Jim McKay Maryland Million Attracts 281 Pre-Entries

Set to take place Oct. 17 at Laurel Park, the 38th Jim McKay Maryland Million has attracted 281 pre-entries with defending champions MSW Ournationparade (Cat Nation) and MSW & MGSP Fille d'Esprit (Great Notion) leading the fields. Ournationonparade is one of 21 Classic pre-entries, eight of whom are Maryland-bred but not Maryland-sired, while last year's Maryland Million Distaff winner, and reigning Maryland-bred Horse of the Year, Fille d'Esprit highlights 23 pre-entries in the Distaff, 18 of whom are Maryland-sired.

Maryland-bred horses may participate in a Maryland Million race if less than eight Maryland Million-eligible horses are entered. Final entries will be taken and drawn Sunday, Oct. 8. A complete list of pre-entries for their respective races is available on the Maryland Million website.

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Homecoming Victory In Maryland Million Classic

A decade ago, trainer Jamie Ness claimed a filly named Parade of Colors for $5,000 at Laurel Park. She only ended up winning three lower-level races lifetime and only one for Ness, and when she retired at the end of 2012, Ness simply gave her away to breeder John Williamson III.

But something about that filly resonated positively with Ness, and as he watched her offspring eventually reach the races as Maryland-breds, one in particular caught his eye: Ournationonparade, a son of Cal Nation, who won the 2019 Maryland Million Nursery as the favorite despite being a second-time-starter maiden.

Ness continued to follow Ournationonparade as he matured from ages two to five and changed barns several times via the claim box while competing on other major circuits.

So just four weeks ago, when the 7-for-24 gelding was on the cusp of a three-race winning streak, Ness, acting on behalf of owner Happy Got Lucky Stable, dropped a slip for $50,000 prior to a winning effort at Churchill Downs. Four other outfits had also put in claims for the Maryland-bred, but Ness and his client managed to win the five-way shake.

On Saturday, making his first start for the trainer who had been keeping tabs on his family for 10 years, Ournationonparade blasted past two previous $150,000 Classic S. winners to capture his fourth straight start, this one in the featured race on the 37th annual Jim McKay Maryland Million program.

The 5 3/4-length victory was the second stakes win of the afternoon for Ness and the second stakes score for jockey Jaime Rodriguez on the eight-stakes card for the offspring of in-state stallions.

“I've always been watching this horse,” Ness said in the Laurel winner's circle. “I've always had a little bit of a connection to the horse. And it kind of comes full circle [because we] finally got a chance to bring him back home to Maryland. He's a Maryland-

bred. He needs to be here. And hopefully, he'll be here for good from now on.”

Backed to 2-1 favoritism, Ournationonparade had a stutter-step start but quickly righted himself and took up the chase by assertively snagging a three-wide stalking spot through the opening turn.

Fourth for most of the trip down the backstretch, Rodriguez patiently rated with a handful of horse behind the speed-centric Prendimi (Dance With Ravens) and Monday Morning Qb (Imagining), the respective 2021 and 2020 winners of this same stakes.

But by the far turn, Rodriguez's calm body language atop Ournationonparade stood out in confident contrast to the desperate urging of the top two. The gelding cracked Prendimi first and then blitzed “Qb” at the head of the lane.

Ournationonparade began pouring it on in upper stretch, racing for a few strides with his head cocked out toward the grandstand before finishing with authority while kept to task by Rodriguez. The final time was 1:51.78 for nine furlongs over the “fast” dirt.

Other Oct. 22 highlights from Laurel included Great Notion, the state's leading stallion by progeny earnings since 2018, siring yet another Maryland Million winner, giving his offspring at least one Maryland Million Day stakes victory for 13 consecutive years.

And the second-crop stallion Blofeld swept the two Maryland Million races for juveniles, siring his first two stakes winners. It's the second year in a row one stallion has swept the card's baby races: Progeny of Buffum, who died in 2019, won both of those 2-year-old stakes in 2021.

Johnyz From Albany racked up the first stakes win for Blofeld by wiring the $100,000 Nursery. Off at 4-1, he turned for home with the three favorites bearing down menacingly, but he capably swatted them away to cruise home by five lengths in 1:11.35 for six furlongs under Jorge Ruiz for trainer Dale Capuano.

Owner Charles “Chip” Reed said that the win was special on several levels. First, he had named his homebred in honor of a recently departed Saratoga-area racetrack friend, John Zanella from Albany, New York. And second, Reed had also campaigned the colt's dam, Monster Sleeping, whom he had claimed for $30,000 in 2013.

“The mom won two [Maryland Million] races here, so we were hoping that the son took after the mom, and today he did,” Reed said.

In the counterpart $100,000 Lassie S. for 2-year-old-filles, the Blofeld-sired Chickieness was a 1 1/2-length victress at 9-10 odds while mowing down the center of the main track in 1:12.58 for six furlongs. Ness and Rodriguez again partnered here, this time for owner/breeder Jagger, Inc. and part-owner Morris Kernan, Jr.

In the $125,000 Turf Classic, 9-2 shot Wicked Prankster (Mosler) cleared the field from an outer post going nine furlongs over “firm” grass, but looked certain to be swallowed up late in the lane after leading the entire trip.

Yet the 4-year-old from owner/trainer Samuel Davis's barn fought back when headed, resurging to win by three-quarters of a length under Richard Monterrey in 1:49.44. Country Life Farm & Broken Trust Fund, LLC, bred Wicked Prankster.

Coconut Cake (Bandbox) delivered a score by a head at 6-5 odds in the $125,000 Ladies S. at nine furlongs on the turf, having gone winless since 2020.

Jockey Sheldon Russell stalked the speed, uncoiling the 5-year-old gray for a long stretch drive against a very stubborn 16-1 pacemaker, prevailing in the final few jumps for a 1:50.22 clocking. Tim Keefe trains and is part-owner along with N R S Stable and James Chambers. The breeders were Mr. & Mrs. Charles McGinnes.

The $100,000 Sprint S. yielded the heaviest-favored winner among the Maryland Million stakes, with the 1-2 chalk Fortheluvofbourbon (Bourbon Courage) getting a bit more late-stretch resistance than might have been expected from 15-1 runner-up Karan's Notion (Great Notion), the 2020 upsetter of this same stakes.

The winning margin was 1 1/2 lengths in 1:10.96 for six furlongs for connections Paco Lopez (jockey), Michael Pino (trainer), Smart Angle LLP (owner) and Hidden Acres 4-D Farm (breeder). The victory was Fortheluvofbourbon's sixth straight trip to the winner's circle and victory number 12 from just 23 lifetime starts.

Fille d'Esprit (Great Notion), the 1 1/4-length winner of the $100,000 Distaff S. over seven furlongs, is only one win away from matching Fortheluvofbourbon's impressive record. She's now 11-for-22 lifetime after stalking a legit pace with a rail run, then edging away powerfully in deep stretch to finish in 1:25.05.

The 6-year-old mare is making the most of regional incentives on the mid-Atlantic circuit. She also won her division of the MATCH stakes series this summer for jockey Xavier Perez, trainer John Robb, the ownership partners C J I Phoenix Group and No Guts No Glory Farm, and breeder Sweet Spirits Stables.

In the $100,000 Turf Sprint S., Sky's Not Falling (Seville {Ger}), forced the issue with an inside bid, split horses on the far bend, then repulsed late challenges to win by half a length at 7-2 odds under Lopez (two stakes-winning rides) in 1:02.75 for 5 1/2 furlongs. The Michael Trombetta trainee was bred by R. Larry Johnson, who partners in ownership with R. D. M. Racing Stable.

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Favored Double Crown Holds Off With Verve To Take Carry Back At Gulfstream

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Double Crown lived up to his 3-5 favoritism in Saturday's $75,000 Carry Back at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Fla., where the Kathy Ritvo-trained gelding won his second straight stakes race with a thoroughly professional performance.

The Carry Back, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds co-headlined Saturday's Fourth of July program with the $75,000 Azalea, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies.

Double Crown, who captured the 6 ½-furlong Roar at Gulfstream Park May 16, rated just behind dueling Cajun Brother and Poe, who set fractions of 22.59 and 45.42 seconds for the first half mile, before making a sweep to the lead on the turn into the homestretch. The son of Bourbon Courage opened up a clear lead under Cristian Torres in mid-stretch and continued gamely to hold off Hutcheson Stakes winner With Verve by three-quarters of a length.

“He's tough. He has just enough speed to stay off the pace early and he closes well,” said Dean Reeves, who owns the Maryland-bred filly with his wife Patti.

Double Crown ran seven furlongs in 1:22.37 to with his third race in four career starts. With Verve finished 1 ¾ lengths ahead of late-closing Ournationonparade.

Double Crown and Ournationonparade were privately purchased by the Reeves following a Sept. 19 maiden special weight race, in which the former defeated the latter in their respective debuts at Laurel Park.

Ournationonparade came right back to win the $100,000 Maryland Million Nursery in his next start, while Double Crown went to the sidelines. Double Crown returned to action for Ritvo with a late-closing second-place finish in an April 26 allowance at Gulfstream before capturing the Roar Stakes.

“He's come around great. Kathy's done a great job with him. She gave him some time at the end of his 2-year-old year and let him grow into himself, because he's a good-size horse,” Reeves said. “It's amazing when you give them some time, they pay dividends for you,”

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Ritvo Takes One-Two Punch Into Saturday’s Carry Back Stakes

Reeves Thoroughbred Racing's Double Crown and Ournationonparade will join forces or Saturday's $75,000 Carry Back at Gulfstream Park, giving trainer Kathy Ritvo a potent 1-2 punch in the seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds.

The Carry Back highlights the July 4th program, along with the $75,000 Azalea, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-old fillies.

Double Crown is coming off a gutsy half-length victory over graded-stakes winner and Grade 1 stakes-placed Green Light Go in the May 16 Roar Stakes at Gulfstream, in which he rallied from mid-pack to get an edge over the 2019 Champagne (G1) runner-up to Tiz the Law in mid-stretch that he would maintain to the wire.

“He's so professional. What you see in his races is what you get,” Ritvo said. “He's just a nice classy horse.”

The gelded son of Bourbon Courage won at first asking for trainer Lacey Gaudet in a Sept. 8 maiden special weight race at Laurel Park, finishing a head in front of pacesetter Ournationonparade, who was debuting for trainer Bernie Haughton. Impressed by both efforts, Dean and Patti Reeves went ahead and privately purchased both promising Maryland-bred 2-year-olds.

Double Crown was given time off after his debut victory and returned to action for Ritvo at Gulfstream with a second-place finish in an April 26 allowance, in which he ran into traffic before falling a half-length short of victory with a strong late rally. Double Crown, who came back to win the Roar, hasn't raced beyond 6 ½ furlongs in three starts.

“I think he'll go long. He's a nice enough horse that we decided to do everything right by him and give him the best opportunity to have a great career,” Ritvo said. “We're trying to give him time to develop into a good horse.”

Cristian Torres has the return mount.

The Carry Back will mark the fourth meeting between Double Crown and Ournationonparade, who made a wide bid on the far turn in the Roar before running evenly in the stretch to finish fourth, beaten 5 ¾ lengths by his stablemate.

Ournationonparade lost his rider after clipping heels in his previous race, in which Double Crown finished second April 26.

“He hasn't had the best of luck,” Ritvo said. “He's going into this race really well. I'm really happy with him too.”

After being purchased by the Reeves out of his debut, Ournationonparade returned immediate dividends, breaking his maiden in the $100,000 Maryland Million Nursery Oct. 19 for Haughton. Ournationonparade went on to finish third in the Feb. 29 Hutcheson, in which he was beaten a half-length in his first start for Ritvo.

Luca Panici is scheduled to ride Ournationonparade for the first time Saturday.

Eric Worth's With Verve looms as a strong opponent for the Ritvo-trained duo while cutting back to seven furlongs Saturday after finishing fifth behind graded-stakes winner Sole Volante in a mile allowance at Gulfstream June 10. The Larry Bates-trained son of Kantharos previously finished third in the Road, 1 ½ lengths behind Double Crown, and won the Hutcheson, in which he finished two necks ahead of Ournationonparade.

Hall of Famer Edgar Prado has the return mount.

Newtown Anner Stud and KimDon Racing LLC's Prince James is slated to make his 2020 debut in the Carry Back after finishing fifth in the Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct in his juvenile finale. The Kelsey Danner-trained son of Tiznow previously won his debut at Monmouth and finished second in an allowance race at Churchill Downs.

Edgard Zayas has the call on Prince James, who has run around two turns in all three of his career starts.

Shadybrook Farm Inc.'s Cajun Brother will be seeking to rebound from his first career loss while cutting back from a mile to seven furlongs. The Michael Yates-trained son of Cajun Breeze set a hotly contested pace before fading to sixth in a May 16 allowance. Previously, Cajun Brother scored back-to-back wins in a maiden special weight race and an optional claiming allowance, both at six furlongs.

Regular rider Miguel Vasquez has the call.

Arindel's Poe is slated to make his 2020 debut Saturday after winning two of seven starts last year. Emisael Jaramillo has be mount aboard the stakes-placed son of Brethren, who is trained by Juan Alvarado.

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