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Mrs. Orb Surges Late To Win Caesar’s Wish At Pimlico

Ruggeri Stable, Richard Coburn, Script R Farm, and trainer Michael Miceli's Mrs. Orb, a two-time New York-bred stakes winner, came with a steady run down the center of the track to reel in Trolley Ride and surge past late for a popular half-length triumph in Sunday's $100,000 Caesar's Wish at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The 1 1/16-mile Caesar's Wish for fillies and mares 3 and up was the third of four stakes worth $375,000 in purses on the Independence Day holiday program and part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

Favored at 2-1 in a field of seven, Mrs. Orb ($6.20) rated in fourth under jockey Horacio Karamanos as multiple stakes winner Artful Splatter was eager to go on from Post 3 and led through fractions of :23.32 and :46.63 seconds, with Midwest shipper His Glory in closest pursuit.

Trolley Ride, who swept into contention from well back on the far outside to challenge the leaders and was followed by Mrs. Orb, who dogged Trolley Ride into deep stretch before edging clear. Trolley Ride was 2 ½ lengths clear of Sweet Sammi D in third, followed by Artful Splatter, His Glory, Suggestive Honor and Gracetown. Landing Zone was scratched.

“She's done that before. Usually she's kind of a position-type mare, and today she was a little farther back. But she can come from that far back. It's just how the race unfolds for her,” Miceli said.

“She's a tough gal and not the easiest to train, but you don't mind when they can run,” he added. “She's a little temperamental and you've just kind of got to cater to her needs. If you do that, it goes a long way.”

The Caesar's Wish debuted in 1978 at old Bowie Race Course and was held at both Pimlico and Laurel before it was renamed the Beyond the Wire for 2018. It honors the Maryland-bred mare that won 11 of 16 starts over two seasons including the 1978 Grade 1 Mother Goose and Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan and 1977 Grade 2 Demoiselle and Grade 3 Villager. Her winning time in the Mother Goose broke Hall of Famer Ruffian's stakes record and stood until 1994.

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Mind Control Snaps Losing Streak With Win In Nerud Stakes At Belmont

Mind Control had not seen the inside of a winner's circle since March 2020 when he won the Grade 3 Tom Fool Handicap at Aqueduct Racetrack in New York, N.Y. The 5-year-old horse had gotten close in his last eight starts, finishing second to Mischevious Alex in the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct back in April. Sunday, Mind Control dueled with favorite Firenze Fire throughout the seven furlongs of the Grade 2 John A. Nerud Stakes at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., never letting Firenze Fire get more than a half-length on him before battling back to win by a head and earn both a trip to the winner's circle and to the Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar Nov. 6.

From the break, it was all Firenze Fire and Mind Control, with American Power and Top Speed a length behind them. The two leaders battled through the first quarter in :23.05 and then the half-mile in :46.03, with Three Technique and Top Speed still within a length of the leaders until the stretch.

As they came out of the turn, Firenze Fire and Mind Control pulled away from the rest of the field, two lengths in front of the other four, but Firenze Fire on the rail could not shake Mind Control, who battled back for a head advantage. At the wire, the difference between a third straight victory for Firenze Fire and a long overdue trip to the winner's circle for Mind Control was a head. Three Technique, Top Seed, Wicked Trick, and American Power rounded out the field. The final time for the seven furlongs was 1:21.94.

Find the race's chart here.

Mind Control paid $12.60, $3.40, and $2.80. Firenze Fire paid $2.30 and $2.10. Three Technique paid $3.10 to show.

The Grade 2 John A. Nerud Stakes is a Win and You're In event for the 2021 Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Sprint at Del Mar in Del Mar, Calif. on Nov. 6. Winners received a guaranteed spot in the starting gate with all fees paid for the corresponding Breeders' Cup race.

Winning rider John Velazquez knew that Mind Control could get the win today. “I told Todd that if he broke well, I was going to use him to get into a good position. I knew Irad [Ortiz, Jr. aboard Firenze Fire] had to be pushed coming out of there, and if someone else wanted to go crazy then I would sit off of them. I knew there was enough speed, so I used him well enough to put his head in front and then Irad come after me. It was a two-horse race. That's the way it turned out and my horse was better than the other one today.”

Trainer Todd Pletcher knew that the break was key to winning the Nerud. “The first quarter was reasonable. We weren't necessarily intent on getting the lead but we did want to make sure we got away cleanly. You can't let a horse like Firenze Fire get away with an easy lead, so we were happy to see him [Mind Control] break alertly. He ran a great race.”

Mind Control is a 5-year-old horse by Stay Thirsty out of the mare Feel That Fire, by Lightnin N Thunder. He was bred in Kentucky by Red Oak Stable and is owned by Red Oak and Madaket Stables. The G2 Nerud is his eighth victory in 21 starts for career earnings of $1,259,229.

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Classier Noses Out Defunded In Los Alamitos Derby

Even though several of the country's top 3 year olds call the West Coast home, Los Alamitos Race Course in Cypress, Calif. had a challenging time trying to come up with enough starters for Sunday's Grade 3 Los Alamitos Derby. With richer stakes elsewhere luring a number of possible entries away, the track postponed the race 24 hours to allow additional time for entries and came up with a field of five, including Bob Baffert trainees Classier and Defunded, who went two-three last time out in the Affirmed Stakes at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Sunday, the Baffert horses improved on that performance, going one-two in the G3 Los Alamitos Derby.

The race was a straightforward one from the start. Classier took the lead from the break, striding out to a length and a quarter lead over It's My House and Defunded, with Ingest and Back Ring Luck a length and a half back. The field maintained their running positions through the backstretch, with Abel Cedillo on Defunded waiting for the final turn to start bidding for the lead.

After running on easy lead throughout, Mike Smith and Classier had plenty left for his stretch run and challenge from his stablemate. In the straightaway, Defunded closed the gap with Classier but was unable to pass his fellow Baffert trainee, coming within a nose of Classier at the wire. With this victory in the G3 Los Alamitos Derby, Classier earns his first stakes win of his career. Ingest, It's My House, and Back Ring Luck rounded out the field of five.

Find this race's chart here.

The short field meant no show wagering at Los Alamitos. Classier paid $4.60 and $2.20. Defunded paid $2.10.

Mike Smith knew Classier had plenty of potential in only his fourth start. “I waited until the eighth pole to ask him and when he saw (Defunded) he really dug in. This is a big colt with a lot to him and he is going to get even better.''

Baffert, who earned his fifth straight win in this race, was glad that he started Classier in the G3 Derby despite beating fellow trainee Defunded. “I wasn't going to run (Classier) in this race. I talked to the ownership group and told them I was going to work him and if he worked well I'd run him. He worked very well (:47 1/5 half-mile July 1 at Santa Anita), so we decided to go. I really thought and the rider (Abel Cedillo) thought Defunded had him the whole way. It was pretty exciting and I was really hoping for a dead heat because I've always wanted one of those in a stakes so you don't have to make that other call. We thought he'd be on the lead last time, but he stumbled leaving the gate and he really needed the race (the Grade 3 Affirmed June 13). He's going to improve off this. I can take my time with him now and figure out a spot because he is bred to be superstar.''

Classier is a 3-year-old colt owned by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Golconda Stables, Siena Farm, and Robert Masterson. He was sired by Empire Maker out of the Bernardini mare Class Will Tell. Bred in Kentucky by Mary Sullivan, Classier was consigned by Lantern Hill Farm and purchased for $775,000 by SF Racing, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stables at the Keeneland September 2019 Yearling Sale. Sunday's win improves Classier to two wins in four lifetime starts for total winnings of $155,000.

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Alwaysinahurry Dashes To Victory In Concern Stakes At Pimlico

Mopo Racing's Alwaysinahurry, making just his second start this year, collared Grade 3-winning favorite Mighty Mischief in mid-stretch and powered home a 4 ¾-length winner of Sunday's $100,000 Concern Stakes at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

The fifth running of the six-furlong Concern for 3-year-olds, honoring the first Maryland-bred winner of the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Classic, was the second of four stakes worth $375,000 in purses on the Independence Day holiday program.

Trained by Dale Capuano and ridden by Jorge Ruiz for his third win of the afternoon, Alwaysinahurry ($20.20) completed the distance in 1:10.56 over a fast main track. Mighty Mischief, who captured the Grade 3 Chick Lang Stakes May 15 at Pimlico, finished second to snap a three-race win streak. They were followed under the line by Three Two Zone, Singlino, Sibelius, and Roderick.

“He always trained well and I always liked him,” Capuano said. “Alwaysinahurry just disappointed me a few times so we gave him some time off for the winter and let him mature a little bit. Today he ran like I thought he could.”

Mighty Mischief broke running from Post 1 and quickly established command through a quarter-mile in :22.97 seconds, going a half in :45.95 while pressed to his outside by Roderick. Ruiz and Alwaysinahurry settled in third before tipping out approaching the stretch, then set down for the drive to the wire.

“He rode him excellent. We talked about that before the race. We thought there would be plenty of speed,” Capuano said. “We knew [Mighty Mischief] was going to go from the rail so we just wanted to sit off the pace and try to save ground and he did a good job doing that. He had a good trip and it worked out perfectly.”

It was the first career stakes win for Alwaysinahurry, who ran second to multiple stakes-winning stablemate Kenny Had a Notion in the Maryland Million Nursery last fall before capping his juvenile season running fifth behind Jaxon Traveler in the Maryland Juvenile Futurity, both at Laurel Park.

Alwaysinahurry, a gelded son of leading Maryland sire Great Notion, returned from a six-month layoff to be fourth by a length facing his elders in an open six-furlong allowance June 9 at Delaware Park, giving Capuano the confidence to return to stakes company.

“The Delaware race was a very tough race. They were all older horses and he fought all the way after the layoff and came out of the race really well,” he said. “I just thought that this race surely wasn't any tougher than the last race. That was kind of a hidden tough race. It all worked out well.”

Earlier wins for Ruiz on Sunday's card came with No Fooling Dude ($31.20) in Race 2 and Behind the Couch ($13) in Race 6.

Concern, trained by the late Dickie Small, won seven of 30 career starts and more than $3 million in purse earnings from 1993-95. His 1994 season included wins in the Breeders' Cup and Grade 2 Arkansas Derby, seconds in the Grade 1 Travers Stakes, the Grade 1 Super Derby and Grade 2 Ohio Derby, and thirds in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes, Grade 1 Haskell, Grade 2 Molson Export Million, and Grade 3 Round Table.

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