Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships | Horse Racing Free Tips

Graded-stakes winners Hibiscus Punch, Pacific Gale and Victim of Love, 11-time stakes winner Anna's Bandit and Chub Wagon, undefeated through six starts, top 19 horses nominated to the $100,000 Shine Again at historic Pimilco Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The Shine Again for fillies and mares 3 and up is one of five stakes worth $475,000 in purses Sunday, June 13, that drew a total of 117 nominations. The six-furlong Shine Again is the only stakes both scheduled for the main track and as part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

No Guts No Glory Farm homebred Anna's Bandit has yet to make her 7-year-old debut, having gone unraced since finishing third in the Dashing Beauty last July at Delaware Park. The Great Notion mare owns 17 career wins and more than $780,000 in purse earnings.

Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson's Hibiscus Punch became a stakes winner with her 41-1 upset of the Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) Feb. 20 at Laurel Park, finishing fifth last out in the Derby City Distaff (G1) May 1. Tommy Town Thoroughbreds' Victim of Love, winner of the What a Summer last January at Laurel, defended her 2020 victory in the Vagrancy (G3) May 8 at Belmont Park over fellow Shine Again nominee Sadie Lady.

Third in the Vagrancy, Holly Hill Stables' Pacific Gale won the seven-furlong Inside Information (G2) and 6 ½-furlong Hurricane Bertie (G3) over the winter at Gulfstream Park for trainer John Kimmel. Daniel Lopez and George Chestnut's Chub Wagon kept her perfect record intact with a popular two-length triumph in the six-furlong Skipat May 15 at Pimlico on the Preakness (G1) undercard.

Also prominent among nominees are Maryland-based multiple stakes winners Dontletsweetfoolya, Hello Beautiful and Never Enough Time as well as Rising Seas, second May 22 in the Winning Colors (G3).

The four remaining June 13 stakes are all scheduled for the grass, including the $100,000 Prince George's County for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles and $100,00 Searching for fillies and mares 3 and up going 1 ½ miles.

Three of the top four finishers from the Dinner Party (G2) May 15 at Pimlico are among the 26 Prince George's County nominees – Talk Or Listen, Midnight Tea Time and 2020 Saranac (G3) winner Bye Bye Melvin, who respectively ran second, third and fourth. Also nominated are Corelli and Grade 2 winner Pixelate, separated by a nose in the 1 1/16-mile Henry S. Clark April 24 at Pimlico; 2019 Kent (G3) winner Eons; stakes winners Alwaysmining, Clubman, Doc Boy, English Bee and Logical Myth, third in the March 20 Muniz Memorial (G2); and 2020 Maryland Million Turf runner-up Cannon's Roar.

Among 19 nominees to the Searching are 2020 Dowager (G3) winner Blame Debbie; Crystalle, winner of the P.G. Johnson and second in the Miss Grillo (G2) in 2019; Judi Blue Eyes, a winner of two straight since being put back on grass by leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez; 2020 Long Island (G3) winner Mutamakina and Christophe Clement-trained stablemate Sorrel, third in the Gulfstream's March 27 Orchid (G3); Sister Hanan, third in the $125,000 The Very One (G3) Feb. 27 at Gulfstream; and stakes winners Luck Money and Thankful.

Sprinters 3 and up will go five furlongs in the $100,000 Stormy Blues for females and $100,000 Ben's Cat. The Stormy Blues attracted nominations from Soaring Softly (G3) winner Bye Bye; stakes winners Amanzi Yimpilo and Wesley Ward-trained stablemate Wink; Door Buster, Farsighted, Illegal Smile, Prodigy Doll and Tobys Heart. Also nominated is Lucky 7 Stables' six-time stakes winner Street Lute, yet to race on turf.

Most popular among horsemen, the Ben's Cat's 27 nominees include 2020 Futurity (G3) runner-up After Five; Eastern Bay, a stakes winner and runner-up in the 2020 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) on dirt that also owns two wins from six grass starts; multiple stakes-winning Maryland-bred Fiya; Hemp, third in the Chick Lang (G3) on dirt May 15 at Pimlico; 2019 Ben's Cat winner Oldies But Goodies; So Street, winner of the 2019 Howard County on the Laurel turf; and multiple dirt stakes winner Whereshetoldmetogo.

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Trainer Michael Maker has a knack for turning claiming horses into graded stakes winners. He did it on Friday when Last Judgment, a $62,500 claim, won the Grade 3 Pimlico Special on the opening day of Preakness weekend at Old Hilltop in Baltimore, Md. He accomplished the feat again on Preakness day Saturday when Special Reserve captured the Grade 3, $150,000 Maryland Sprint Stakes, three races after Maker claimed the 5-year-old Midshipman gelding for $40,000 at Oaklawn Park.

Under Irad Ortiz Jr., Special Reserve dueled with 5-2 favorite Strike Power, put that one away at the top of the stretch, then drew out for his first stakes triumph, winning by 1 3/4 lengths. Special Reserve covered six furlongs in a quick 1:08.91 after fractions of :22.94, :45.38 and :56.77. Special Reserve paid $9.80.

Owned by Paradise Farms Corp. and David Standacher, Special Reserve gave Maker his third graded stakes of the Preakness weekend, following Friday's stakes double with Last Judgment and Army Wife in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.

Strike Power – who was trying to give trainer Steve Asmussen his third consecutive victory in the Maryland Sprint and jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. his fourth straight – held second by 1 1/4 lengths, with Frosted Grace third, Mucho fourth and Laki fifth in the field of 11 older runners. They were followed by War Tocsin, Threes Over Deuces, Lebda, Seven Nation Army and Yodel E.A. Who.

Breezy Gust was pulled up n by jockey Joel Rosario approaching the half-mile pole, but the gelding walked back to the stable area.

Starting from the No. 8 post position, Special Reserve broke on top, but Ortiz allowed Strike Power and Santana to move through on the inside to take the lead. Special Reserve was on Strike Power's right flank throughout and moved to the lead at the top of the stretch.

The Maryland Sprint was the second win from three starts since Maker claimed Special Reserve. He was coming off a good second to the tough sprinter Flagstaff in the Grade 3 Commonwealth Stakes at Keeneland on April 3. This was Special Reserve's sixth career win from 19 starts.

The Maryland Sprint is part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) series, which ran from 1997-01, then was revived in 2018. It is a regional racing series for multiple divisions of horses that offers bonuses to owners and trainers compiling the most points. The 2020 series was not held because of COVID-19 and this year's series is abbreviated to include races from Maryland and Virginia. Series organizers anticipate returning to a more robust schedule involving additional racetracks and horsemen's organizations in 2022.

Post-race quotes:

Winning Trainer Mike Maker (Special Reserve): “I might get some stalls (in Maryland).”

“He was in at Oaklawn (for a $40,000 claiming tag on Feb. 6). We've got to have this horse, and we claimed him. He had a bit of a bleeding issue that we addressed and got taken care of, and the rest is history. We originally liked him because he was still eligible for two-other-than [allowances]. You never know in this game.”

“I just gave a leg up to Irad [Ortiz Jr.] and said 'Good luck.' That was about it. He was going to be forwardly placed.”

Winning Jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. (Special Reserve): “The horse broke great and put me in the race very quick out of there, I had a horse inside with speed. I just relaxed and tried not to fight with him too much. He came back to me, so I left him there and when I asked him, he took straight off for me to win.”

Jockey Ricardo Santana Jr. (Strike Power; 2^nd): “He ran hard and gave me everything he had. We had a good trip – just second best today.”

Trainer Kathy Ritvo (Frosted Grace; 3^rd): “He ran a good race. We're happy with him.”

Jockey Javier Castellano (Frosted Grace; 3^rd): “He went really well. I expected to be a little closer to the pace, but the horse missed the break. There was nothing I could do. I liked the way he did it: come from behind, saved all the ground, cut the corner. He did really well today.”

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