The 35th running of the six-furlong Challedon for 3-year-olds and up was the last of three $100,000 stakes on the final program of July, preceded by Hello Beautiful's victory in the Alma North and Harpers First Ride's triumph in the Deputed Testamony. All three races are part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

Mucho ($7.20) took the lead at the top of the stretch and turned back late challenges from multiple stakes winners Laki, Lebda, and Whereshetoldmetogo for a one-length victory in 1:10.09 over a fast main track under jockey Reylu Gutierrez.

“I told Rey, this horse is only getting sharper. Don't take anything away from the break,” Midwest-based winning trainer John Ortiz said. “Honestly, this is Rey's victory. He did everything right on the horse. He made all the right strategical moves. When he broke sharp, he kind of asked a little bit and made the horse on the inside chase and push and go through, and all we needed was a target. We needed a little speed, and he got it.”

Jockey J.D. Acosta was forced to hustle Lebda from his rail post to get by the alert-breaking Mucho, and was in front after a quarter-mile in :22.96. Grade 3 winner Laki and 3-2 favorite Whereshetoldmetogo, who have combined to win 13 stakes, raced side-by-side in behind with 37-1 long shot Whiskey and You trailing the field.

Laki maintained the lead following a half in :45.83 with Mucho turning up the pressure and Laki and Whereshetoldmetogo poised to strike while in the clear on the outside. Mucho forged a short lead once straightened for home, dug in past the eighth pole, and had plenty left to keep his challengers at bay.

Lebda held second by a neck over Whereshetoldmetogo, with Laki another half-length back in fourth.

Second as a 2-year-old in the 2018 Grade 1 Hopeful for Hall of Fame trainer Bill Mott, Mucho came up just short of multiple stakes winner Bango in the seven-furlong Kelly's Landing June 25 at Churchill Downs. In his prior start, he finished ahead of both Laki and Lebda when fourth in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint May 15 at Pimlico on the undercard of the 146th Grade 1 Preakness Stakes.

“The horse broke delightful today. Johnny's so good at getting horses out of the gate, with his morning training and routine,” Gutierrez said. “Watching his last going seven-eighths, I said, 'If he breaks sharp like that again today cutting back to three-quarters, I'm going to keep him there and keep him engaged.' I was able to make Lebda use a lot of horse to get the lead and I just had the trip. From the half to the three-eighths [pole], I got a really great breather to finish.

“This group of horses will probably be facing each other multiple times this year. Every trainer in this field, they do an amazing job with their stables and they're highly competitive so I'm very proud of our horse,” he added. “He beat them in the Maryland Sprint a couple starts ago so I really was expecting the same type of performance with him putting himself forwardly placed. I loved every second of it.”

Mucho is a 5-year-old son of Blame, the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic winner and champion older horse of 2010. Ortiz hinted Mucho could find himself at the year-end championships should his star continue to rise.

“This horse has only been improving. He's gained more weight and is getting sharper and stronger. That's all we needed,” he said. “There might be a couple more starts before we end up in Del Mar, you never know. You gotta dream big, right?”

Not run during Maryland's pandemic-shortened 2020 stakes season, the Challedon honors the Maryland-bred son of Challenger II that won 20 of 44 starts and $334,660 in purses from 1938 to 1942, was recognized as Horse of the Year in 1939 and 1940, and inducted into the National Museum of Racing's Hall of Fame in 1977. Winner of the 1939 Preakness and 1939 and 1940 Pimlico Special, Challedon also sired 13 stakes winners before his death in 1958.

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The ninth running of the six-furlong Whiteley for 3-year-olds and up was the second of six stakes worth $650,000 in purses on an 11-race Spring Stakes Spectacular program headlined by the $125,000 Federico Tesio, a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds to the 146^th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 15, and the $125,000 Weber City Miss, a 'Win and In' event for 3-year-old fillies to the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 14.

With regular rider Horacio Karamanos aboard for trainer Damon Dilodovico, Laki ($10.20) completed the distance in 1:09.33 over a fast main track for his 11^th career win from 32 starts, pushing his lifetime earnings over the $800,000 mark.

The 6-year-old Cuba gelding has raced his entire career for Dilodovico, and over the years has grown close to his wife and assistant, Christine. Laki gave the Dilodovicos their first graded-stakes victory in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial (G3) last fall, also at Pimlico.

Laki has now won at least one stakes race each of the last five years, including the 2019 Whiteley.

“He means everything to us…the whole stable,” Dilodovico said. “He's our cornerstone.”

Winner of the Miracle Wood and Private Terms in back-to-back starts last winter as a 3-year-old at Laurel, Lebda was sent to the lead by jockey J.D. Acosta and held it through a quarter-mile in 23.33 seconds and a half in 45.55, with Laki tracking intently. The two straightened for home in front, going five-eighths in 57.15 before a stubborn Lebda finally yielded to his more experienced rival.

Lebda's Claudio Gonzalez-trained stablemate Eastern Bay was 4 ¼ lengths back in third, a head in front of Arthur's Hope. Whereshetoldmetogo, the 4-5 favorite, ran last of nine to snap a three-stakes win streak.

Laki was making his first start since running third in the seven-furlong General George (G3) Feb. 20 at Laurel Park. Since then, Laurel has seen its racing and training disrupted by an equine herpesvirus (EHV-1) quarantine and currently an ongoing evaluation and renovation of the main track, which caused the Spring Stakes Spectacular program to be transferred to Pimlico.

“It's been a crazy month for all of us horsemen here in the state. For him to do what he did, I just can't put it together,” Dilodovico said. “The last race we ran him he was letting me know he wasn't 100 percent. Not unsound, he just has a way about him. So, the rest was definitely warranted and it paid off.”

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The 27^th running of the 1 1/8-mile du Pont for fillies and mares 3 and up, the last graded event on the East Coast in 2020, headlines a Christmastide Day program of eight stakes worth $850,000 in purses.

Landing Zone, trained by Claudio Gonzalez, strung together four consecutive wins from Aug. 13 to Oct. 18, all facing older horses, at distances ranging from one to 1 1/16 miles. She made her stakes debut in the seven-furlong Safely Kept Nov. 28 at Laurel, running third behind multiple stakes winner Hello Beautiful.

“The last race I tried her at seven-eighths and I believe it's too short for her. Still, she didn't run bad, because the winner is a nice filly,” Gonzalez said. “Now we'll try her long and, for me, it's going to be much better for her. She'll love it.”

Landing Zone, a 3-year-old daughter of Grade 1-winning millionaire Morning Line, drew Post 3 in a field of seven where all six of her rivals are already stakes winners. Angel Cruz will ride.

“She's a nice filly. She's always improving. The last few races she's run really big,” Gonzalez said. “She's more relaxed. She was very nervous in the paddock before and now she's relaxed, she's more mature. Hopefully as a 4-year-old she's going to be much better.”

Another of Gonzalez's sophomores, Euro Stable's multiple stakes winner Lebda, will take on his elders for the first time looking to snap a four-race losing streak in the $100,000 Dave's Friend for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs.

Winner of the Miracle Wood and Private Terms at Laurel to open 2020, he finished off the board in the Ohio Derby (G3) and Haskell (G1) and, most recently, the Chick Lang (G3) Oct. 1 at Pimlico Race Course. Scratched from the seven-furlong Concern Nov. 28 at Laurel with a minor foot issue, he will race for the first time as a gelding.

“He had to scratch last time but he came back good. We breezed him [Dec. 20] and he breezed good,” Gonzalez said. “The last time he had a problem with his feet. I put glue-on shoes on him and he was doing better and he breezed good. That's why we decide to run. It would be beautiful to see him win again but it's a tough race. It's the first time he's going to run against older horses and there's some tough horses in there. We're going to be happy if he tries and he comes back good.”

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The seven-furlong Concern is one of six stakes worth $600,000 in purses on the nine-race Fall Festival of Racing program that includes the $100,000 Frank Y. Whiteley at six furlongs and $100,000 Richard W. Small going about 1 1/16 miles, both for 3-year-olds and up.

First race post time is 12:25 p.m.

Lebda won the one-mile Miracle Wood and 1 1/16-mile Private Terms over the winter at Laurel to kick off his 3-year-old season, the latter coming one day before live racing was paused in Maryland for 2 ½ months amid the coronavirus pandemic. The son of Raison d'Etat has yet to find the same kind of success since returning in late June, hitting the board once in four starts when he was third in the Robert Hilton Memorial Aug. 28 at Charles Town.

“Maybe he likes the winter, the cold weather. That would be OK for me,” trainer Claudio Gonzalez said. “He loves Laurel. He trains here every day; it's home for him.”

Lebda owns three wins and a third from four starts at Laurel, the last coming in the March 14 Private Terms. He ran sixth in the Ohio Derby (G3) and Haskell (G1) over the summer before being cut back to sprinting in the seven-furlong Hilton. Last out, he ran up against then-undefeated Yaupon in the six-furlong Chick Lang (G3) Oct. 1 at Pimlico Race Course.

“That was a really tough race. The winner was very impressive,” Gonzalez said. “[Jockey] Alex [Cintron] said he was going along and then at the three-eighths, half-mile pole he did something funny and then he stopped. He didn't want to run. That's when we decided to geld him.”

Third in the 2019 Iroquois (G3) in Kentucky, Lebda has worked four times this month, most recently going a half-mile in 48.40 seconds Nov. 22. Gonzalez – in line to lead all Maryland trainers in wins for a fourth straight year – has been pleased with his progress.

“He's come back like he was before. He breezes in the morning and he's doing really good,” he said. “He breezes in company in the morning and it's like he's galloping next to the other horse. We talked about it and decided we wanted to run here and take a chance.”

Regular rider Cintron will climb back aboard from Post 6 in a field of 10 at co-topweight of 124 pounds.

While Monday Morning Qb, impressive winner of the seven-furlong Heft last December at Laurel and most recently the 1 1/8-mile Maryland Million Classic Oct. 24, was nominated but will be sitting this race out, Cash is King and LC Racing and trainer Robert E. 'Butch' Reid Jr. will still be represented by gelding Johnny Ritt.

Johnny Ritt has placed twice in stakes this year, including a runner-up finish in the six-furlong Jersey Shore Oct. 14 at Monmouth Park. After three straight stakes tries he dropped back into allowance company last out Nov. 3 at Parx, led through a half-mile before dropping back to be third, then came on again and got up to be a clear second at the Concern distance.

“He's a very honest horse. He'll give you his best effort every time. He's been stakes-placed several times and is just a real hard-tryer, a real tough guy. We like him a lot,” Reid said. “The races keep coming up for him so we keep going, and he seems to be getting better with every start. He's learning from the experience and he's going into it very well. He's not scared. He had a beautiful breeze here the other day in 47 and change so we're really happy with how we're coming into this.”

Sheldon Russell, who rode Monday Morning Qb in the Classic, has the assignment from Post 8.

Stablemates Bright Dawn, a West Virginia-bred stakes winner, and Carey Times were entered for trainer Ferris Allen III. Burning Daylight Farms Inc.'s Bright Dawn captured the 4 ½-furlong Coin Collector May 23 at Charles Town and has been winless going up against his elders in four of five subsequent races. He has run well in his only two starts at Laurel – losing a six-furlong maiden special weight by a neck Jan. 25 before coming back to win by the same margin under similar conditions Feb. 16.

“He looked a lot sharper earlier in the year and he's developed a couple of quirks in his running style over his last three or four races. He's kind of wanted to suck himself back the first sixteenth of a mile in races, which is really weird because he showed lots of speed the first three or four races of his career,” Allen said. “If you look at his last race at Parx, even though he finished fifth it was a really good race. He was not beaten very far and he was right in behind the pace. And of course he's been facing older horses when he's run in allowance company. If you look a little closer at his form, his last race particularly is a lot better than it looks on paper.”

Hickory Ridge Farm's Carey Times has yet to face stakes company but has raced exclusively at Laurel through 14 starts, with three wins, four seconds and a third. He won back-to-back allowances at Laurel in the fall, the first against fellow Maryland-breds, then rallied to be second in an off-the-turf optional claiming allowance sprinting 5 ½ furlongs Oct. 31.

“He's run three bang-up races back to back and is a very fast horse. He's run in [1:09] and change. We think he'll get the seven-eighths, particularly since he's matured a little bit,” Allen said. “He had the Maryland-bred protection for the one win, but that's not really much protection these days. There's a lot of good Maryland-breds around. His last several races have been impressive. He had some trouble in his last race when he was second. I don't know that he was necessarily best in that race, but he didn't get a real chance to run down the winner.”

Francatelli, a stakes winner on the grass at Woodbine who was impressive in a front-running optional allowance score on the dirt last out Oct. 30 at Laurel; stablemate Pianzi, a winner of three straight this summer at Laurel; Air Token, Dreams Untold, Golden Candy and Informative are also entered.

Still Having Fun Facing Nine Stakes Winners in $100,000 Frank Whiteley
Gary Barber, Wachtel Stable and Terp Racing's Grade 2 winner Still Having Fun has found a tough spot to make his comeback, facing fellow graded winners Laki and Majestic Dunhill and a total of 10 stakes winners in a field of 14 for Saturday's $100,000 Frank Y. Whiteley.

Trained by Laurel Park-based Tim Keefe, Still Having Fun has raced just six times the past two years following his breakout season of 2018 where he won three stakes including the Woody Stephens (G2) and purses of more than $470,000, and was third in the Malibu (G1).

The 5-year-old Old Fashioned gelding ran fifth in the Toboggan (G3) and third in the General George (G3) over the winter, returned from the pause in racing amid the coronavirus pandemic to be eighth in the Carter (G1), then went back to the sidelines. He returned to the work tab in early October and has been breezing steadily since.

“He's doing well, he's fine. We had a couple little hiccups here and there but he's back on track and training well, training super. I'll be anxious to get him back and see what he can do. I've been very pleased with him,” Keefe said. “Obviously any spot in which I put him is going to be a tough spot. He doesn't have any conditions, so any race is going to be a tough race. We just want to see if he's back to his old form.

“He's always trained very well. I'm happy with everything he's doing in the morning but until you put him the racing environment in the afternoon to see not so much what they remember but make sure his interest is still there and if he's got that competitiveness he's always had,” he added. “He shows it in the morning. I have no reason to think he won't in the afternoon. He's a little bit older, a little bit more mature, so I'm looking forward to getting him back running.”

Laki and Eastern Bay, separated by a nose while respectively running 1-2 in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course, return in the Whiteley. A stakes winner each of the last four years, 7-year-old Laki snapped a string of three straight runner-up finishes in the De Francis, which was his first career win at Pimlico. He has a record of 8-6-3 in 19 lifetime starts at Laurel.

“Just how it unfolded early, I thought things might have went a little differently. I thought we'd be a little bit closer and as it worked out we were in the exact right spot we should have been,” trainer Damon Dilodovico said. “But I did have anxieties early on because he always seems to find a little bit of trouble when he races at Pimlico. I was a little bit concerned about that but he stepped up and ran huge.

“He's doing well. I was happy that we were able to give him a little time after the Dash,” he added. “Most of his races off a layoff have been very competitive so we're looking forward to this weekend. Hopefully he gets a clean trip.”

Eastern Bay and turf stakes-winning stablemate Complete Pass were both entered by trainer Claudio Gonzalez. Robert D. Bone's Eastern Bay won the six-furlong Polynesian before his rally came up just short in the De Francis, one of three wins from five starts since being claimed.

“He didn't break sharp that day and that's why he was so far back. When you lose like that, it hurts,” Gonzalez said. “But I always say this is a classy horse. We just have to keep him happy. When he's happy he runs his best, and he's very happy right now. It's going to be tough. He's going to have to run.”

Bone also owns Completed Pass, an accomplished grass sprinter that is also coming off a tough defeat over Preakness (G1) weekend, losing by a neck in the Jim McKay Turf Sprint over a yielding course. Winner of the Laurel Dash on grass Sept. 7, he last tried the dirt when fifth in a third-level allowance July 4.

“Based on how he's training every day, we talked to the owner and decided to run because he's training really good in the morning,” Gonzalez said. “We're going to give him the winter off because there's no more grass [races]. He's doing really good, so we decided to run.”

R.A. Hill Stable's Majestic Dunhill is coming off a head victory over next-out winner Share the Ride in the seven-furlong Bold Ruler, contested Oct. 31 in the Belmont Park mud. The 5-year-old gelding has shown a fondness for Laurel by hitting the board in all four of his starts, including a runner-up finish in the General George (G3) and a third in the Polynesian in 2019. Also third in the 2017 Laurel Futurity, he won the seven-furlong City of Laurel in 2018.

Rounding out the field are 2020 Say Florida Sandy winner Arthur's Hope; Penguin Power, a multiple stakes winner with 13 wins from 17 starts; 2019 Maryland Million Sprint winner Taco Supream; 2018 Star de Naskra winner Whereshetoldmetogo; 2018 Buffalo Man winner Zenden; Arch Cat, third to Majestic Dunhill in the Bold Ruler; Bybee, Charge to Victory and Day the Music Died.

“He's been wonderful, actually. I don't think he could be doing any better at the moment, to be honest,” said Brittany Russell, trainer of Whereshetoldmetogo. “[We wanted to] stay home and run him out of his stall. He's had success at Laurel. I'm really looking forward to running him this weekend. I hope he shows up and runs as well as I think he could.”

Bal Harbour Drops into Tough Spot in $100,000 Richard Small
Red Oak Stable's Bal Harbour, having faced graded-stakes company in 11 consecutive starts over the past two years, will take a step back in an effort to move forward in Saturday's $100,000 Richard W. Small.

Bal Harbour has run third in all four of his starts since joining trainer Greg Sacco in 2020 after racing 19 times for trainer Todd Pletcher. Counting this year he has placed in nine graded-stakes including second by a half-length in the 2019 Woodward (G1), ahead of such accomplished horses as Toms d'Etat and Yoshida.

All four of Bal Harbour's races this year have come at Sacco's summer home of Monmouth Park – in the Monmouth Cup (G3), Iselin (G3), Salvator Mile (G3) and Monmouth (G3) – at distances ranging from a mile to 1 1/8 miles. He beat graded winners Harpers First Ride and Monongahela – both of whom return in the Small – in the Monmouth Cup, won by subsequent Woodward winner and Breeders' Cup Classic (G1) show finisher Global Campaign.

“He's run in four graded-stakes at Monmouth and showed up in every race,” Sacco said. “He's a hard-trying horse and he's trained really good since we got to Belmont from Monmouth. Going into this race he's had four really good works. Maybe the class drop from the Grade 3s to the stake will be the ticket.

“He's been keeping some really talented company,” he added. “He tries too hard not to win so we're really hoping to win. Richard Small was a Vietnam vet and a top horseman, someone I admired as a kid over the years, and running up against him was a difficult thing to do because he was an excellent horseman and a tough guy to beat. [To win] a race honoring him would mean a lot.”

Bal Harbour, whose stakes-winning dam, Casino Transaction, was trained by Sacco, has been beaten by a total of 10 lengths in his four starts this year. His last time out of graded company came when he ran third in the 2018 Queens County at Aqueduct, also the site of his last win on Nov. 23, 2018 in the Gio Ponti.

Trevor McCarthy will ride Bal Harbour from the rail in a field of 10.

“He has a little bit of a problem sometimes when you make a move,” Sacco said. “He kind of eases up a little bit. He's a little bit of a tricky horse to ride and I think that might be part of the reason why he hasn't won even though he's run hard and tries 100 percent all the time.

“It looks like a competitive race on paper, some horse that really love Laurel with maybe a horse for course angle, but we're coming in the right way,” he added. “He's had four really good works. He hasn't run a bad race for us all year; he hardly runs a bad race. Hopefully we get the right trip and Trevor times it right. We'd love to win it. We're not going in thinking it's any kind of gimmee but I think with the right trip he can get the job done.”

MCA Racing Stable's Harpers First Ride won the Oct. 1 Pimlico Special (G3) and Sept. 5 Deputed Testamony in successive starts for trainer Claudio Gonzalez, but was unable to overcome a wide trip and finished second to Monday Morning Qb in the 1 1/8-mile Maryland Million Classic Oct. 24.

The 4-year-old Maryland-bred Paynter gelding has never been worse than third in eight career starts at Laurel, six of them wins, and is three-for-five with one second at the distance. Angel Cruz is named to ride from Post 5.

“He loves it here, he loves Laurel. It's home for him. It's his backyard. He'll go over there, walk to the paddock and run,” Gonzalez said. “I'm happy with him. The Pimlico Special was a really tough race. And the last one he had to carry 126 [pounds] and the horse that beat him had [119], but he ran big. All the time he tries. He came back good from the race. We gave him some time, a little more than a month, and he's telling us he's ready.”

Monongahela, who beat Bal Harbour in the 2019 Iselin, will be making his 34^th start, eighth at Laurel and first in three starts since joining trainer Brittany Russell. The winner of more than $529,000 in purse earnings was beaten a neck by Alwaysmining in the 1 1/16-mile John B. Campbell at Laurel to kick off his 6-year-old campaign.

Since then, Monongahela's four starts have come in New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania. He debuted for Russell running fourth in a one-mile optional claiming allowance then came from way back to be fifth in the one-mile, 70-yard Hard Spun for Pennsylvania-breds over Presque Isle Downs' synthetic surface. Sheldon Russell rides from Post 8.

“We've been dying to run him at home, to be honest. I just want to run him at home and see what we have. Sheldon knows him, he's been working him, so hopefully he'll step up and run well at home,” Brittany Russell said. “The first time I ran him I definitely ran him back too quick, not knowing him as well. Then we shipped him to Presque Isle for the stake and he had never run on the synthetic.

“He got away from the gate terrible that day and to be fair, he came with a run so we weren't terribly disappointed. But, at the same time you're still kind of like, 'Ok, well, now what do we do?'” she added. “It was one of those races where it was disappointing but it's not the horse's fault, either. We're just hoping for a clean smooth trip, no excuses, and hopefully he runs well.”

Also entered are multiple stakes winners Cordmaker, third in the 2019 and 2020 Pimlico Special, Forewarned and Wait for It; 2018 Mexican Triple Crown winner Kukulkan; 2018 Monmouth Cup winner Name Changer; 2019 Iowa Derby winner Top Line Growth, four-for-five lifetime at Laurel; and Midnight Act.

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The 45th running of the six-furlong Chick Lang for 3-year-olds helps launch a spectacular Preakness weekend program of 16 stakes, nine graded, worth $3.35 million in purses over three days featuring the 145th running of the $1 million Preakness Stakes (G1) Oct. 3.

Also on Thursday's card are a pair of five-furlong turf sprints for 3-year-olds and up, the $100,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint and $100,000 The Very One for fillies and mares. Post time for the first of 10 races is 12:40 p.m.

Bred in Maryland by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman and Rebecca Davis, Double Crown returns to his home state for the first time since breaking his maiden at first asking over Ournationonparade in a six-furlong maiden special weight last September at Laurel Park. Following the race, Dean Reeves purchased both horses and relocated them to South Florida with Breeders' Cup Classic (G1)-winning trainer Kathy Ritvo.

A minor foot issue kept Double Crown away from the races until April, where he overcame traffic trouble caused by Ournationonparade midway through the maiden special weight sprint at Gulfstream Park to get up for second, beaten only a length.

“If he doesn't get bothered by my own horse I think he'd have won that race, too, so he certainly could be undefeated since we got him and before we ran last time,” Reeves said. “He has definitely reaffirmed that I think he's going to be a player as he gets older, and being a gelding he should really strengthen up and be a factor.”

Double Crown reeled off impressive wins in the 6 1/2-furlong Roar and seven-furlong Carry Back this spring at Gulfstream, the latter earning him a short break prior to taking on older horses in the six-furlong Smile Sprint (G3) Sept. 5. He raced in contention along the rail and settled for third, 3 ¾ lengths behind winner Cool Arrow.

“He came out of the last race real good. Obviously it was tough against older horses, but I thought he showed himself well. He put up a good effort, we're just not at those times yet,” Reeves said. “I think he'll get there. We think this race fits him real well. He worked the other day, just a light maintenance work, and he's good to go so we'll take a shot at it.”

Double Crown, a gelded son of Bourbon Courage, has only been favored once in five starts, the Carry Back, going off at 7-1 in debut against his future stablemate, who would go on to win the Maryland Million Nursery.

“He showed a lot of tenacity to get up and win the race at Laurel and he also showed that he could sit a little off the pace. It just looked like a good strong horse and then when I went up to see him after I bought him I was really happy,” Reeves said. “I thought he really had some size and scope to him and was well-muscled. He has certainly done everything we thought he could do at this point.

“This is his first real on the road test. We leave Sunday and we'll get in there on Monday. I think he'll like the track,” he added. “He'll get around there that week and be ready to go Thursday. I'm hopeful that he takes to the track. I think he fits and so does Kathy. We all kicked it around and thought it would be a good spot.”

Gulfstream-based rider Cristian Torres will be in town to ride from Post 6 of 10.

A second-out maiden winner last spring at Laurel Park before running third in the Iroquois (G3) at Aqueduct, Lebda has been well-traveled with 11 starts including four wins, one second and three thirds. He captured the one-mile Miracle Wood and 1 1/16-mile Private Terms at Laurel prior to live racing being paused in Maryland for 2 ½ months amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Lebda has gone winless since his return, finishing sixth in the Ohio Derby (G3) and Haskell (G1) – the latter behind Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Authentic – before the connections cut the 3-year-old colt back to sprints. Last out, he ran third after setting the pace in the seven-furlong Robert Hilton Memorial Aug. 28 at Charles Town.

“I didn't like how the jockey rode him because they went four lengths in front and waited for the others to come and then he started to move,” trainer Claudio Gonzalez said. “[Alex] Cintron is coming back with him and he knows him, so that's going to be better for the horse.

“It's not like he needs the front,” he added. “The only thing I try to tell Alex all the time is to be in the clear. I don't like him to be between horses because when it comes time to run, he has to check. He doesn't like that. I want him to break good and be in the clear.”

Gonzalez said Lebda's future will be sprinting, where he has two wins, a second and two thirds in distances ranging from 4 1/2 to seven furlongs. Cintron and Lebda will break from Post 5.

“He ran in some big races,” Gonzalez said. “I talked with the owners and, to me, he doesn't want to run long. He runs good because he's a good horse, but for me he wants no part of the long distances. I believe he's going to be OK.”

Gonzalez also entered MCA Racing Stable's Pitching Ari, second by a half-length to Relentless Dancer in the Robert Hilton Memorial Aug. 28 at Charles Town in his most recent start. Pitching Ari put together a three-race win streak over the winter but has gone winless in three starts since returning from the coronavirus break. Angel Cruz rides from Post 8.

Someday Farm's Dreams Untold hails from the same connections as his sire, 2004 Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones, trained by John Servis for Roy and Pat Chapman. In his previous trip to Maryland for the Miracle Wood, Dreams Untold was unruly at the gate and stumbled badly spotting the leader 15 lengths. He recovered to make a bold move into second and then tired to fifth, beaten 11 lengths as the favorite.

“He's a horse I've been very excited about from Day 1,” Parx-based Servis said. “His third start down there at Laurel he just completely lost all chance leaving the gate. Then he kind of rushed up there real quick and just burned out. It was just one of those throwout races.”

The nationwide pause in racing provided Servis an opportunity to give Dreams Untold a chance to recover from the Miracle Wood. He returned with a front-running allowance triumph going six furlongs June 17 at Delaware Park and will return to straight 3-year-olds after back-to-back tries against older horses, a second July 28 and a 2 ¾-length win Sept. 7 at 6 ½ and seven furlongs, respectively, against fellow Pennsylvania-breds.

“I wanted to give him plenty of time off of that race and make sure that he had recuperated. For a young horse like that to have to go through what he went through, mentally I just wanted to get that out of his system,” Servis said. “We've been working with him at the gate and he's been doing much better. His first race back after COVID at Delaware, he ran really good.

“His next race back at Parx actually came up really tough. He got hooked up in a speed duel and it set up for the winner. He ran a good race that day and then came back and won pretty easy, and he's trained really good since then,” he added. “I think it's time. There's not a lot around, especially now that we're getting to the end of the 3-year-old year … so we're going to take a shot.”

Trevor McCarthy has the call on Dreams Untold from Post 7.

William and Corinne Heiligbrodt's Yaupon is undefeated in three starts, all since June 20, capped by a front-running two-length triumph in the six-furlong Amsterdam (G2) Aug. 29 over a muddy Saratoga surface. The son of champion Uncle Mo is one of two Chick Lang contenders trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen along with Phoenix Thoroughbred's Little Menace, winner of the Grand Prairie Derby June 28 at Lone Star.

Also entered are Arkaan, third behind Preakness contender Pneumatic in the Aug. 15 Pegasus at Monmouth Park; Blackberry Wine, a 13-length maiden winner in March making his first start since mid-April; two-time New York-bred stakes winner Captain Bombastic; and Relentless Dancer, last out winner of the Robert Hilton Memorial for trainer Mike Maker.

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Now he'll roll through the stable gate with a horse he'll saddle on Saturday in the Grade 1, $1 million TVG.com Haskell Stakes, a race that offers the opportunity to qualify for spots in both the Kentucky Derby and Breeders' Cup Classic.

“This is a big race for me. It's my first Haskell,” said Gonzalez, 45, who last year was honored as Maryland's leading trainer for the third straight year. “Everybody dreams of that, to run in the biggest races. As soon as I was starting to learn to be a trainer, that was my dream. It is for any trainer.

“But to have a horse in the Haskell, especially, is very important to me. I worked there on the backside for about 15 years and that is the most important race there. This will be my first time back at Monmouth in two years so it's going to be really exciting for me to come back and have my horse run in the biggest race.”

The two-time stakes winner in Maryland this year finished sixth last time out in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby.

“In his race in Ohio he went the first quarter in :22 and he got tired,” said Gonzalez, who could have a banner day as he will also run Harper's First Ride in the Grade 3 Monmouth Cup at a mile and an eighth on the main track, one of five stakes races on the undercard. “But he came back good. He's been learning all the time and he keeps moving forward. The horse is doing great and has been training very well and that's why we decided to come to the Haskell. He's a classy horse.”

Even if he doesn't visit the Monmouth Park winner's circle after either race Gonzalez is already a proven winner. He beat testicular cancer in 2008.

Through his surgery, treatment protocol and recovery, he was unable to work for six months. He was terrified he wouldn't be able to support his wife and family, but Perkins, his wife, Susan, and those who owned horses in the barn treated him just like family. Their compassion, emotional support and financial support were lifesavers.

“Benny told me right away that no matter what, they would take care of me,” said Gonzalez, who is married with three children. “They said right away that they wanted to help me. They never said no. They always said yes, even before I had symptoms. They paid me every single week. There are not too many people who would do that for someone. All the time, they brought the check to me. They never missed even one week. Every week they brought a check to me.

“For all the rest of my life I have to say thank you to Benny and the owners who helped me. They are special.

“Every time I see Benny, his wife, and every one of the owners I go over and say thank you again. They are the nicest people and they are very good people.”

Perkins, a multiple graded stakes trainer, told the Laurel Park press office at the time, “A lot of my owners are hands-on guys and they're around the barn. A lot of them are people that had been with us for a while. They knew what Claudio was putting into the operation and they were all willing to help out when he needed help. It was a full group thing.

“Everybody pitched in. The guys knew him and they knew the kind of person he was. He's a good family man. He's got a great wife and kids, and everybody was glad to help.”

When Gonzalez recovered and went back to work for Perkins, he decided to try going out on his own with five horses he would take care of early in the mornings before and late in the evenings after his regular job. His second starter was a winner on Nov. 14, 2012 at Laurel, and he got his first his first stakes win in September of 2013 in Monmouth Park's Jersey Girl Handicap.

Now in his ninth year as a trainer, he heads into the Haskell with 793 career victories and almost $22 million in earnings through July 15.

“This is very exciting,” said Gonzalez, whose sole graded stakes score came in the 2017 Frank DeFrancis Memorial Dash with former two-time New Jersey-bred champion Chublicious.

Adding to the incentive of the Haskell is the race's designation of “Win and You're In” reward for the $7 million Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 7. Because of the reshuffled and reconfigured Triple Crown this year, the Haskell Stakes for the first time will also offer Kentucky Derby qualifying points of 100-40-20-10 to the first four finishers.

“I know, I know. There is a lot at stake on Saturday,” said Gonzalez, who will give regular rider Alex Cintron a leg up in the Haskell. “It would be very nice to qualify for those races and run in my first Kentucky Derby and maybe then in my first Breeders' Cup. But first we have to run in the Haskell. Then we'll see. It all depends on how he runs, and then (if he gets points) how he comes back from the race, how he trains going forward, and all that. Then we can decide what we can do. But, yes, it would be very nice to pick up 100 Derby points.”

Lebda, who was purchased for $100,000 by Euro Stable's Valter Ramos and is one of seven horses he has with Gonzalez, is a longshot in the Haskell, having been installed at 20-1 on the morning line.

But don't count Gonzalez out. After all, the once-jobless immigrant teenager who showed up on the backside and the cancer survivor has already beaten the odds. Twice.

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A field of seven will contest the 53rd edition of the Haskell on Saturday, July 18. Authentic drew post position 2 for the mile and an eighth Grade 1 race.

Unbeaten in his first three career starts, Authentic was second to Honor A.P. in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby in his last start on June 6.

Baffert has won the Haskell a record eight times, doing so in 2015 (American Pharoah), 2014 (Bayern), 2012 (Paynter), 2011 (Coil), 2010 (Lookin at Lucky), 2005 (Roman Ruler), 2002 (War Emblem) and 2001 (Point Given).

In a first for the race, the Haskell will offer points for the Kentucky Derby, with 100 going to the winner, 40 to the runner-up, 20 for third and 10 for fourth. In addition, The Haskell has been designated as “Win and You're In” race for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

BetMakers, in partnership with Monmouth Park, is also sponsoring a $1 million bonus for any horse that wins the Haskell, the Kentucky Derby (re-scheduled to Sept. 5) and the Breeders' Cup Classic on Nov. 7.

First race post on Haskell Day, which includes the Grade 1 United Nations, is noon. NBC will televise the Haskell Day card from 5 to 6 p.m. as part of the “Breeders' Cup Challenge Series Win and You're In – presented by America's Best Racing.”

The field for the 53rd Haskell Stakes:

PP HORSE TRAINER JOCKEY M/L ODDS

1. Dr Post Todd Pletcher Joe Bravo 5-2

2. Authentic Bob Baffert Mike Smith 4-5

3. Jesus' Team Jose D'Angelo Nik Juarez 15-1

4. Ancient Warrior Jerry Hollendorfer Trevor McCarthy 20-1

5. Fame to Famous John P. McAllen Jose C. Ferrer 30-1

6. Lebda Claudio Gonzalez Alex Cintron 20-1

7. Ny Traffic Saffie Joseph, Jr. Paco Lopez 7-2

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Also heading to the Jersey shore for Maryland's leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez will be MCA Racing Stable's Harpers First Ride, set to make his stakes debut in the Monmouth Cup (G3) on the Haskell undercard. Harpers First Ride has won five of seven starts since being claimed last fall, including an impressive allowance triumph July 3 at Laurel.

Lebda, by Raison d'Etat, suffered the first loss of his 3-year-old season in the June 27 Ohio Derby (G3), where he was part of a wicked early pace under regular Laurel-based rider Alex Cintron before tiring to be sixth behind 14-1 upset winner Dean Martini.

It was the first race for Lebda since his two-turn victory in the Private Terms at about 1 1/16 miles March 14 at Laurel. Live racing was paused in Maryland for 2 ½ months amid the coronavirus pandemic, resuming May 30, and soon after Euro's Valter Ramos spent $3,000 to make Lebda a late nomination to the Triple Crown.

Lebda helped convince his connections to take a shot at the 1 1/8-mile Haskell when he returned to the work tab for the first time following the Ohio Derby with a half-mile breeze in 47.80 seconds July 10 at Laurel, the fastest of 31 horses.

“Alex breezed him that day and when we talked he said he was feeling good and did everything right, and he had a lot of horse,” Gonzalez said. “The next couple of days he looked good, and that's why we decided to run.”

Cintron will retain the mount for the Haskell, which will be the fourth graded-stakes attempt for Lebda. His best finish came when third in the Iroquois (G3) last fall at Churchill Downs. He ended his juvenile campaign running ninth in the Nashua (G3) at Aqueduct and third in the Heft at Laurel, where he opened 2020 with a victory in the one-mile Miracle Wood.

“For me, to run in the big races is different. I'm not crazy about running if they don't have a chance. This horse, I believe he's a very good horse. He can run,” Gonzalez said. “I know the race is going to be tough. If we don't run over there, we'll never know how much he can run. No matter what, one day he was going to have to run with the good horses.”

Lebda broke from Post 4 in the Ohio Derby, also at 1 1/8 miles, and Gonzalez is hoping for a better starting position over what is regarded as a speed-favoring racetrack in the Haskell.

“I believe there will be a lot of speed in the race. It all depends on the position. I think the seven or eight is a good position for me,” Gonzalez said. “If he's inside, we have to rush him too much to take a good position. If we're outside it's much better.”

Gonzalez said the ultimate goal for Lebda has been the 145th Preakness Stakes (G1), rescheduled from May 16 to Oct. 3 as the final leg of the Triple Crown, four weeks after the Kentucky Derby (G1). Tiz the Law captured the Belmont Stakes (G1) June 20.

“That was the plan before all this happened, to wait for the Preakness no matter what. The plan was not, if we had the points and everything like that, to go to the Derby,” Gonzalez said. “We wait for the Preakness because we're local, we're going to be at home. Now, if he's doing good and everything is good by then, I believe we still try for the Preakness.”

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If all nine go it will be the largest field for Monmouth Park's signature race since 2014, when there were also nine starters.

This year's 53rd edition of the Haskell offers the added inducements of points for the Kentucky Derby and a “Win and You're In” reward for the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Monmouth Park is also putting up a $1 million bonus for any horse that sweeps the Haskell, the Kentucky Derby and the Breeders' Cup Classic. The Haskell is one of two Grade 1 races remaining for 3-year-olds prior to the Kentucky Derby, which has been moved to Sept. 5 from its traditional spot the first Saturday in May because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Ancient Warrior, Ete Indien, Fame to Famous, Jesus' Team, Lebda, Ny Traffic and Sonneman are the other probables for the nine-furlong Haskell Stakes.

The connections of Modernist, trained by Hall of Famer Bill Mott, and Mystic Guide are also considering the Haskell Stakes.

If one or both of those decide to go it would mark the largest Haskell field since 11 started in the 1995 race.

Dr. Post, trained by Todd Pletcher, had won two of his first three career starts before finishing second to Tiz the Law in the Belmont Stakes on June 20.

Authentic, second in the Grade 1 Santa Anita Derby to Honor A.P. on June 6, represents trainer Bob Baffert's attempt to win a record ninth Haskell. He has captured the race in 2015 (American Pharoah), 2014 (Bayern), 2012 (Paynter), 2011 (Coil), 2010 (Lookin at Lucky), 2005 (Roman Ruler), 2002 (War Emblem) and 2001 (Point Given).

Post time for Haskell Day is noon, with the Grade 1 United Nations also part of the stakes-filled card. The Grade 3 Monmouth Cup, the Grade 3 Molly Pitcher and the Grade 3 WinStar Matchmaker Stakes are part of the undercard as well.

Details for Haskell Day tickets will be announced shortly.

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Based at Laurel Park with summer meet-leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez, Lebda is among 34 horses nominated to the 1 1/8-mile Haskell, which this year will serve as a points qualifier to the Sept. 5 Kentucky Derby (G1).

Gonzalez said he expects to make a decision this week after speaking with Euro's Valter Ramos, who paid $3,000 by the June 4 deadline to make Lebda a late nominee to the Triple Crown.

“I have to talk to the owner, and we want to see who's going to come for the Haskell. We might take a look at that race,” Gonzalez said. “You never know. We're going to see how he continues to do, and then we'll decide.”

Live racing resumed in Maryland May 30 but with stakes races on hold, Gonzalez targeted the 1 1/8-mile Ohio Derby (G3) June 27 for Lebda's return. Sent off as the fourth choice in a field of 13 at odds of 6-1, Lebda pressed an opening quarter in 22.80 seconds and then led after a half in 47.22 before tiring to sixth.

“He came back good,” Gonzalez said. “He went really fast the first quarter; 22 [seconds] for a mile and an eighth is a little too fast.”

Monmouth would be the sixth different track for Lebda, a winner of four of nine career starts with one second and two thirds, both in the stakes – the 1/16-mile Iroquois (G3) last fall in Kentucky and the seven-furlong Heft at Laurel in his juvenile finale.

“I think it would be good because the track over there is always [good] for the speed horses,” Gonzalez said of Monmouth. “You have to be right there. That's why maybe it fits good for him. We'll see.”

Gonzalez may have another horse to bring to New Jersey in MCA Racing Stable's Harpers First Ride, an impressive one-mile allowance winner July 3 at Laurel over a graded-stakes quality field that included Alwaysmining, Cordmaker, Name Changer and Honor the Fleet.

Harpers First Ride is nominated to the 1 1/8-mile Monmouth Cup (G3) on the Haskell undercard. The 4-year-old gelding has won five of seven starts since being haltered by Gonzalez out of a maiden claiming triumph last fall in Kentucky.

“We nominated for the Monmouth Cup and I'm 50-50 to run there,” Gonzalez said. “For now, he's doing really good and he came back really good from the race. I'm going to take a couple more days to decide. I think this horse will run better going a little longer.”

Harpers First Ride, yet to make his stakes debut, led nearly all the way in his recent 1 ¾-length victory over a quartet that had a combined 15 stakes wins including Name Changer's 2018 Monmouth Cup score. Last year, Alwaysmining swept Laurel's series for 3-year-olds and competed in the Preakness (G1) while Cordmaker was beaten two necks when third in the historic Pimlico Special (G3).

“That field was really tough. They are really good horses,” Gonzalez said. “You know what happened with this horse? Every race, he came back better and better. He's a really cool horse. He's not crazy. He's all business. I don't have any trouble with him at all. He's doing really good.”

Gonzalez said he was also proud of Magic Stable's Princess Cadey's effort in a troubled third-place finish in the July 4 Delaware Oaks (G3), her first race since taking Laurel's Beyond the Wire March 14.

“I'm very happy with her. She didn't break that great, and I wanted to see her right there in the clear because always she doesn't like dirt in the face,” Gonzalez said. “She didn't break good and she came [from] last and she still finished third. She came back good, and I'm very happy for her and how she ran. She ran big. It wasn't how I wanted the trip, that's why I'm so happy for her.”

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