With Two Stakes Wins Already, Brittany Russell on Track for Another Big Year

Riding high off an exceptional year in 2022, where she was the leading trainer at Laurel Park's fall and spring meet and tied for the lead at the Preakness Meet at Pimlico, Brittany Russell is poised for another strong showing this year.

The Laurel-based conditioner got the season off to a good start two weeks ago when Prince of Jericho and L Street Lady, both by Munnings, swept the two $100,000 stakes races for 3-year-olds on Jan. 21 at Laurel.

“It was really exciting to have two stakes winners in one day,” Russell said. “They're both 3-year-olds and it's early in the year, so it's great that they are coming along and making the progress you like to see.”

Michael Dubb and Morris Bailey's Prince of Jericho arrived at Russell's barn last spring. While the horsewoman initially thought the colt showed turf potential, his debut race in October was switched to the main track and Prince of Jericho finished a promising third. He came back two weeks later to break his maiden by nearly 12 lengths on the dirt under Russell's husband, leading Maryland jockey Sheldon Russell.

Three weeks before his recent stakes win in the Spectacular Bid S., Prince of Jericho finished second to Coffeewithchris (Ride On Curlin) in his stakes debut in December. He turned the tables on that same rival in the Spectacular Bid, sweeping four wide and pulling away down the lane to win by four.

“We really took our time with him and Sheldon always liked him,” Russell said. “When he ran second in the stake, Sheldon came back and mentioned that he probably should have let him run around the turn a bit more. That gave us the confidence to run him back in three weeks. He made a nice move around the turn and he really accelerated. He ran down a horse that beat him last time and he looked good doing it.”

L Street Lady, a $125,000 yearling purchase by Liz Crow for Madaket Stables, is another trainee that has blossomed under Russell's patient hand.

“She's a big-bodied filly and there's a lot to her,” Russell said. “She has gone through many growth spurts since we've had her. We always thought a lot of her and it was really nice of the Madaket crew to let us take our time with her.”

Third in her debut last fall on the turf, L Street Lady returned to the starting gate in December, this time on the dirt, and won by 7 ½. She was bet down to near co-favoritism in the Xtra Heat S. along with Maryland Million Lassie S. winner Chickieness (Blofeld) and rewarded her connections when she let Chickieness set the pace through much of the six-furlong contest and then took command at the top of the stretch.

“It was a beautiful trip,” Russell recalled. “She left there running and we didn't want [Chickieness] to get too far ahead of us. She has seasoning on L Street Lady and is a good Maryland horse, but 'L Street' responded at the end and ran big.”

Both Prince of Jericho and L Street Lady are progressing in their training since their stakes wins and Russell has plans sketched out for their spring campaigns. The Munnings duo has a chance to claim stakes wins on the same day yet again during Laurel's Winter Carnival program on Feb. 18.

“As long as he continues to progress, Prince of Jericho will run in the Miracle Wood S.,” Russell reported. “We'll try a mile with him. Distance doesn't seem to be an issue, but he'll have to answer the question in the afternoon. L Street Lady will go to the Wide Country S. at seven furlongs. With the way she ran last time, I think locally she should be tough.”

Russell has gone to the winner's circle 14 times already this year, putting her on pace to beat her career-high 100-win season last year. The current leading trainer of the Laurel meet, she has already amassed quite the arsenal of promising 3-year-olds for the year. Along with Prince of Jericho and L Street Lady, her winning sophomores include Haymarket Farm homebred Cats Inthe Timber (Honor Code), Grace and Charm (Accelerate), It's Viper (Super Saver), Pharoahs Baby Gyal (American Pharoah) and Tappin Josie (Anchor Down). Hillwood Stable's Post Time (Frosted), who won the Maryland Juvenile S. in December and is undefeated in three starts at Laurel, has yet to make his sophomore debut.

Doppelganger, the son of Into Mischief who ran second in last year's GII San Felipe S. under Bob Baffert, has been transferred to Russell for his 4-year-old season. Campaigned by a group that includes SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables and others, he claimed an allowance at Laurel on Jan. 27 in his first start for Russell.

Wondrwherecraigis (Munnings), who gave Russell her first career graded stakes win in the 2021 GIII Bold Ruler H. and was a stakes winner in Maryland last year, will return to the track for his 6-year-old season. Russell said that no target is set in stone for the gelding owned by Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables and Michael Caruso, but added that the barn favorite put in his first work of the year at Laurel on Friday.

A native of Pennsylvania, Russell got her start in the industry as an amateur jockey and then worked for trainers Brad Cox, Jimmy Jerkens, Ron Moquett and Jonathan Sheppard before opening her stable in 2018. After five years of steady growth, while surpassing a 20% winning percentage in each season, Russell credits the owners behind BTR Racing Stable for her operation's many achievements in such a short period.

“When you have the clients like we have–Madaket Stables, Mike Dubb and those types of guys–and now we're getting horse from Starlight and the SF group, it's a big deal,” she said. “We're getting better quality in the barn and it's exciting.”

With a growing number of equine constituents comes a need for skilled hands involved in the day-to-day running of the operation. Russell said that her team has taken it all in stride.

“My team has grown so much in the few years that I've been at this and I'm so proud of everyone and the responsibility that everyone has taken on to manage a larger number of horses and better quality of horses,” she said. “All we can hope is that they keep coming and our barn keeps growing and we can hopefully win big races moving forward.”

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Six Stakes Worth $550,000 Comprise Laurel’s 10-Race Card On Saturday

Grade 3 winner Hibiscus Punch, multiple stakes winners Wondrwherecraigis and Cordmaker, and promising 3-year-old H P Moon are among the horses to watch on Laurel Park's stakes-filled Saturday program.

Six stakes worth $550,000 in purses help comprise Laurel's 10-race card, which begins at 12:10 p.m.

Stakes action begins in Race 3, the $75,000 Jennings for Maryland-bred/sired horses, where Hillwood Stable's Cordmaker chases his 13th career win, ninth in a stakes and third in row. Maryland-bred/sired females follow in Race 4, the $75,000 Geisha featuring Mike Trombetta-trained stablemates Kiss the Girl and Lookin Dynamic.

K E M Racing Stable and Five Hellions Farm's H P Moon will make just his second career start and first since an eye-opening debut triumph last August at Pimlico in Race 6, the $100,000 Spectacular Bid. The seven-furlong Spectacular Bid is Maryland's first stakes race of the season for 3-year-olds. Stakes winners Buff My Boots and Luna Belle headline the $100,000 Xtra Heat for 3-year-old fillies in Race 7.

Edward Seltzer and Beverly Anderson's homebred Hibiscus Punch ends an 8 ½ month break between starts in Race 8, the $100,000 What a Summer, just her second race since pulling a 41-1 upset in the 2021 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) last February at Laurel. Among the competition are stakes winners Princess Kokachin, Prodigy Doll, Kaylasaurus and Don't Call Me Mary.

Race 9 is the $100,000 Fire Plug featuring Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables and Bethlehem Stables' Wondrwherecraigis, last out winner of the Bold Ruler (G3) Oct. 31 at Belmont Park, the first career graded-stakes win for trainer Brittany Russell. Maryland-bred multiple stakes winner Jaxon Traveler, 2-0 lifetime at Laurel, is also entered.

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Wondrwherecraigis Works In Preparation For Gravesend

Trainer Brittany Russell worked Grade 3-winning sprinter Wondrwherecraigis Saturday in his final drill for next Sunday's $100,000 Gravesend, a six-furlong handicap for 3-year-olds and up at Aqueduct Racetrack in Ozone Park, N.Y.

The gelded son of Munnings posted a four-furlong breeze in :50 flat over the main track at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

“He is training along really well and as long as he comes out of that work well, all systems are go for the Gravesend,” Russell said. “He's really straightforward and we try and keep him happy. It's more or less just maintenance and he's ready to go.”

Hoping to extend his career-best form to Aqueduct when he runs at the Big A for the first time next weekend, Wondrwherecraigis was a driving winner of the Grade 3 Bold Ruler Handicap at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., last out on October 31.

The Bold Ruler was the first graded victory for the Michael Dubb and Elkstone Group-owned gelding, who crossed the finish line first in the G3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., in September, but was disqualified and placed behind runner-up Jalen Journey for interference in the stretch.

Russell said Wondrwherecraigis' performance in the Bold Ruler showed his professionalism.

“He knows his job and we know he's fast,” said Russell. “We just hold him together and keep him happy. He does his thing in the morning and he's a smart horse. In the afternoon he does tend to do a little drifting, but hopefully, all that is behind us now.”

His latest work is his second at Pimlico after moving from Laurel Park as the dirt surface there undergoes renovation. Russell says the move has not bothered the dark bay.

“I have stalls at Pimlico so he joined us over there and hasn't missed a beat. I think he actually liked the change of scenery,” Russell said with a laugh.

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‘He’ll Always Be Special To Us’: Russell Mulling Next Start For First Graded Winner Wondrwherecraigis

Coming off the first graded-stakes win for himself and his trainer, Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables and Michael Caruso's Wondrwherecraigis is enjoying some down time while the connections mull his next race.

The 4-year-old Munnings gelding was a front-running winner of the seven-furlong Bold Ruler (G3) Oct. 31 at Belmont Park, his second career stakes victory and first in graded company from 10 starts.

Based at Laurel Park with trainer Brittany Russell, Wondrwherecraigis' triumph came seven weeks following his disqualification to second after finishing first in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) over his home track. It was also one day before Russell gave birth to a son, Rye, her second child with husband and jockey Sheldon Russell. They are also parents to 2-year-old daughter, Edy.

“I was disappointed not to be there, but, hey, we had another big thing going on,” Brittany Russell joked. “It was huge. It was so disappointing for him and the ownership group and everyone to see him disqualified that day. But, he came back and he showed that he is a graded-stakes winner.

“'Craig' is doing awesome. He hasn't missed a beat,” she added. “He thinks he's King Kong.”

Russell said they have yet to settle on a target race for Wondrwherecraigis. Among the options are $100,000 Dave's Friend, part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series, Dec. 26 at Laurel and the Toboggan (G3) Jan. 29 at Aqueduct. Both races are contested at seven furlongs.

“We're just sort of trying to give him some time now. I wouldn't say we're set on anything. There's a race in New York in January. There's the MATCH Series race at the end of December. Nothing's really set in stone,” Russell said.

“He'll get this next month. I just sort of backed off of him since he ran and we'll kind of start gearing him back up and let him tell us,” she added. “You have some ideas and goals in the back of your mind, but he doesn't owe us anything. If we keep him home, great. If we decide to take him somewhere else, that's cool, too.”

Russell credited her New York-based assistant, Amanda Olds, with playing a large part in Wondrwherecraigis' success. In addition to the Bold Ruler, his other stakes win came in mid-August in the Tale of the Cat at Saratoga.

“It's nice for us to be able to send him up and not worry about anything. There's no worry shipping him when you have someone like that to travel with,” Russell said. “When he was up at Saratoga, after he won he stayed with her for a while up there and, obviously, it was the right move. She did a great job with him. It's all the moving parts. We're lucky to have the team we have.”

Wondrwherecraigis owns six wins, one second and one third with $347,640 in purse earnings from 10 starts, making a successful debut last March at Laurel just before racing was paused amid the coronavirus pandemic. He has finished first in all five of his races in Maryland, four of them wins prior to the De Francis.

“He's cool. He's one of the original bunch from when we first started along with Hello Beautiful,” Russell said. “'Craig' was, at the end of that year, he was one of the horses that kind of came in and saved me. He just kind of keeps saving me. He got me that graded win, and he's just special. He'll always be special to us.”

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