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Buff My Boots Takes Maryland Million Lassie At Laurel Park

Meeting for the second time in 20 days, Bird Mobberley's Buff My Boots put away Sparkle Sprinkle following a spirited stretch duel and got to the wire ahead of fast-closing longshot My Thoughts for a front-running half-length victory in the $100,000 Maryland Million Lassie at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

Ridden by J.D. Acosta, Buff My Boots ($11.80) ran six furlongs in 1:11.14 over a fast main track to give trainer John Salzman Jr. his third career win in the Lassie following Limited View (2017) and Bluegrass Atatude (2011). Limited View would later be named Maryland-bred 2-year-old filly champion.

Buff My Boots and Sparkle Sprinkle, with Xavier Perez up for trainer Jerry Robb, tuned up for the Lassie in a six-furlong optional claimer Oct. 3 at Laurel, respectively running third and sixth after duking it out early.

“It worked out just like we talked about. We didn't want to kill ourselves with Sparkle Sprinkle, who's a nice horse. We did it last week but we did it with intentions of settling it there, instead of settling it here,” Salzman said. “It worked out. Xavier took his horse back a little and still got back to us at the head of the lane, and the best horse wins maybe. They both ran big and I'm just proud for Bird and her family. They do a lot and they're great owners.”

Buff My Boots, a Buffum filly that sold for $7,000 as a yearling last fall at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Md., went in :22.59 for a quarter-mile pressed by Sweet Gracie with Moon Boss tracking on the outside and Sparkle Sprinkle tucked in along the rail. Perez tipped Sparkle Sprinkle out approaching the stretch and hooked up with Buff My Boots, who dug in again on the inside. My Thoughts came flying late to be second, edging Sparkle Sprinkle by a half-length. Luna Belle, the 5-2 favorite, ran fourth.

“John Robb and Xavier are tough. When they have a horse in the stake, you can't take them for granted because they're going to battle,” Acosta said. “The good thing was that I got a little bit of a breather the first quarter, even though I had a little bit of pressure I was able to get a little bit more at the end. She's tough in front. When she puts her head in front she's tough, and she likes to battle.”

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Buff Hello Wins Maryland Million Nursery At Laurel

In a crowded race loaded with speed, no one could catch Buff Hello.

Joseph Besecker's Buff Hello ($13) broke running from his inside draw and never looked back, sprinting clear to a two-length triumph in Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Million Nursery at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

The Nursery for 2-year-olds and Lassie for 2-year-old fillies, each contested at six furlongs, were 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.

It was the sixth career Maryland Million win for trainer Claudio Gonzalez and second of the day for 18-year-old jockey Charlie Marquez, who also captured the Turf Starter Handicap to kick off the Maryland Million program. The winning time for the Nursery was 1:10.51 over a fast main track.

“It was not an easy race, especially with the [post] position we had today. The [rail] position is really hard, especially with [14] horses and a lot of horses that have speed,” Gonzalez said. “The good thing about Charlie is, he listens. He warmed up the horse really good, he broke and rushed up and took the lead, and he did the right thing. He stayed on the rail and he won the race.”

A maiden special weight winner July 31 at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., where he also led from start to finish, Buff Hello entered the Nursery off a sixth-place finish in the one-mile Sapling Sept. 5 at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. Marquez wasted no time getting the Buffum colt involved, hustling to the front and posting fractions of :22.12 and :45.21 with Hickory Tree winner Local Motive and narrow 7-2 favorite Mr. Mox alternating in second.

Buff Hello remained in command as the field straightened for home and was set down for a drive by Marquez, opening up after going five furlongs in :57.62. Coastal Mission came with a run on the far outside to edge Local Motive by a neck for second, with Buff Hello's stablemate, Shady Munni, another 2 ½ lengths back in fourth.

“He had the blinkers on and I know, watching the replays, he kind of looked like a little lazy of a lazy horse, so we warmed him up good. I sent him out of there and he's the kind of horse you have to keep on going the whole way. He really dug in deep today,” Marquez said. “I got headed at the top of the stretch but I knew that I had a lot of horse, and coming to the wire was a great feeling.”

Buff Hello was purchased for $26,000 as a yearling last fall at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, Md. He was making his Laurel debut after racing twice each at Monmouth and Pimlico, where he was beaten a neck in a July 11 maiden special weight by Mr. Mox.

“I was really confident with both my horses in here. [Shady Munni got] bumped really hard in the gate and that's why he finished fourth. But, doesn't happen maybe he's there, too,” Gonzalez said. “Buff Hello, all the time he showed he had talent, that's why I gave him a chance in the stake at Monmouth. That day we didn't get lucky, but today he proved he had talent.”

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Public Sector Gets Third Straight Graded Stakes Victory In Hill Prince At Belmont

Klaravich Stables' Public Sector secured a third straight graded stakes coup, wearing down pacesetter and familiar foe Never Surprised in deep stretch to secure a victory in Saturday's 46th running of the $400,000 Grade 2 Hill Prince, a nine-furlong test for sophomores over the Belmont Park inner turf.

Public Sector entered the Hill Prince off a pair of stakes scores, capturing the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame on August 6 followed by the Grade 3 Saranac four weeks later at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

The Hill Prince was the son of Kingman's first start going as far as nine furlongs, but the added ground proved to be no issue for the talented bay colt as he found his best footing late to win by a neck. In doing so, he replicated the exacta from the last-out Saranac where he confronted Never Surprised in deep stretch to win by one length.

Public Sector left from post 9 and was angled closer to the hedge in third by jockey Irad Ortiz, Jr., as a rank Never Surprised commanded the strung-out field into the first turn and registered an opening quarter-mile in :24.35 over firm going.

Public Sector dropped six lengths back down the backstretch while Never Surprised marked the half-mile in :49.71 with 48-1 longshot It Can Be Done keeping close company in second.

Ortiz, Jr. gave Public Sector some light left-handed encouragement approaching upper stretch through three-quarters in 1:14.13 with Never Surprised still the one to catch. The Saranac runner-up held his advantage through the stretch run before being collared by Public Sector just past the sixteenth-pole, stopping the clock in 1:48.68.

Never Surprised finished 1 ¾ lengths ahead of It Can Be Done who held third.

“He has a great mind, this horse,” Ortiz, Jr. said. “He switched off when I wanted him to and when I asked him to respond, he gave me a great turn of foot.”

Brown was full of praise for Ortiz, Jr. as the two joined forces for their second stakes victory together this meet.

“The ride was really great by Irad. I know he's a very talented horse, but he delivered a really top ride,” said Brown, who saddled his third Hill Prince winner. “For him to get him out and get good position and be clear and out of trouble was a great move. He was saving ground and ahead of a lot of the other runners in the race and he timed it just perfect. Up until the last moment he was focused on passing the pacemaker, but was still taking peeks throughout the stretch to his right to make sure no one was coming.

“The bottom line is I think Irad had complete control of the whole field throughout the race,” Brown continued. “It was a magnificent ride and a real professional performance by both the horse and him.”

Never worse than second in 8-of-9 lifetime starts, Public Sector banked $220,000 in victory which increased his overall earnings past the half-million-dollar mark to $598,600. During his juvenile season, Public Sector broke his maiden at first asking before finishing second in the Grade 2 Pilgrim at Belmont Park and a distant 12th in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky. – his lone off-the-board effort to date.

The win was a fourth overall victory in the Hill Prince for Seth Klarman's Klaravich Stables, who has won the event with three different trainers. Klaravich previously won with Subordination [1997; Gary Sciacca] and Outperformance [2006; Rick Violette, Jr.]. Brown and Klaravich joined forces with 2015 victor Takeover Target.

Public Sector will seek to extend his streak of graded stakes victories and will target the $400,000 Grade 1 Hollywood Derby on November 28 at Del Mar Thoroughbred Club in Del Mar, Calif., a race that last year was won by Brown-trained and Klaravich-owned Domestic Spending.

“That was really the plan – win or lose,” Brown said. “As long as he ran well, we really thought he could follow the path Domestic Spending ended up getting out to the Hollywood Derby last year for his last start of the year.”

Completing the order of finish were Hilliard, Soldier Rising, War Bomber, Sifting Sands, Slicked Back, He'spuregold, Founder, and Original.

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Live racing returns Sunday at Belmont Park with a 10-race card, featuring the $100,000 Point of Entry for 3-year-olds and upward going 12 furlongs over the Widener turf [Race 9, 4:52 p.m.]. First post is 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

The stretch of the Cross Island Parkway that runs by Belmont Park will be closed to traffic on Sunday. The closure is for the installation over the road of steel girders to support platforms for the new Elmont train station.

The Cross Island Parkway will close between the Southern State/Belt Parkway to the south and the Grand Central Parkway to the north, starting at 10 p.m. on Saturday, October 23. It is expected to reopen to traffic by 8 p.m. on Sunday.

Local fans may use Plainfield Ave/Elmont Rd to Hempstead Turnpike West or Springfield Blvd to Hempstead Ave East then enter through Gate 5 for Belmont Park.

Fans traveling from Eastern Long Island may use the Meadowbrook Parkway to Hempstead Turnpike West.

Fans traveling from the West may use the Van Wyck/Whitestone Expressway combination to Jamaica Avenue East then continue onto Hempstead Ave East.

America's Day at the Races will present daily coverage and analysis of the fall meet at Belmont Park on the networks of FOX Sports. For the complete broadcast schedule, visit https://www.nyra.com/belmont/racing/tv-schedule.

NYRA Bets is the official wagering platform of Belmont Park, and the best way to bet every race of the fall meet. Available to horseplayers nationwide, the NYRA Bets app is available for download today on iOS and Android at www.NYRABets.com.

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Caramel Swirl Rallies Late To Win Raven Run At Keeneland

Seventh in the field of eleven early, Caramel Swirl did not let traffic stop her from making a bid for the lead in the Grade 2 Raven Run. Over a fast track at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Ky., the daughter of Union Rags went five-wide around the far turn to find racing room and outlast Joy's Rocket to win by a head.

Breaking cleanly from post eight, Junior Alvarado positioned Caramel Swirl toward the back of the pack early behind the leader Strong Silent and Cilla in second. Three-wide on the backstretch, traffic forced Alvarado to take his filly even wider on the far turn to find running room in the Keeneland straight. As Cilla took over the lead in the early stretch, Caramel Swirl and Joy's Rocket rallied to her outside. The two were head to head as they passed Cilla in late stretch, Caramel Swirl eking out a short lead as they approached the finish line.

At the wire, Caramel Swirl held the advantage over Joy's Rocket with Cilla in third. The final time for the seven furlongs was 1:23.42.

Find this race's chart here.

Caramel Swirl paid $8.60, $5.60, and $4.40. Joy's Rocket paid $19.60 and $10.40. Cilla paid $7.40.

Bred in Kentucky by owner Godolphin, Caramel Swirl is out of the Smart Strike mare Caramel Snap. She is trained by Bill Mott. With her win the G2 Raven Run, the 3-year-old filly has three wins in seven starts in 2021 for a lifetime record of 9-3-3-1 and career earnings of $317,300.

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