Grateful Bred Much The Best In Maryland Million Turf Sprint

The way trainer Madison Meyers sees it, “It's Grateful's world and we're just living in it.”

And it's been a pretty good place to be over the past few years. The 5-year-old gelding, who Meyers says has a “mind of his own,” went to the front in Saturday's $75,000 Maryland Million Turf Sprint at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., and never looked back, running away from 10 others under jockey Jevian Toledo to win the Sprint by 1 ½ lengths over Sky's Not Falling.

Owned and bred by Gordon Keyes, Grateful Bred covered the 5 ½ furlong turf course in 1:02.29. Grateful Bred has now won five of 11 starts and is five of nine at the distance.

Coming off a troubled fifth-place finish last time out in the Laurel Dash, Grateful Bred broke cleanly Saturday and Toledo took the son of Great Notion right to the front, setting fractions of :22.54 and :45.12 before driving home.

“It looked on paper like there wasn't that much speed in the race, and he's got a lot of speed so we just used his speed today to our advantage,” Toledo said. “He was so comfortable in front. When I asked him, he just took off. He was basically waiting for horses. We got a good trip and he got the job done.”

Meyers said the plan wasn't necessarily to take Grateful Bred to the front.

“If someone else had made [the lead] we probably would have sat off, but it was about playing the break and not getting hung up in traffic again,” she said. “It was unfortunate to get that wide last time out [in the Laurel Dash] and he was still only beaten a length. I was glad when I saw he had kicked clear.”

In the words of Robert Hunter and Jerry Garcia, it was “fare you well” from there.

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Maryland Million: Double Crown Returns In Sprint, So Street Chasing Second Stakes Victory In Turf Sprint

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Double Crown, a two-time stakes winner that is also twice Grade 3-placed, brings a record of success to his home state as he ships in from Kentucky for Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Million Sprint at Laurel Park.

The six-furlong Sprint for 3-year-olds and up on the main track and $100,000 Turf Sprint, a 5 ½-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up, are among eight stakes and four starter stakes on the 36th 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 for 3-year-olds and up, first race post time is 11:30 a.m.

Bred in Maryland by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman and Rebecca Davis, Double Crown was an impressive debut winner by a neck over Ournationonparade in September 2019, his only previous run at Laurel. Both horses were purchased privately by Dean Reeves following the race, and Ournationonparade would return the following month to capture the Maryland Million Nursery.

Double Crown was sent to South Florida, where he won the 6 ½-furlong Roar and seven-furlong Carry Back and was third in the Smile Sprint (G3) last summer at Gulfstream Park. The 4-year-old Bourbon Courage gelding was at historic Pimlico Race Course last fall for the Chick Lang (G3), where he ran second to Yaupon.

This year, Double Crown had one win and one second from four starts and was fifth in the July 3 Smile Sprint (G3) before being sent to Keeneland-based trainer Tom Amoss, for whom he will be making his first start.

“He's been working out at Keeneland and he's had some good breezes. He's doing good, he looks great and he seems to feeling good, Reeves said. “It's not too long a ship. We had come from Florida the other times, and coming from Kentucky is not quite as bad. Hopefully that'll help. We're looking forward to it. I think we're going to be real competitive in it.”

Double Crown is favored at 9-5 and drew Post 7 in the main body of a field of 12 where fellow multiple stakes winners Jaxon Traveler (7-5) and Whereshetoldmetogo (8-5) join Abuelo Paps and Where Paradise Lay on the also eligible list.

“He's just so consistent and tough. He runs every time. You've got to bring your 'A' game if you're going to beat him. He just does it all right. He goes to the track and he works hard in training. He's just been a great horse to have as part of the stable,” Reeves said. “The Maryland program is a solid program and I think he fits with the upper echelon of horses in that program. I think it'll be a really good race, and we're excited to be coming.”

Feargal Lynch gets the riding assignment from Post 7.

Bred, owned and trained by longtime Maryland horseman Nancy Heil, Karan's Notion sprung a front-running 16-1 upset of last year's Sprint, the first of back-to-back victories for the gelded son of Great Notion, who ranks third all-time among stallions with 16 Maryland Million wins.

Karan's Notion (10-1) in winless in six starts this year, returning from a five-month break to be seventh going 6 ½ furlongs Aug. 27 at Timonium. Following a failed turf experiment Sept. 11 at Laurel, he returned to the dirt and rebounded to be second by three lengths in a similar 5 ½-furlong optional claimer Oct. 1.

“Our first two races [after the break] were not good. He didn't like the turf and then he got the one hole at Timonium and was going to duck in there where you break and he had to take up and he displaced and just trailed the field,” Heil said. “He did have a nice little prep before this race and he's training very well, so I think he's coming in just as good as he did last year.”

Karan's Notion has raced primarily at Laurel, with four wins and five seconds in 12 of his 16 lifetime starts. Regular rider Yomar Ortiz gets the return call from Post 6.

“In training he's done everything right. He couldn't do it any better. I have to throw away the first two races and just go on. In the last race, he was rated a little bit and he got stuck behind some horses, so he couldn't catch the speed at all. But, he did get open late and got second. He's running his heart out,” Heil said. “He likes to run on the front. He likes to be free. My only hope is that he gets free to run and then the best horse wins.”

Louis Ulman and Neil Glasser's Kenny Had a Notion (12-1) was a stakes winner on both turf and dirt as a 2-year-old, capturing the Maryland Million Nursery over stablemate Alwaysinahurry. He won the seven-furlong Spectacular Bid Jan. 16 at Laurel to open 2021 but has struggled with one second and two thirds in six subsequent starts. He was third, a neck behind runner-up Karan's Notion, in the Oct. 1 race at Laurel and his trainer, Dale Capuano, has the most wins in Maryland Million history with 14.

Second choice on the morning line at 2-1 is Smart Angle's Fortheluvofbourbon, a winner of four of seven starts, all at Parx, for trainer Michael Pino since being claimed for $50,000 last May at Churchill Downs. Among the victories was the six-furlong Banjo Picker Sprint Aug. 23, contested over a sloppy and sealed track.

Also entered are Valued Notion and Air Token, respectively first and second in an off-the-turf edition of the five-furlong Ben's Cat June 13 at Pimlico; Whiskey and You, most recently fifth in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) Sept. 18; and Band On Tour, a winner of two straight of four of his last five races.

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More than two years after becoming a stakes winner in the 2019 Howard County at Laurel, Runnymoore Racing's 4-year-old gelding So Street goes after an elusive second stakes victory in Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Million Turf Sprint.

Bred in Maryland by R. Larry Johnson and trained by Jamie Ness, So Street ran second to Fiya in last year's Turf Sprint when it was reintroduced following a seven-year absence. He has gone winless since, finishing sixth in the 2019 Maryland Million Nursery.

“He's just got bad luck,” trainer Jamie Ness said. “Every time we're in a good spot, it comes off the turf, or he's been right there every time. He's ready but, unfortunately, just hasn't won.”

Sixteen of So Street's 20 career races have come in stakes. He has placed four times since the Howard County, contested at 5 ½ furlongs on the Laurel turf, with a third in the 2019 Atlantic Beach and seconds in the 2020 Tom Ridge, Laurel Dash and Turf Sprint. He has also finished fourth three times, including the Aug. 23 Parx Dash (G3).

“I think he's in a great spot,” Ness said. “We're restricted to Maryland-sired so it's a little easier than all those other stakes I've run him in. He runs just good enough to make me run him back in stakes, but he just can't quite get there. Maybe Saturday is his day. We're hoping. He tries. He really tries.”

Rated at 3-1 on the morning line, So Street will have Jaime Rodriguez aboard from Post 6 in a field of 11 that includes also-eligible Can the Queen, winner of the July 24 Sensible Lady Turf Dash at historic Pimlico Race Course.

Favored at 7-5 in the program is Gordon Keys' homebred Grateful Bred, fourth in last year's Turf Sprint and winner of the 5 ½-furlong Meadow Stable July 19 on the Colonial Downs turf. In his most recent start, the 5-year-old Great Notion gelding was fifth, beaten a length, by Xy Speed in the Oct. 2 Laurel Dash.

Joining the top two returning from last year's Turf Sprint are Godlovesasinner (third), Love You Much (fifth) and Joseph (sixth). Showtime Cat, Sue Loves Barbados, Sky's Not Falling, Rock the Boat and Grand Skylark are also entered.

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Maryland Million: Streaking Fiya Claims Turf Sprint; Epic Idea Stretch Out In Ladies

Robert Masiello's Fiya continued his hot streak this year, stepping up to stakes company for the first time and extending his win streak to four races with a popular 2 1/4-length triumph in Saturday's $75,000 Maryland Million Turf Sprint Handicap at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

The 5 1/2-furlong Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds and up and $100,000 Ladies for fillies and mares 3 and older going 1 1/8 miles, both contested over Laurel's world-class grass course, were 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.

Fiya ($2.20), bred in Maryland by Ann Merryman, completed the distance in 1:03.56 over a Bowl Game turf course layout rated good to give jockey Trevor McCarthy his third stakes win of the day following the $100,000 Ladies with Epic Idea and $100,000 Lassie with Miss Nondescript.

This year marked the return of the Turf Sprint to the Maryland Million program following a seven-year absence, won in each of its final three years by late Mid-Atlantic legend Ben's Cat (2010-12).

Sent off as the 1-9 favorite in a field of eight, Fiya settled behind intent pacesetter Grateful Bred through splits of 21.95 and 45.03 seconds, swept to the lead rounding the far turn, took command once straightened for home and steadily edged away to remain undefeated in four starts this year.

“It looked like he got over the track well. I saw the first fraction was pretty quick and then they didn't go super quick the second quarter,” winning trainer Tom Albertrani said from his base at Belmont Park. “I thought he ran like we were hoping to see. He was able to sit off the pace and he stalked well and had something left for the end.”

Fiya made his first four starts in Maryland, two of them on dirt last fall, before being gelding and switched to the turf this year. The Friesan Fire gelding sold at auction for $400,000 following an allowance triumph July 17, and debuted for his new connections with a 3 1/4-length score Sept. 20 at Belmont – registering the fastest Beyer Speed Figure (100) for a 3-year-old on turf this year.

“Actually, it worked out perfect just like I thought it would. If he broke in front I would have gone to the lead, but when the other horse went I could just stalk,” McCarthy said. “We had a great position. He had a nice break and really settled off the pace nice, and when I asked him to accelerate he surely did.”

McCarthy was aboard for Fiya's race debut last November for previous trainer Michael Merryman, the breeder's son, and was impressed by the horse's development over the past 11 months.

“Big time. Definitely today I was like, 'Wow.' He's so much stronger and so much bigger,” McCarthy said. “Ann and Tom have done a great job with him; I was just lucky to be aboard him today. He just outclassed these horses. He just showed his true talent and made us all look good.”

So Street came on late for second, a length ahead of 45-1 long shot Godlovesasinner. It was another half-length back to Grateful Bred in fourth.

Albertrani said the $835,000 Claiming Crown Dec. 5 at Gulfstream Park is the next likely landing spot for Fiya, who ran for a $25,000 tag in his debut.

“Right now, short-term we have two options. Our first option is to get him to Florida and run him in the Claiming Crown,” Albertrani said. “We may decide to stay in New York and run him in the Turf Sprint at the end of November at Aqueduct. I think we're more in favor of getting him down to Florida, but that's something we'll talk with Rob about.”

Epic Idea Stretches Out to Win $100,000 Maryland Million Ladies
Vivian E. Rall's homebred Epic Idea, a two-time winner sprinting on the turf but who had never beyond one mile, successfully stretched out to 1 1/8 miles to earn her first career stakes win in the $100,000 Maryland Million Ladies.

The first of back-to-back wins for jockey Trevor McCarthy, who followed up in the $100,000 Lassie with Miss Nondescript, Epic Idea ($13.60) gave her sire, Great Notion, a Maryland Million winner for the 11th consecutive year. She is trained by Ann Merryman and assisted by her son, Michael.

“That's pretty cool. That is amazing,” McCarthy said. “Big credit to these guys, Ann and Michael. I always thought she was a great sprinter. Going into it I said, 'I guess we'll try and nurse her for as long as we can,' and when I slowed it up the second quarter, she turned off so nice. Even though she had a little bit of company next to her, she was going really smooth and she gave me a nice kick turning for home.”

The winning time was 1:55.06 over an Exceller turf course rated good.

Epic Idea settled through fractions of 24.85 and 51.73 seconds under McCarthy pressed by 2-1 favorite Something Magical, fourth in last year's Ladies after setting the pace. Gennie Highway was in the clear three wide to join the chase and launched her bid approaching the stretch, but after giving his filly a breather, McCarthy set down for the wire. Epic Idea held off Gennie Highway through the stretch to win by three-quarters of a length despite drifting out, and survived a claim of foul from Gennie Highway's rider Jorge Ruiz.

Epic Idea winning the Maryland Million Ladies

“Every time I would lean on her she kind of kept drifting. I kept trying to straighten her up a little bit but she just wasn't getting the best hold of the ground. I think she was kind of spinning her wheels a little bit,” McCarthy said. “Luckily she didn't make any contact, so that was nice.”

Gennie Highway stayed up for second, three-quarters of a length ahead of Mosalah.

Epic Idea now owns three wins from 10 starts, her others coming at 5 ½ furlongs in a maiden special weight last August, also under McCarthy, and an open allowance July 10, both at Laurel.

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Unbeaten In Three Starts This Year, Fiya Steps Up For Saturday’s Maryland Million Turf Sprint

Robert Masiello's Fiya, unbeaten in three starts this year, will put his speed and streak to the test when he steps up to stakes company for the first time in Saturday's $75,000 Maryland Million Turf Sprint Handicap at Laurel Park.

The 5 ½-furlong Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds and up and $100,000 Ladies for fillies and mares 3 and older going 1 1/8 miles, each scheduled for Laurel's world-class grass course, are 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.

First race post time is 11:25 a.m. The headliner comes in Race 11, the $150,000 Classic for 3-year-olds and up featuring historic Pimlico Special (G3) winner Harpers First Ride and fellow stakes winners Cordmaker, Monday Morning Qb and Top Line Growth.

This year marks the return of the Turf Sprint to the Maryland Million program following a seven-year absence. Won in each of its final three years by late Mid-Atlantic legend Ben's Cat, the Turf Sprint was last run in 2012.

Bred in Maryland by Ann Merryman and trained through his first four starts by her son, Michael, Fiya made an auspicious debut last November at Laurel, getting loose before the race then tiring to third behind next-out winners Pitching Ari and Tastes Like Plaid after setting the pace.

Second in his juvenile finale last December, Fiya was then gelded and moved to the turf and hasn't lost since. He graduated by five lengths in a six-furlong maiden claimer June 26 and followed up with a front-running three-length allowance triumph going 5 ½ furlongs July 17 in 1:00.99, just .25 off the Exceller turf course record. Two weeks later, Masiello purchased him at auction for $400,000.

“It looked like he was breezing, just the way [jockey] Feargal [Lynch] was sitting on him on the turn. He was absolutely just cruising around there, but he was going in 43 and change against a pretty good field,” Masiello said. “We spent a decent amount of money on him. The question is going to be, 'Can he take that to the next level?' We'll find out at some point, but when they do that they're giving you an indication that they might be pretty special.”

Moved to the New York barn of trainer Tom Albertrani, Fiya was considered for such races as the Aug. 26 Mahony at Saratoga, Sept. 7 Laurel Dash and Sept. 16 Franklin-Simpson (G3) at Kentucky Downs. Ultimately, he remained at Belmont Park where he debuted for his new connections Sept. 20, leading all the way in a 3 ¼-length victory in 1:06.70 that earned him a 100 Beyer Speed Figure, tied for the fastest by a 3-year-old on the grass this year.

“I felt very confident going into the race. If you would have told me he was going to go down there and just be a tick off the track record, I wouldn't have believed that. But he certainly did it very impressively,” Albertrani said. “Since I've gotten the horse he really is impressive, both physically and the way he trains.

“I got him at Saratoga over the summer and he was very impressive. I felt pretty confident going into that last race,” he added. “We just felt we'd keep him at home and kind of run him in our own backyard without shipping in a different direction when we first got him, and he certainly delivered that day.”

Maryland's four-time overall riding champion Trevor McCarthy, aboard for his debut last fall, gets a return call on Fiya from outside Post 9. They are favored at 6-5 on the morning line.

“He's got a lot of natural speed. The last race it just looked like he was coasting along and doing it very easy, so going back to 5 ½ [furlongs] I don't think is going to make any difference at all,” Albertrani said. “He's run well at Laurel. We know the history that he's got there so we feel very optimistic going into the race. If he runs back to his last three races he could be very tough in there.”

R. Larry Johnson's homebred A Great Time takes his own two-race win streak into the Turf Sprint, the most recent coming in dramatic fashion. Trailing by as many as 15 lengths, the 6-year-old mare came flying late to capture the five-furlong The Very One Oct. 1 at Pimlico Race Course. Julian Pimentel returns to ride from Post 1.

Street Copper, unraced since running fifth by 2 ½ lengths in last year's Maryland Million Turf; So Street, winner of the Howard County Stakes last fall at Laurel; Love You Much, third in the Laurel Dash and Jim McKay Turf Sprint in his last two outings; Joseph, fifth in the Laurel Dash; Jammer and Godlovesasinner complete the field. Maryland-bred Stroll Smokin is the lone also-eligible.

Already a four-time winner of the event, trainer Dale Capuano can add to his record total with Gallinella and Gennie Highway in Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Million Ladies.

A winner of more than 3,500 career races including a chart-topping 11 in the Maryland Million, Capuano became the first trainer with four Ladies victories when 2013 heroine Monster Sleeping repeated in 2015. Capuano also won in back-to-back years with Caveat's Shot (2000) and Stal Quest (2001).

Capuano haltered Taking Risks Stable and Louis J. Ulman's Gennie Highway for $16,000 out of a third-place finish in a 5 ½-furlong claiming sprint on the grass July 3. After an off-the-turf try where she ran last after stumbling at the start, the 4-year-old Seville filly stretched out to be third going 1 1/16 miles and a three-quarter-length winner Sept. 19 in a one-mile claimer originally carded for the grass.

“She was coming off a layoff and she ran on turf and it was early in the year so we figured we'd take a chance on her. Little did we know we were going to get rained out most of the year, but she did win an off the turf race so that helped,” Capuano said. “She's run pretty well in claiming races. This race is obviously a step up in class for her, but she might like the mile and an eighth. She's very consistent.”

Neil Glasser's Gallinella is another horse Capuano claimed for $16,000, after the 4-year-old daughter of Friesan Fire ran second by a half-length in a six-furlong claiming event on the main track. In the first start for the new connections, she raced near the back after getting bumped at the start but was able to get up for fourth in a 1 1/16-mile turf allowance.

“We just got her. She's gotten into our program and she's bred decent for grass. The last race was a tough race, but she didn't run all that bad,” Capuano said. “For $100,000 we figured we might take a shot. Plus, she had trouble last time and it was her first time at a distance, and I thought she handled the distance OK.”

The 1-5 program favorite for the Ladies is R Larry Johnson and RDM Racing Stable's No Mo Lady, a Maryland-bred daughter of champion Uncle Mo who sits first on the also-eligible list and would need two scratches to get in. No Mo Lady has placed in three consecutive stakes, running second in the Indiana General Assembly Distaff at Indiana Grand and 1 1/8-mile All Along at Laurel, and third in the Gallorette (G3) last out Oct. 3 at Pimlico Race Course.

Charles J. Reed's Something Magical set the pace in last year's Ladies before fading to be fourth, beaten seven lengths by upset winner Zonda. The 5-year-old mare is winless in three tries this year, running second in her June 13 debut and returning from a three-month layoff to be sixth Oct. 8 in a pair of optional claimers.

Mosalah, Breviary, Epic Idea, Shifra Magician, Redeem My Heart and Little Lion Girl are also entered. Something Magical's Phil Schoenthal-trained stablemate Quiet Company is the second also-eligible.

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