 30 at Laurel – his first win in 350 days following the 2020 Campbell for 4-year-olds and up going about 1 1/16 miles, his seventh career stakes triumph.

It was the second start this year for Alwaysmining, who returned from 198 days between starts to run last of nine after setting the early pace in the one-mile Jennings for Maryland-bred/sired horses, a race he also won in 2020.

Alwaysmining got time off at the owner's Pennsylvania farm and was moved to Trites after successive off-the-board finishes last spring and summer. He won the Maryland Juvenile Futurity and Heft at 2; Miracle Wood, Private Terms and Federico Tesio at 3; and Jennings and Campbell last year.

“The Jennings just left us with so many more questions than answers and there was just enough reasons for us that here we are,” Trites said. “It was just kind of a can't-miss opportunity to run him in a conditioned allowance and try and give him that confidence booster. And, we figured the blinkers could really be a positive and they turned out to definitely be so.”

All 10 of Alwaysmining's wins have come at Laurel, but the most recent was his first time in 24 career starts wearing blinkers. Breaking on the far outside in a field of eight, he raced within striking distance while remaining in the clear, moved to within a length at the top of the stretch and steadily wore down front-running Zabracadabra before pulling away.

“I think the key in the afternoon is just what we learned [Jan. 30] and just to be very tactical with him, and try to keep him in that position where you know he's going to run for you,” Trites said. “Don't get him intimidated on the inside and just kind of ride him like he's the best horse and I think that's what happened.”

Nominations for the Campbell were due the same day Alwaysmining returned to the winner's circle. It comes just two weeks after his allowance win and would be his third start in a six-week span after wheeling back in 14 days following the Jennings.

“It is close. Obviously, in the heat of the moment we're going to nominate just in case,” Trites said. “We're going to keep all our options on the table. We're not going to rush into anything. Obviously the horse showed us what we wanted to see last time, and we'll kind of let him point us in the next direction.”

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Robust Group Of Nominations For Laurel Park’s Winter Sprintfest Races

Graded-stakes winners Eres Tu, Pacific Gale, Sharp Starr and Victim of Love; multiple stakes winner Hello Beautiful, undefeated on the local main track; and Dontletsweetfoolya, riding a five-race win streak, are among 23 older females nominated to the $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) Saturday, Feb. 13 at Laurel Park.

The 69th running of the Fritchie for fillies and mares 4 and older and the 45th renewal of the $250,000 General's Stake (G3) for 4-year-olds and up, formerly the General George, highlight a Winter Sprintfest program offering six stakes worth $900,000 in purses. Both graded-stakes are contested at seven furlongs.

Eres Tu captured the 1 1/8-mile Allaire du Pont (G3) Dec. 26, her second straight stakes win at Laurel for trainer Arnaud Delacour. Pacific Gale snapped a 17-race losing streak with a 16-1 upset of the seven-furlong Inside Information (G2) Jan. 23 at Gulfstream Park.

Sharp Starr, trained by Horacio DePaz, won the one-mile Go for Wand (G3) Dec. 5 at Aqueduct over fellow Fritchie nominee Portal Creek to cap her 3-year-old season, and opened 2021 running second in the seven-furlong La Verdad Jan. 3. Victim of Love is a two-time winner at Laurel including the What a Summer last January. Second in last year's Fritchie, she went on to capture the 6 ½-furlong Vagrancy (G3) at Belmont Park.

Hello Beautiful owns five career stakes wins but is seeking her first graded triumph. The 4-year-old filly has strung together three straight wins for trainer Brittany Russell, all in stakes; is 7-0 on the Laurel dirt with three of those wins coming at seven furlongs; and exits a popular triumph in the Jan. 16 What a Summer. Dontletsweetfoolya, yet to run in 2021, has won five consecutive races by 28 ¾ combined lengths including the Nov. 28 Primonetta and Dec. 26 Willa On the Move at Laurel.

Always Sunshine, who returned from a 541-day layoff to win a Jan. 24 optional claiming allowance at Laurel, and fellow graded-stakes winners Laki, Majestic Dunhill. Mischevious Alex, Share the Ride, Shotski and Sunny Ridge are among 30 horses nominated to the General's Stake.

Trained by Edward T. 'Ned' Allard, Always Sunshine won the 2015 Fire Plug at Laurel and 2016 Maryland Sprint (G3) at Pimlico Race Course, where he is currently in training. Laki won the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) last October at Pimlico and has since run behind Whereshetoldmetogo in the Frank Whiteley and Dave's Friend and Wendell Fong in the Jan. 16 Fire Plug. Both Whereshetoldmetogo and Wendell Fong are also nominated.

Majestic Dunhill won the 2018 City of Laurel and became a graded winner in the 2020 Bold Ruler (G3) at Belmont. After finishing off the board in the 2019 Laurel Futurity, his only career try on turf, Mischevious Alex reeled off three consecutive stakes wins including the Swale (G2) and Gotham (G3) to open 2020. Share the Ride won the 2020 Fall Highweight (G3), was beaten a neck by Wendell Fong in the Fire Plug, then came back to be third as the favorite in the seven-furlong Toboggan (G3) Jan. 30 at Aqueduct.

Shotski broke his maiden at Laurel Park in October 2019 for trainer Jerry O'Dwyer then won the 1 1/8-mile Remsen (G2) to cap his juvenile season and ran second in the Withers (G3) and fourth in the Fountain of Youth (G2) last winter before going to the sidelines, returning in a one-mile optional claiming allowance Jan. 15 at Aqueduct. Sunny Ridge, stablemate of Pacific Gale, won the 2019 Richard Small at Laurel and has not raced since finishing third by a head in the 2020 Toboggan last January.

Also among the nominees are multiple stakes winners Cordmaker, third in the 2019 and 2020 Pimlico Special (G3); Funny Guy and Lebda, and Tattooed, an upset neck winner of the one-mile Jennings Jan. 16 at Laurel.

Sophomores will be in the spotlight in the $100,000 Miracle Wood going one mile and the $100,000 Wide Country for fillies sprinting seven furlongs. Multiple stakes winner Kenny Had a Notion; 2020 Nashua (G3) winner Pickin' Time; Shackqueenking, Ain't Da Beer Cold and Erawan, respectively 1-2-3 in the Howard County Dec. 26 at Laurel; multiple stakes-placed Maythehorsebwithu and stablemate Hello Hot Rod, a winner of two straight are prominent among 24 Miracle Wood nominees.

Five-time stakes winner Street Lute, on a four-race win streak and a neck shy of being undefeated through seven career starts, tops 25 nominations to the Wide Country. She is joined by fellow stakes winners Gulf Coast and Miss Leslie; Fraudulent Charge, beaten a nose when second in the seven-furlong Gin Talking Dec. 26 at Laurel; and Little Huntress, a 14-length maiden special weight winner Dec. 27 at Laurel.

Older horses will travel about 1 1/16 miles in the $100,000 John B. Campbell, where Cordmaker, Shotski and Tattooed join multiple stakes winner and defending champion Alwaysmining among 24 nominees, and the $100,000 Nellie Morse for females, whose 18 nominations include Eres Tu and stakes winners Artful Splatter, Estilo Talentoso, Gibberish, Lucky Move, Lucky Stride, Pat's No Fool, Queen Nekia, Saguaro Row, Thankful and Wicked Awesome.

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Laurel Moves Sunday Card to Thursday

Due to a winter storm expected to hit the Mid-Atlantic region, the Maryland Jockey Club has moved Sunday's scheduled nine-race program at Laurel to Thursday, Feb. 4. Post time remains 12:25 p.m. Laurel's network of off-track betting outlets will remain open.

The post Laurel Moves Sunday Card to Thursday appeared first on TDN | Thoroughbred Daily News | Horse Racing News, Results and Video | Thoroughbred Breeding and Auctions.

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