robert t. manfuso stakes | Horse Racing Free Tips

MATCH Champion Cordmaker Emphatic In Final Race Of The Series

Hillwood Stable's Cordmaker had sealed the overall title in the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships (MATCH Series) earlier on the Dec. 26 card at Laurel Park, but he ended the series emphatically with a strong victory in the $100,000 Robert T. Manfuso Stakes in the final race of the series.

Ridden by Victor Carrasco for trainer Rodney Jenkins, favored Cordmaker was rated inside for most of the 1 1/16-mile Manfuso. He was guided outside entering the stretch and reeled in the leaders—Workin On a Dream and Shackqueenking, who finished second and third, respectively—to capture his third stakes win in this year's MATCH Series. Cordmaker, a 6-year-old Curlin gelding bred in Maryland by the late Robert Manfuso and Katy Voss, who operates a stable at Laurel, is the only horse to have had competed in all six races in his division (3-Year-Olds and Up Long—Dirt) this year.

“It's all so special,” said Ellen Charles, who owns Hillwood Stable, a prominent Maryland racing and breeding operation. “Bob (Manfuso) was always my friend. I think Cordmaker is my best horse, an amazing horse who is a great character in the barn. He knows he's special, and he has given us wonderful, wonderful wins. It's just great to be a part of this.”

It was the 12th victory in 34 starts for graded stakes-placed Cordmaker, who is approaching $800,000 in earnings. His MATCH Series scores came in the Manfuso, the Richard Small Stakes at Laurel, and the Victory Gallop Stakes at Colonial Downs. He also won the Harrison Johnson Memorial at Laurel, where his is stabled, earlier in 2021.

“Cordmaker is very special,” said Carrasco, who has ridden Cordmaker in all of his starts this year and some before that. “We had a good trip right off the speed, and once we turned for home and he got some daylight, he was gone. It's awesome. He's a good horse and I think it's even better when you have a home-track horse winning the series. I'm just happy for Mrs. Charles, Mr. Jenkins, assistant trainer Eveline (Kjelstrup) and the whole crew in the barn.”

Cordmaker ended the MATCH Series with 49 points in his division, the most of any horse in the 2021 series. Mary Eppler Racing Stable and Ram Racing Stable's McElmore Avenue was second with 18 points in the division, followed by Trin-Brook Stables' Forewarned in third with 6 points.

Willa On The Move Stakes

Bush Racing Stable & Liberty House Racing's Kaylasaurus, claimed for $25,000 at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course in her previous start, went from last to first to win the $100,000, six-furlong Willa On the Move Stakes. It was the 2021 MATCH Series debut for the 5-year-old Munnings mare.

Ridden by Horacio Karamanos for trainer Tim Kreiser, Pennsylvania-bred Kaylasaurus won for the seventh time in 19 starts and passed the $200,000 mark in earnings. Eric Rizer's Princess Kokachin, who had previously won five races in a row, finished second, with Dontletsweetfoolya third.

“She always makes a big move down the stretch,” the Penn National-based Kreiser said. “Horacio saw the early pace and saw (Hello Beautiful) struggling.”

Hello Beautiful, owned by Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables and Magic Stables and trained by Brittany Russell, finished fifth but took the division title on the strength of two wins and a second in series competition. Hello Beautiful, with four MATCH Series starts this year, finished with 34 points (second to Cordmaker), while the retired Never Enough Time (22 points) and Paisley Singing (12 points) finished second and third, respectively, in the division.

Dave's Friend Stakes

Hillside Equestrian Meadows' Laki was entered in the $100,000 six-furlong Dave's Friend and scratched the morning of the race. But the 8-year-old Maryland-bred gelding by Cuba had enough points to capture his third consecutive title in the MATCH Series division. Laki, trained by Damon Dilodovico, has only missed two MATCH events—the Dave's Friend and a stakes at Delaware Park—in the three years since the series returned to the Mid-Atlantic calendar.

“He's a warrior, that's for sure,” Dilodovico said. “He's a special guy. After a horse like Immortal Eyes, who we had, it's not often you get a very good, quality animal. He spiked a temperature this morning; we've had a few bugs the last seven to 10 days. But to be able to know you have a shot to get to the wire first every time you go to post—that's Laki.”

Laki, who is 11-for-38 with multiple stakes victories, has earned $833,162. He finished the 2021 MATCH Series with 21 points in his division, followed by Mucho with 20 and Whereshetoldmetogo with 10.

Pocket 3's Racing Threes Over Deuces, trained by Gary Capuano and ridden by Victor Rosales, rallied wide in the lane and got the advantage at the wire in a scramble in the Dave's Friend. The 6-year-old Flat Out gelding, first, second or third in 28 of 40 starts, cleared the $500,000 mark in earnings.

“He's always fighting,” said Jon Madden of Pocket 3's Racing. “In his last couple races the jockey sent him, but with how the track was playing today, he held him back early. It was time to turn the tables once on Whereshetoldmetogo.”

Kentucky-based Mucho, owned by WSS Racing and 4 G Racing and trained by John Ortiz, competed in three MATCH Series events, two in Maryland and one in Virginia. Ortiz said he looks forward to future MATCH appearances.

“We were very happy to be a part of the series and hope to be back again in 2022 with two new shooters,” he said.

Carousel Stakes

BB Horses' Miss Leslie and James Wolf's Artful Splatter entered the 1 1/8-mile Carousel tied at 13 points each. Miss Leslie, trained by Claudio Gonzalez, won the race, but Artful Splatter, trained by Kieron Magee, won the division with a second-place finish in her fourth series start.

Miss Leslie, a 3-year-old Paynter filly, won her third race in a row, all under jockey Angel Cruz, with a strong rally from the back of the pack. She was one of two 3-year-olds in a field of eight.

“She's a good filly,” Cruz said. “She's nice to ride. In the morning she's kind of laid-back; I have to work hard with her. I felt really comfortable with her today. Just about every horse was coming from off the pace.”

Artful Splatter, under Carol Cedeno, sat just off the early leader before taking the lead on the far turn. She maintained the lead until the final sixteenth of a mile but held for second, which gave her the division victory. Artful Splatter, a 5-year-old Maryland-bred mare by Bandbox, made four series starts to three for Miss Leslie.

“I'm thrilled,” Magee said of winning the MATCH Series division. “I brought her here last week (from Pimlico Race Course) to work on this track. She broke well and took herself into the race. The filly that beat us obviously is very nice, but Artful Splatter has been a really good mare for a $16,000 claim.”

Artful Splatter finished with 25 points in the division, followed by Miss Leslie with 23 and Lookin Dynamic with 9 points.

MATCH Series division bonus money is awarded to the owner and trainer of the top horses based on points as follows: $20,000/$10,000 for first, $15,000/$7,500 for second, and $7,500/$3,000 for third. In addition, the owner and trainer of the overall points-earner regardless of division will receive $20,000 and $10,000, respectively. A horse must start at least three times in one division to qualify for bonus money.

In addition, bonuses will be distributed to the breeder of the top overall point-earning Maryland-bred horse and Maryland-sired horse in the series as follows—$3,000 for Maryland-bred and $3,000 for Maryland-sired.

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Cordmaker Clinches MATCH Title With Robert T. Manfuso Triumph

In a fitting end to his 6-year-old season, Hillwood Stable's Cordmaker paid tribute to his breeder by earning his 12^th career victory and eighth against stakes company in Sunday's $100,000 Robert T. Manfuso at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

The inaugural Manfuso for 3-year-olds and up going about 1 1/16 miles and the return of the 1 1/8-mile Carousel for fillies and mares 3 and up, which carried Grade 3 status from 1988 through 1997 and was last run in 2002 at Laurel, were among six $100,000 stakes on a nine-race Christmastide Day program.

Cordmaker ($4.40) was bred in Maryland by Manfuso and his life partner, Laurel-based trainer Katy Voss, who presented the winner's trophy to the connections, including Hillwood's Ellen Charles, trainer Rodney Jenkins and regular rider Victor Carrasco.

A longtime owner and breeder and former owner of both Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course who was instrumental in revitalizing Maryland racing, Manfuso passed away in March 2020.

“We've all been talking about it for about a week. I'm glad we were able to get it done,” Jenkins said. “It was nice. He's such a good horse.”

A gelded son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin, Cordmaker won for the third time in four starts – all in stakes – and clinched the older male long dirt division and overall MATCH Series titles.

Breaking from the rail as the 6-5 favorite in a field that scratched down to six, Cordmaker settled in fourth as multiple stakes winner Alwaysmining took the lead and held it through a quarter-mile in 23.47 seconds and a half in 47.38 pressed by Workin On a Dream, who finished second to Cordmaker in the Richard W. Small Nov. 27 at Laurel.

Carrasco tipped Cordmaker out leaving the far turn and set his sights on 3-2 second choice Shackqueenking, who had inherited the lead after Alwaysmining began to fade. Cordmaker straightened out, powered past Shackqueenking and opened up for a 3 ½-length victory. Workin On a Dream edged Shackqueenking by a half-length for second, with Plot the Dots a nose better than McElmore Avenue in fourth.

“Naturally he drew the one hole of all days, but he figured it out,” Jenkins said. “He got around that turn and saved some ground there, and then when they straightened out and Victor asked him, I think he won as easy as he's won any race in his life.”

Cordmaker has finished third or better 23 times in 34 career starts including 12 wins and $794,640 in purse earnings. He is 17-for-26 in the money at Laurel, his home track, with other stakes wins in the 2018 Jennings, 2019 Polynesian, and 2019 and 2021 Harrison Johnson Memorial and last month's Small. He also won the Aug. 23 Victory Gallop at Colonial Downs and 2019 DTHA Governors Day Handicap at Delaware Park, and was third in the 2019 and 2020 Pimlico Special (G3).

Miss Leslie wins her third consecutive race in the Carousel for trainer Claudio Gonzalez

Miss Leslie Runs Win Streak to Three in $100,000 Carousel
BB Horses' Miss Leslie extended her win streak to three races including back-to-back stakes after sweeping to the lead once straightened for home and sprinting clear through the stretch to a 3 ¾-length triumph in the $100,000 Carousel.

Ridden by Angel Cruz for fall meet-leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez, Miss Leslie ($5) ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:52.21 over a fast main track as the 3-2 favorite in a field of eight fillies and mares. Fellow multiple stakes winner Artful Splatter was second, 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Kiss the Girl, who edged Belle of the North by a neck for third.

Scatrattleandroll, breaking from one spot inside Miss Leslie who drew the far outside, was sent out of the gate by jockey Jaime Rodriguez and in front through fractions of 24.58 and 49.11 seconds, pressed by Artful Splatter. Smooth With a Kick, racing for the first time since Jan. 17, led the second flight with Kiss the Girl.

Cruz gave Miss Leslie her cue leaving the backstretch and the 3-year-old daughter of Paynter began to roll while in the clear on the outside, reeling in Artful Splatter at the top of the stretch and opening up after a mile in 1:39.52.

“I felt really comfortable because we worked her last week and she worked really good,” Cruz said. “Today, every horse was coming from off the pace and my filly comes from off of it. It played out really well.”

Miss Leslie won the Anne Arundel County to cap her 2-year-old campaign and the April 24 Weber City Miss in her third start at 3. She went winless in five starts, including graded attempts in the Black-Eyed Susan (G2), Monmouth Oaks (G3) and Charles Town Oaks (G3), before ending the slide with a last-to-first optional claiming triumph Oct. 21 at Delaware Park.

In her prior start, Miss Leslie rallied from next-to-last to capture the Nov. 13 Thirty Eight Go Go going about 1 1/16 miles at Laurel. Each of the wins during her streak have come over older horses and with Cruz aboard.

“She's a good filly. She's nice to ride. We've had to work hard with her but she does everything right,” Cruz said. “A lot of times I just work her because she's really nervous in the morning. Claudio lets me work her and it's been playing out really good. She works good and she runs good.”

Notes: Laurel will host a special Monday program of nine races Dec. 27 featuring carryovers of $10,645.14 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 and $2,170.08 in the $1 Super Hi-5. Tickets with five of six winners in Sunday's Rainbow 6 each returned $1,419.50.

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MATCH: Cordmaker Can Honor Breeder In Robert T. Manfuso; Belle Of The North Goes For Two Straight In Carousel

Hillwood Stable's multiple stakes winner Cordmaker, still going strong at the age of 6, looks to close out a solid campaign by stringing together back-to-back wins for the first time in more than two years in the $100,000 Robert T. Manfuso Dec. 26 at Laurel Park.

The inaugural Manfuso for 3-year-olds and up going about 1 1/16 miles and the return of the 1 1/8-mile Carousel for fillies and mares 3 and up, which carried Grade 3 status from 1988 through 1997 and was last run in 2002 at Laurel, are among six $100,000 stakes on a nine-race Christmastide Day program.

In addition to the Manfuso and Carousel, the Dave's Friend for 3-year-olds and up and Willa On the Move for fillies and mares 3 and older, both sprinting six furlongs, close out the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series in their respective divisions.

First race post time is 12:25 p.m.

A gelded son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin, Cordmaker has already clinched the MATCH Series older male long dirt division title. He leads 4-year-old filly Hello Beautiful – entered in the Willa On the Move – by nine points, 36-27, for the overall title.

Cordmaker was bred in Maryland by Manfuso and his life partner, trainer Katy Voss. A longtime owner and breeder and former owner of both Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course who was instrumental in revitalizing Maryland racing, Manfuso passed away in March 2020.

“To win that would be really nice for the horse and the owner, Mrs. [Ellen] Charles,” trainer Rodney Jenkins said. “We've both seen quite a lot.”

Cordmaker has finished third or better 22 times in 33 career starts including 11 wins and $734,640 in purse earnings. He is 16-for-25 in the money at Laurel, his home track, picking up his eighth and most recent victory in the 1 1/8-mile Richard W. Small Nov. 27. He sat off the pace in third, took the lead at the top of the stretch and went on to a 1 ¾-length score.

The effort helped ease the sting of his prior start, when he finished second by a length to Captain Bombastic in the Sept. 18 Polynesian but was disqualified to sixth for interference after drifting out in the stretch. Before that, he won the 1 1/16-mile Victory Gallop Aug. 23 at Colonial Downs.

“I was happy with the last race. He ran well and he did what he had to do,” Jenkins said. “It was nice to see him come back and overcome the things that had happened to him. He had a rough go there for about a month. It didn't discourage him, I don't think.”

Cordmaker owns seven career stakes wins, five of them coming at Laurel. He has also placed in eight other stakes, running third in successive editions of the historic Pimlico Special (G3) in 2019 and 2020.

“He's sound and doing good,” Jenkins said. “I feel real good about him. I think he'll run good. He's been doing well.”

Jenkins gave Cordmaker one breeze between the Small and Manfuso, a five-furlong move Dec. 18 at Laurel that went in 1:01.60, seventh-fastest of 36 horses. He will break from the rail in a field of nine under regular rider Victor Carrasco.

“We don't do a lot with him. We gallop him if he needs it. If he gets too fresh we gallop him. I walk him some days, jog him some days. It just depends on what mood he's in, and he's stayed – knock on wood – real sound,” Jenkins said.

“I rest him when I see there's a big period before a race that we really want to go in. I'll just walk him and turn him out and stuff like that,” he added. “He's not a horse that's been really drilled through his career. He seems like he's got a lot of racing left.”

The only horse to rival Cordmaker's on-track success is Runnymoore Racing's 5-year-old gelding Alwaysmining, a 10-time winner from 32 lifetime starts with seven stakes victories. Most of his success came at 2 and 3, though he did capture the Jennings and John B. Campbell to open 2020. He has gone 1-for-14 since, finishing sixth last time out in the Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial Nov. 26 at Laurel.

Mohan Stable, Inc.'s Bobby G, 7, has earned 14 of his 16 lifetime victories in 47 starts at Laurel, with most of his success coming in starter races. He has run in four career stakes, finishing second in the 2020 Claiming Crown Iron Horse at Gulfstream Park and third in the 2019 Small at Laurel.

McCarty Racing's Doubleoseven will return to dirt in the Manfuso after finishing off the board in successive turf stakes, running fourth in the July 3 Kent (G3) at Delaware Park and eighth in the Aug. 31 Virginia Derby (G3) at Colonial, his most recent effort.

“It was just a planned break for him. He's not a real tall horse but he's kind of long and lean so we gave him a little time to let him grow. The owner is very good, very patient,” trainer Jerry O'Dwyer said. “I was hoping to run him in a two-other-than a couple of weeks ago as a prep and come back for the stake, but things didn't work out that way. We've just been sitting on him.

“We gave him a couple tries on turf. He ran well in the Kent Stakes so we said we'd give him another go. There wasn't a lot of options for him at the time for a 3-year-old stakes,” he added. “It didn't go as planned but he's equally effective on the dirt.”

Doubleoseven has had a steady string of works at Laurel since Oct. 31 for his comeback, which would mark just the second time the 3-year-old faced older horses. He won his only other try in a restricted 1 1/16-mile allowance May 29 over a sloppy Pimlico main track.

“He's doing very well,” O'Dwyer said. “We just gave him an easy breeze here [the other day]; he went in 1:01 and change. I didn't even breeze him the week before. I just left him alone because he's fairly fit and tied on. He's a light-framed horse so I don't want to overcook the goose.”

Stakes winners Everett's Song, who had a three-race win streak snapped when fifth as the favorite in the Nov. 27 City of Laurel, and Shackqueenking; Small runner-up Workin On a Dream; McElmore Avenue and Plot the Dots are also entered.

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Stronach Stable, Inc.'s Belle of the North, a homebred daughter of Street Boss that became a stakes winner in her previous start, will attempt to make it two in a row in the $100,000 Carousel Dec. 26 at Laurel Park.

The Carousel will be just the seventh start for Belle of the North, trained by Jose Corrales. She drew Post 4 in a field of eight and, as the lone 3-year-old filly in the field, will carry low weight of 119 pounds including jockey Horacio Karamanos.

“The filly is doing very well. She's doing very well,” Corrales said. “She's training good after the race, and she's a horse that has been an improving horse. I think we're going in the right direction.”

Belle of the North was making her stakes debut when she made a last-to-first move to capture the seven-furlong Safely Kept by a half-length over Fraudulent Charge Nov. 27 at Laurel. Runner-up in four stakes, Fraudulent Charge came back a popular 5 ¾-length allowance winner Dec. 18.

“I think she was in the right spot last time. I don't think I wouldn't have wanted her any closer. I think she was perfect where she was,” Corrales said. “As a matter of fact, I think she was probably closer than where I expected her to be. But she broke better this time, because she's slow out of the gate.”

Belle of the North has encountered early trouble in half of her races, part of the reason she didn't graduate until a Sept. 24 maiden special weight triumph at Laurel after going unraced at 2.

“She's improving every time. I think with this filly just the time will help her to mature and she will be even better,” Corrales said. “Now we're stretching her out going a mile and an eighth and I think that's' going to help her. I've been teaching her to go longer, to open up her air so that she has enough air to finish.”

Miss Leslie, Lookin Dynamic, Villanelle and Artful Splatter, the first four finishers from the Nov. 13 Thirty Eight Go Go at Laurel, will line up again in the Carousel along with Scatrattleandroll, who ran sixth. The top quartet was separated by only 2 ½ lengths, with favored Miss Leslie making a five-wide move to win by half a length, her second straight victory for fall meet-leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez.

Jeff Drown's Smooth With a Kick is entered to make her first start since Jan. 17, when the 5-year-old Candy Ride mare ran last of six in the Ladies Handicap at Aqueduct. A $270,000 yearling that sold for $650,000 as a 2-year-old in training, she put together a 3-3-3 record with $221,005 in purse earnings from 14 starts for previous trainer Chad Brown.

“This probably isn't the ideal starting point. She's a nice mare. She's done some good racing. The goal is to get her on the board in a stake but the mile and an eighth [is tough]. I wish I could have had her ready sooner,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “I would have liked to have gotten a run into her, per se, but it just hasn't worked out. She's training great, though. I think she's honest and I think she'll run well.”

Smooth With a Kick made her stakes debut at Laurel in the 2020 Twixt, finishing third as the favorite to Wicked Awesome, beaten 7 ½ lengths, after being bumped at the break. She followed that effort by winning an optional claiming allowance at Keeneland, then was fifth in the Falls City (G2) prior to her latest start.

“She was training down in Florida. Niall Brennan had her. I think they were planning on breeding her and she ended up getting some time off and they thought, 'Well, there's nothing wrong with her, let's put her back in training,'” Russell said. “It just took them probably a little bit longer to get her to the racetrack than they wanted. She's been in training for quite some time even though she's only been with me for eight weeks. She has plenty of works under her belt coming in. It's just the nature of the distance and the caliber of horse she'll be running against.”

Smooth With a Kick had the first timed breeze of her comeback Sept. 4 at Brennan's Ocala, Fla. farm, and has had eight works since Oct. 24 for Russell, six at Laurel and two at historic Pimlico Race Course.

“She's very classy. She does exactly what you ask in the morning,” Russell said. “Her work tab might not be flashy, looking at the times, but she's put up some good works beside some horses in the morning and she keeps going. She has really nice gallop-outs. She seems like there's quality to her and she's very straightforward. I'm hoping that kind of translates to the afternoon.”

Jevian Toledo has the call on Smooth With a Kick from the rail.

Rounding out the field is Three Diamonds Farm's Kiss the Girl, the Mike Trombetta-trained stablemate of Lookin Dynamic and Villanelle. Kiss the Girl was second in the 2019 Schuylerville (G3) at Saratoga, won the March 13 Conniver at Laurel and Aug. 21 All Brandy at Pimlico, and most recently scored a 4 ¾-length optional claiming allowance triumph Nov. 7 at the same course and distance.

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