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Pocket 3's Racing's Threes Over Deuces, narrowly beaten in his previous two starts, came out on the winning end of another close finish by surging between horses approaching the wire and getting his head down first to capture Sunday's $100,000 Dave's Friend at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

The 18^th running of the Dave's Friend for 3-year-olds and up and 11^th renewal of the Willa On the Move for fillies and mares 3 and up, both sprinting six furlongs, were among six $100,000 stakes on a nine-race Christmastide Day program.

Both races served as the finale in their respective divisions for the 2021 Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.

Threes Over Deuces ($26.60) earned his second career stakes win and first since being promoted to victory over Whereshetoldmetogo in last fall's New Castle at Delaware Park. The 6-year-old Flat Out gelding, second in the 2020 General George (G3) at Laurel, had gone winless through seven 2021 starts, beaten a neck while third to Whereshetoldmetogo in a New Castle rematch and second by head to Battle Station in a Nov. 14 optional claimer at Laurel.

“It was nice to turn the tables once on Whereshetoldmetogo. Hopefully it's the start of The Deuce getting back to [being] The Deuce,” Jon Madden, principal owner Pocket 3's Racing, said. “He's always fighting. He started the year slow and then started to get right. The last two races we sent him but with the new track we held him back, and it worked out.”

Threes Over Deuces settled off a 22.94-second opening quarter mile run by Newbomb, who maintained a short advantage after a half in 46.26 as a field that included multiple stakes winner Whereshetoldmetogo, Maryland Million Sprint winners Air Token and Karan's Notion and 14-time career winner Penguin Power began to close in.

Jockey Victor Rosales swung Threes Over Deuces out wide leaving the far turn and set him down for a drive to the wire, where they were able to edge past a stubborn Penguin Power and hold off a late bid on the far outside from Nov. 26 Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial runner-up Youngest of Five, who wound up a nose behind Penguin Power. It was a length back to Air Token in fourth, with 3-2 favorite Whereshetoldmetogo checking in fifth. Grade 3 winner Laki was scratched.

The winning time was 1:10.94 over a fast main track.

“It was the plan to take him back today,” Rosales said. “In the early races the speed wasn't holding on, so we tried to take him from behind this time.”

Kaylasaurus made a last-to-first rally to win the Willa On the Move

Late Surge Powers Kaylasaurus in $100,000 Willa On the Move
Bush Racing Stable and Liberty House Racing's Kaylasaurus, trailing by as many as nine lengths at one point, completed a last-to-first move with an eye-catching rally through the stretch to surge past Princess Kokachin and win the $100,000 Willa On the Move.

It was the first career stakes win for Kaylasaurus ($13), a 5-year-old daughter of multiple Grade 2-winning sprinter Munnings racing first time off the claim for Penn National-based trainer Tim Kreiser. The winning time was 1:11.74 over a fast main track.

“She always makes that big move down the stretch, and Maryland's known for the quarter pole home is where you make your money,” Kreiser said, “so, we thought this would be the best spot to run her.”

Princess Kokachin, who extended her win streak to five with a front-running triumph over eight-time stakes winner Hello Beautiful in the Nov. 26 Politely at Laurel, broke running and held the advantage again over Hello Beautiful after going the opening quarter-mile in 22.30 seconds and the half in 45.77.

Jockey Xavier Perez and Princess Kokachin were still going easy on the turn as Hello Beautiful, favored at 4-5, was passed to her inside by 25-1 long shot Paisley Singing. Princess Kokachin was comfortably in front and going strong in mid-stretch but was no match for the devastating late run on the far outside from Kaylasaurus.

“We saw the pace was there,” Kreiser said. “[Hello Beautiful] was struggling trying to keep up with [Princess Kokachin], so I was feeling good about the three-eighths pole.”

Kaylasaurus won by 2 ¼ lengths over Princess Kokachin, with Paisley Singing another two lengths back in third. Dontletsweetfoolya and Hello Beautiful completed the order of finish. The winner was claimed for $25,000 out of a 3 ¼-length win going six furlongs Nov. 30 at Penn National and was making her third career stakes try. She finished 10^th in the 2018 Gin Talking at Laurel and fourth in the Aug. 23 Dr. Teresa Garofalo Memorial at Parx.

“The race was good for my filly,” winning jockey Horacio Karamanos said. “The speed was going and she's got a beautiful finish, so I just sit in behind. They were going fast and I tried to be close but not rush her and when she started to move in the middle of the turn, I go little wide to look for the best spot and she give me a beautiful kick at the end. The last sixteenth of a mile, she was just galloping.”

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Larry Rabold's Polished Gal provided trainer Hugh McMahon with his 1,000th career victory in thrilling fashion, getting her nose down on the wire ahead of late-running Splendor Gal in Sunday's sixth race at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

Polished Gal ($8.60), a 4-year-old Maryland-bred filly ridden by Victor Rosales, ran six furlongs in 1:12.93 over a fast main track to earn her fourth lifetime win from 19 starts in the claiming event for fillies and mares 3 and older.

Rosales settled Polished Gal in third as Midnight Crossing led the way through splits of 24.86 and 47.92 seconds before being passed by 6-5 favorite Gottaflathaveher midway around the far turn. Once straightened for home, Polished Gal steadily reeled in Gottaflathaveher down the stretch and held off a furious late run to her outside by Splendor Gal for the milestone victory.

McMahon, a 52-year-old native of Doncaster, England, has won with four of his last nine starters, winning once on each of Laurel's four racing programs this week. Polished Gal – his only starter on Sunday's card – was preceded by Paynterbynumbers Nov. 19, He's Zippin On By Nov. 20 and Gary Doing Biz Nov. 21.

“I'm excited. It's a significant landmark,” McMahon said. “It's humbling as well. I was just speaking with one of our grooms and he congratulated me and I told him it's not really me, it's a team, But, we're more than a team, we're a family. My name is up there but it's not really me. There are a lot of people that are involved in this, but more than anything it's God's gift to us. Everything that we have is a gift.”

A steady presence among Maryland's leading trainers since first going out on his own in 2011, McMahon was the state's overall wins leader in 2013. This year, one abridged by the coronavirus pandemic, he has 33 wins from 206 starters with purse earnings of more than $930,000. McMahon has topped the $1 million mark in each of the past nine years, with highs of 166 wins and $3.981 million in 2013.

McMahon is currently tied for fourth with nine wins from 37 starters at Laurel's calendar year-ending fall meet, which began Oct. 8.

McMahon was introduced to the sport by watching the races on television with his father, a coal miner in northern England. He was encouraged to become a jockey and attended the riding academy there, winning 59 races after coming to the U.S. in the 1990s before hanging up his tack in 1998.

In 2005 McMahon became an assistant to trainer Scott Lake, at the time running one of the biggest operations in the country with a peak of 287 horses in 2008. McMahon worked for Lake, a winner of more than 6,100 career races, through 2010, having saddled 108 winners in his own name starting with Flying Retsina Run June 9, 2005, at Pimlico Race Course at odds of 35-1.

McMahon won 98 races the first year on his own and followed with seasons of 146, 166 and 108 wins from 2012-14. He won individual meet titles at Laurel's 2013 winter and fall stands and shared its 2014 winter crown, and has also been the leading trainer at Timonium and Colonial Downs.

Ranked third overall in 2012, McMahon's 74 wins led all Maryland trainers in 2013. His first big horse was Don'tgetsuspicous, who he inherited from Lake and trained to 10 wins, three in stakes, and $324,817 in purse earnings from 28 starts from 2010-12.

Other top horses for McMahon include 2018 Dave's Friend winner Colonel Sharp, 2017 Jameela winner Daylight Ahead and 2017 Camptown winner Northern Eclipse. He trains a 5-year-old Maryland-bred gelding named Brooks Robinson for owner-breeder Mary Boskin and helped facilitate a meeting between the horse and its namesake, a Hall of Fame third baseman for the Baltimore Orioles from 1955-77, in mid-February.

“A lot of what gets lost is that we wouldn't be here if it weren't for the owners. I've been lucky to have a lot of great owners over the years that have carried us, especially through the dry spells,” McMahon said. “They've been very loyal to us, even through the losing streaks, and gotten us where we are.”

Notes: Jockey Sheldon Russell bookended card with wins in Sunday's opener aboard Bound for Broadway ($6.40) and the eighth-race finale with Champagne Toast ($29) … Live racing returns with a special Thanksgiving Day holiday program Thursday. Post time for the first of eight races is 11:25 a.m. … There will be carryovers of $9,593.05 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 and $5,237.62 in the $1 Super Hi-5 wagers. Tickets with four of six winners in Sunday's Rainbow 6 each returned $218.28.

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