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Thanksgiving Weekend Card At Laurel Attract Long List Of Stakes Winners

Graded-stakes winners Laki, Pickin' Time, Informative, and Magic Michael; fellow multiple stakes winners Cordmaker, Hello Beautiful, Kenny Had a Notion, Street Lute, and Whereshetoldmetogo; and undefeated 3-year-old filly Moquist are among 114 horses nominated to five stakes worth $450,000 in purses over Thanksgiving weekend at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

Stakes action begins Friday, Nov. 26 with a pair of $75,000 events for Maryland-bred/sired horses, the seven-furlong Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial for 3-year-olds and six-furlong Politely for fillies and mares 3 and up.

Hillside Equestrian Meadows' 8-year-old Laki, unraced since finishing sixth Sept. 18 in defense of his 2020 Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash victory at Laurel but a winner of at least one stakes race five straight years, is one of 25 nominees to the Bender. Madaket Stables, Ten Strike Racing, Michael Kisber, and BTR Racing's Whereshetoldmetogo owns 12 career wins, nine in stakes, is Grade 2 placed and five-for-seven lifetime at Laurel.

Other prominent Bender nominees are Oct. 23 Maryland Million Sprint winner Air Token and multiple stakes winners Double Crown, twice graded-stakes placed Alwaysmining, Galerio, 14-time career winner Penguin Power, and 3-year-old filly Street Lute.

Lucky 7 Stables' Street Lute is among 19 nominees to the Politely. The daughter of Street Magician has won nine of 15 lifetime starts with eight of those victories in stakes. Most recently, she ran third in the Oct. 23 Maryland Million Distaff behind Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables, and Magic City Stables' Hello Beautiful, also nominated.

Purchased by trainer Brittany Russell for just $6,500 in December 2018, 4-year-old Hello Beautiful is 10-for-18 in her career and nine-for-13 at Laurel with $582,570 in purse earnings and eight stakes wins, including three in a row. She made history in the Distaff as one of just eight horses with three career Maryland Million victories.

Saturday, Nov. 27 will feature three $100,000 stakes – the City of Laurel for 3-year-olds and Safely Kept for 3-year-old fillies, both sprinting seven furlongs, and the 1 1/8-mile Richard W. Small for 3-year-olds and up.

Roseland Farm Stable's 2020 G3 Nashua winner Pickin' Time is among 25 nominees to the City of Laurel. The Stay Thirsty colt was second behind Jackie's Warrior in the G2 Gallant Bob Sept. 25 and most recently fifth to fellow City of Laurel nominee He'smyhoneybadger in the Oct. 23 Perryville at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky.

Louis Ulman and Neil Glasser's Kenny Had a Notion, a stakes winner on turf and dirt that snapped a seven-race losing streak Nov. 11 at Laurel, is nominated to both the City of Laurel and Bender. Other City of Laurel nominees include stakes winners Beren, Everett's Song, Maythehorsebwithu, Mohs, Officiating, The King Cheek, and Waist Deep, and graded-stakes placed Momos and Riden With Biden.

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Mopo Racing's Moquist tops 22 horses nominated to the Safely Kept. The daughter of G1 Florida Derby and G1 Kentucky Derby winner and 2-year-old male champion Nyquist is 4-0 lifetime, all this year, with the last three of her wins coming at Laurel. A winner by 13 ¼ combined lengths, Moquist will be facing her own age group for the first time in the Safely Kept.

Also nominated are Li'l Tootsie, third last out in the G2 Prioress Sept. 4 at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.; stakes winners Lovely Ride, Malibu Beauty, Prodigy Doll, and Street Lute; Fraudulent Charge, who has four seconds, three in stakes, from six starts; and Oct. 23 Maryland Million Ladies runner-up Maldives Model.

The Small attracted 23 nominations including Trin-Brook Stables, Inc.'s Informative, winner of the June 12 G3 Salvator Mile at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J.; Sept. 25 G3 Greenwood Cup winner Magic Michael; multiple stakes winner Cordmaker, third in the 2019 and 2020 G3 Pimlico Special; 2019 G1 Woodward runner-up Bal Harbour; and 7-year-old gelding Bobby G, who has earned 13 of his 15 career wins at Laurel.

Laurel will host its traditional Thanksgiving Day program Thursday, Nov. 25, featuring the return of the popular family-sized pie giveaway with the purchase of a racing program, while supplies last.

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Mighty Heart Holds Off Sir Winston To Win Autumn Stakes At Woodbine

Canada's one-eyed wonder and 2020 Horse of the Year Mighty Heart showed exactly why he has that name with a gate-to-wire victory in the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes at Woodbine. The 2020 Queen's Plate winner held off a late run from 2019 Belmont Stakes victor Sir Winston to take the 1 1/16-mile stakes by a half-length.

Starting from the far outside of the field of eight, jockey Patrick Husbands hustled Mighty Heart to the lead, with Primo Touch and Embolden following in second and third. Around the first turn and down the backstretch, Mighty Heart was a length to the good, running easily on the lead putting in fractions of :23.86, :47.23, and 1:11.36.

Entering the far turn, the field started to make their move, but Mighty Heart was steadfast in the lead. Sir Winston, sixth early, ran into traffic on the turn, going to the outside in the stretch to find a clear running lane. Special Forces and Halo Again were also challenging Mighty Heart in the stretch, Sir Winston driving late, but the 2020 Horse of the Year held the race safe. He was a half-length in front of Sir Winston at the wire, with Special Forces third and Halo Again fourth.

The final time was 1:42.51.

Mighty Heart paid $9.20, $4.00, and $2.30. Sir Winston paid $2.60 and $2.10. Special Forces paid $2.20.

Bred in Ontario by his owner Larry Cordes, Mighty Heart is a 4-year-old colt by Dramedy out of the City Place mare Emma's Bullseye. He is trained by Josie Carroll. With his win in the G2 Autumn, Mighty Heart has three wins in seven starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of six wins in 15 starts.

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Plum Ali Scores Gate-To-Wire Win In Winter Memories

After winning the first three starts of her career, Plum Ali had been winless in her last seven starts until Sunday's Winter Memories. The daughter of First Samurai grabbed the lead in the early strides of the 1 1/16-mile stakes and made every pole a winning one at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Jockey Manny Franco sent Plum Ali to the lead out of the gate, a departure from her usual racing position behind horses. The 3-year-old filly set early fractions of :23.77, :49.72, and 1:15.28, a moderate pace that allowed Plum Ali to stay a length ahead of the field of ten others.

Into the stretch, the filly was able to stretch her lead out to three lengths, her moderate early pace ensuring she had plenty left in the tank to hold off the closers. At the wire, she was 3/4 of a length in front of the bunched trio of White Frost, Miss Dracarys, and Gam's Mission. Runaway Rumour, Invincible Gal, Bipartisanship, Flown, Out of Sorts, Quinevere, and Batyah rounded out the order of finish.

The final time for the 1 1/16 miles over good turf was 1:45.11. Find this race's chart here.

Plum Ali paid $11.20, $5.40, and $3.40. White Frost paid $4.40 and $3.60. Miss Dracarys paid $6.20.

The idea was to be forwardly-placed. She ran very well. He [Manny Franco] gave her a great ride. She's been very unlucky and the filly deserved this,” trainer Christophe Clement said after the race. “The idea was to be 1-2-3 and, if possible, on the lead. If anybody took us on, then sit second or third. Nobody took them on and when I saw the 49 and change and 1:15, I knew she was going to be pretty tough. She's a very nice horse.”

“She broke sharp and I let her do her thing. We ended up on the lead and it worked out,” Franco told the NYRA Press Office after the Winter Memories. “After we broke like that, I wasn't thinking to take back. If they wanted to take the lead, they would have to go faster than me. In the second part of the race, they let me slow down the pace and that was it. She handled it really well.

Bred in Kentucky by Stone Farm, Plum Ai is out of the Stroll mare Skipping. She is owned by Michael Dubb, Madaket Stables, and Michael J. Caruso. Consigned by Stone Farm, Plum Ali was purchased by Cromwell Bloodstock for $65,000 at the 2019 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. Her win in the Winter Memories is her first in seven starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of four wins in 11 starts.

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Levine Prepares Cupid’s Heart For Sunday’s Key Cents

Trainer Bruce Levine said Flying P Stable's Cupid's Heart, a grey daughter of Cupid bred by Sugar Maple Farm, is on target for next Sunday's $100,000 Key Cents, a six-furlong sprint for state-bred juvenile fillies at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

Cupid's Heart registered a 71 Beyer in a visually-impressive debut by overcoming a troubled start before drawing off to a 4 1/4-length score in a six-furlong state-bred maiden sprint on October 23 at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y.

Levine said he is warming up to the $50,000 Fasig-Tipton Selected Yearlings Showcase purchase.

“She was half-mean and half-green when she came in and that's a wicked combination,” Levine said, with a laugh. “She trained well and she's a real pretty filly. She looks like a 3-year-old, she's put together so well.”

Levine said Cupid's Heart, who posted a half-mile breeze in :48.06 on November 6 over Big Sandy, will breeze again Monday at Belmont.

“She's doing very well,” Levine said. “She breezed back last week and went a nice, easy half-mile. She'll work tomorrow.”

Hall of Famer Javier Castellano is expected to retain the mount.

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