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Laurel Cancels Friday And Saturday Racing, Plans To Resume Sunday Through Wednesday

Track surface woes continue at Laurel Park, where the Friday and Saturday race cards for Jan. 14 and 15 have been cancelled as maintenance crews continue to try to winterize the racing surface. Mike Rogers, president of racing for The Stronach Group, said during a Zoom call Jan. 11 that racing is expected to resume Sunday, Jan. 16 and the track could add additional dates on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday next week to make up for lost time.

Rogers said Laurel has has assistance from track experts Glen Kozak (NYRA), Jamie Richardson (Churchill Downs), and David Whitman (Maryland), to mix coarse sand into the surface to better prepare the material for freezing temperatures. About 2,000 tons of surface material was taken off the track, and more than half that amount has now been added back with sand mixed in and been graded. There is still mixing work to do, and that will likely continue through Wednesday afternoon.

Horses were permitted to gallop on the track Tuesday morning and will likely gallop again Wednesday, with the goal of resuming timed works Thursday. Entries will be taken Thursday for Sunday races if all parties are satisfied with the way the surface is playing during workouts. There is another weather system scheduled to move through the area over the weekend, and Rogers cautioned that could delay racing resumption once again.

Laurel has had struggles with its dirt surface for nearly a year now, most recently in November when the track was closed for examination after a spike in fatalities. The problem identified at that time was an issue with a compromise of the track's base. The cushion has been pulled back recently, and the track experts believe the base is still in good shape.

Earlier in 2021, Laurel shut down and undertook a multi-million dollar renovation that lasted through the summer.

It remains to be seen whether the stakes card planned for the weekend after next will be delayed, as horses have missed significant training, or if that won't be possible due to potential conflicts with stakes dates in February. Officials on Tuesday's call also speculated purses could be raised to help trainers make up for the financial stress of the missed racing dates in the past weeks, although it may make more sense to add dates in the next month instead.

“Horsemen have been very patient with this process,” said trainer Ferris Allen. “A lot of people are hurting economically out here from the way this has all been handled. We really need to get this back going and we need some proactive behavior on the part of the Maryland Jockey Club.”

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Mandaloun Has ‘Come To Hand Quick,’ Will Make 4-Year-Old Debut In Saturday’s Louisiana Stakes

Juddmonte's Mandaloun is set to make his 4-year-old debut in the $150,000 Louisiana Stakes on Saturday, Jan. 22 at Fair Grounds Race Course & Slots in New Orleans, La.

“That's our plan,” trainer Brad Cox said. “He's really come to hand quick. He looks amazing. Happy with the way his weight is and how he's taken shape. Excited about getting him back going this year and we will see how things go on Jan. 22.”

Mandaloun shook off his third place finish in the Lecomte by winning the Risen Star (G2) in his very next start. He was a virtual no show in the Twinspires.com Louisiana Derby (G2), but bounced back with a huge second in the Kentucky Derby (G1) presented by Woodford Reserve. He later won the Pegasus at Monmouth in advance of a near miss in the July 17 Haskell (G1), the final start of his sophomore campaign.

“He needed time off,” Cox said. “He made that decision easy. We stopped on him and gave him time. For horses to progress, whether it be from (age) two to three or three to four, they need a break. He's received his break and he's come back.”

The son of Into Mischief returned to the work tab on November 28 at Churchill, and he posted his seventh breeze since returning to training on Sunday at Fair Grounds, stopping the timer in 1:13 1/5 for six furlongs.

“Listen, I'm not going to tell you that he's working better than ever because he's always a very, very good work horse to begin with,” Cox said. “I think anybody that watched him train up to the Kentucky Derby could believe the way he ran (second at 26-1), the way he was training. He's definitely working as well as he was leading up to the Derby, or the Haskell, so we're in a good spot with him. I think this is a race that makes a lot of sense as far as getting back racing and seeing how it goes.”

Also confirmed for the Louisiana is Winchell Thoroughbreds' Midnight Bourbon, who, like Mandaloun, also launched a very successful sophomore campaign at Fair Grounds.

“They've raced against one another, let's see, one, two, three, four, maybe five times, I don't know, it's a lot,” Cox said. “They've mixed it up and made it exciting. Rivalries are good for racing. Midnight Bourbon is a very good horse. He's going to be very tough to beat in that he's not coming in off much of a layoff and we are. He might be a little tighter. He's a big beautiful horse. It will be an exciting match-up. We're looking forward to it.”

Should he perform well, the Mandaloun camp could have designs on the $20 million Saudi Cup on February 26

“The Saudi Cup is something we'd look at,” Cox said. “Ultimately it will come down to the Juddmonte team. They will make the final determination. We work extremely well together. They'll play it the way they always do. Horse comes first. It the horse is doing well and it makes sense, that's definitely something we would look at doing. That was sort of our plan when we got back started in the fall. One step at a time.”

After running third with the favored Mandaloun in last year's G3 Lecomte, Cox has another talented prospect for the 2022 edition.

“Right now we are looking at running Cyberknife,” Cox said. “He's doing well. He breezed well here the other day (:48 4/5 on Jan. 8). I think he's a good colt, I really do.”

Disqualified after crossing the line first in his career debut at Churchill, Cyberknife's greenness saw him defeated in Louisville six weeks later, this time on the square. Stretched out around two turns for the first time on Dec. 26 at Fair Grounds, he took a clear advantage in the stretch, but nearly coughed it up late.

“He's obviously raced erratically in all three starts down the lane,” Cox said. “I thought he was very impressive here last time up until the last little bit. It's all mental with him. It's nothing we can really fix with him in the mornings. He's a colt that has always been a little tough to handle. He's not straightforward. He's the kind of horse who requires a good hand. He's very immature. I think the talent is there, but he's got to take a step forward mentally, and I think he will. He just needs to race and get some miles underneath him in the afternoons. I think he's going to be a player in the 3-year-old division.”

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2022 Kentucky Derby Hopeful Snapshots: Dash Attack

Welcome to 2022 Kentucky Derby Prospect Snapshots, where we’ll take a look each week at a recent winner on the Triple Crown trail, usually from the Road to the Kentucky Derby schedule from which the race horses earn points toward qualifying. The 1 ¼-mile Kentucky Derby Presented by Woodford Reserve will be held May 7, 2022, at Churchill Downs.

Zero Tolerance Outlasts Fast-Closing Tapwater In Las Cienegas

Zero Tolerance stalked favored Hear My Prayer to the top of the lane en route to a hard fought head victory over late-closing Tapwater in Sunday's Grade 3, $100,000 Las Cienegas Stakes at Santa Anita in Arcadia, Calif., thus providing trainer Ruben Alvarado with his first career stakes win. Ridden by Flavien Prat, Zero Tolerance, a 4-year-old grey daughter of Mizzen Mast, got about 6 ½ furlongs down the hillside turf course in 1:13.26.

Drawn on the far outside, Zero Tolerance fell into a perfect trip as speedy Hear My Prayer went to the lead, maintaining a one-length advantage past the half mile pole, but the winner gained the advantage at the dirt crossing at the top of the stretch and was all out to hold off the runner-up.

“Unbelievable, I don't have the words to say,” said Alvarado, a longtime assistant to Peter Miller, who has taken a hiatus from training, handing over his stable to Alvarado. “I remember I had this moment when Roy H won the Breeders' Cup (Sprint, in 2017 and 2018). That was a moment I would never forget…

“That's her (Zero Tolerance), I knew she could run. She's a horse that can come off the pace or be on the lead. … She loves six and a half, so I knew she was going to run huge for me. She was a little fresh, so that was what we expected from her.”

A winner of a five-furlong turf allowance at Del Mar on Nov. 20, Zero Tolerance was off as the second choice at 2-1 in a field of seven older fillies and mares and paid $6.00, $3.80 and $2.60.

Owned by Custom Truck Accessories, Jason Hall, Joe Kelly and Michael Riordan, Zero Tolerance, who is out of the El Prado mare Torreadora was a winner of Santa Anita's ungraded Unzip Me Stakes two starts back on Oct. 3 and she is now a two-time stakes winner with four wins from six overall starts. With the winner's share of $60,000, she increased her earnings to $215,000.

“She was traveling super relaxed and it does help to have a target, I think it helped her to relax,” said Prat, who although he didn't ride her in her most recent start, has now won three of his four engagements with her. “She can be a little on her toes sometimes, but she was relaxing well today and when it was time to make a move, she responded well.”

Ridden by Joe Bravo, Tapwater was unhurried from her rail post position, running next to last after the first quarter mile. In her first try down the hillside, the 6-year-old mare, who was shortening up out of a series of two turn races, rallied impressively while trying to drift in and just missed. Off at 10-1 Tapwater paid $10.00 and $5.00 while finishing 1 ½ lengths better than a tiring Hear My Prayer.

The 8-5 favorite with Juan Hernandez, Hear My Prayer paid $2.40 to show.

With the win, Prat notched his third on the day and he went to get his fourth victory of the afternoon in the next race, making 21 for the meet, four better than runner-up John Velazquez. The Las Cienegas also marked Prat's meet-leading sixth stakes win as well.

Fractions on the race were 21.99, 44.16 and 1:06.92.

Racing resumes with a special four-day holiday week on Friday, with first post time for an eight-race card at 12:30 p.m.

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