The Maryland Racing Commission (MRC) determined during a Tuesday tele-meeting that it didn't technically need to take a vote for racing to resume, but the board made sure to solicit ample feedback from jockeys, trainers, track executives, track surface consultants and veterinarians before issuing a verbal approval for Thursday's already-drawn card.

The meeting's most insightful commentary was provided by commissioner R. Thomas Bowman, a veterinarian who chairs the MRC's Equine Health, Safety and Welfare Advisory Committee. He spoke bluntly and candidly while outlining a plan for how future horse deaths might be prevented.

“Transparency and trust and cooperation have not always been part of the culture on the racetrack,” Bowman said, noting how the financial interests of horse people and track managements have too often trumped health considerations.

“The safety of the horses and the riders has quite often been put in the background,” Bowman said. “That's not an accusation, and it's not an indication of what exists now. That's just a fact of a way that we have evolved over a long, long time…

“There doesn't seem to be any indication, in my mind, that there is any party or parties that are not willing to step up and try to straighten this situation out,” Bowman said. “And it's a daunting task.

“One of the things that bothered me the most, and still bothers me, is the fact that this last collection of tragedies should have been forewarned when the horsemen started screaming that the racetrack was too fast,” Bowman said. “I'm not pointing a finger at anybody. I'm saying that the process with which this information filters upstream to the commission…was not effective, was not working. And it irritates me to death that we have to go through this.”

Bowman said that since the Nov. 29 shutdown of the track, he has worked with backstretch stakeholders and executives from The Stronach Group (which owns the Maryland Jockey Club [MJC], which in turn owns Laurel) to come up with system that will allow everyone involved to have safety-related input that will be monitored on a regular basis.

“If the trainers had felt that they could go to someone and their complaints were not just dismissed, possibly we could have circumvented a lot of this,” Bowman said.

Bowman said the idea of having a weekly required meeting to accomplish that goal was first proposed, but that he wasn't in favor of having stakeholders air concerns that way because public meetings aren't always conducive to people speaking candidly.

Instead, he said he's working on a plan in which Heidi Thomas, the MJC's senior veterinarian, will actively make the rounds on the backstretch to routinely speak with horse people, other veterinarians, riders, and track executives before fashioning what they say into concise feedback that will be directly related to the MRC and its own team of veterinarians.

“That will give some sort of public voice to people that are concerned,” Bowman said. “That will help out. But even more important is trying to get a process where we don't have to wait until we see the broken legs before we start recognizing problems, and that's some sort of an early warning system…

“I don't think this is the end of this process. I think it's the beginning of the process. But at least it will give horsemen a chance to express themselves and know it's going to go somewhere,” Bowman said.

MRC chairman Michael Algeo agreed: “This is a new beginning, as Tom said. Maybe a watershed moment. We're going to stay on this on a regular basis, because we can't allow [equine injuries or deaths] to continue to happen.”

The cluster of fatalities is the latest safety blow at Laurel. After years of freeze/thaw and drainage troubles, the main track was in such bad shape last spring that Laurel ceased racing Apr. 11 to begin an emergency overhaul, which involved a multi-million-dollar rebuild from the base up.

When racing resumed at Laurel Sept. 9, the main track had no apparent safety issues. But the onset of cold weather revealed problems with seams in the base of the homestretch, then the cushion atop that layer needed substantial reworking to give it more body and depth.

“There's been a huge, huge learning curve with this material and this track from when it was put in in July to right now,” said Chris Bosley, the MJC's track superintendent. “We know that we still have a long way to go. But we're working with every industry expert we possibly can [and] we're not going to stop until this thing is perfect. And once it is perfect, we're going to do everything that we can to keep it the same, to keep it perfect.”

Two among that team of consultants have firsthand knowledge of Laurel: John Passero, who used to be the MJC's track superintendent several decades ago, and Glen Kozak, who served in that same capacity in the mid-2000s before being hired by the New York Racing Association and eventually promoted to the senior vice president of operations and capital projects.

“This is a changed racetrack,” Passero said. “They're adding a more medium-coarse sand to give it some body. We're going back to a system that I used to use–plenty of depth. It seems to be very kind to horses. I look at it, and I look at the hoofprints, and I rode the tractors. I think we're definitely heading in the right direction [and] I think it can only get better.”

Added Kozak, “It's certainly trending in the right direction…. The products that are being used on the track are on-site, so this is something that can continue in getting this thing prepared for winter racing. It certainly is a different track than it was a week ago when I saw it, and it all seems like it's heading in the right direction.”

Tim Keefe, the president of the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen's Association, said, “I think we're definitely in a much better place than we were.”

Jockey Xavier Perez said, “The difference on the surface of the track is 20 times better than what it was.”

Fellow rider Victor Carrasco concurred.

“I feel like the track is in great shape,” he said.

But Carrasco added that moving forward, it's the responsibility of jockeys and exercise riders to let trainers know if a horse has soundness issues or doesn't feel right instead of saying nothing and letting another person get on a potentially dangerous mount.

“It's not only the track,” Carrasco underscored.

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Bred and owned and trained by Maryland-based John 'Jerry' Robb and his wife, Gina, and ridden in 33 of her 39 lifetime starts by Xavier Perez, Anna's Bandit retires with a career record of 17 wins, five seconds, and eight thirds.

The Maryland Jockey Club will honor Anna's Bandit with a retirement ceremony between races during the 37th Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program Oct. 23 at Laurel Park.

“We're very excited. It's always hard, especially with a horse like Anna that's done so much, that you have to make this decision,” Gina Robb said. We couldn't be prouder of her. Now she's coming home and I'm so grateful, I really am.

“She means the world to us. She's like one of our children, basically. I think anybody who breeds horses can kind of relate to that, especially when it's a mom and pop kind of thing like we are,” she added. “We're a little operation. They're all there with us on the farm, and bringing her home to the farm that we built means so much to us. I'm really happy for her that she had such an incredible career, and now she's able to start over in a new chapter.”

In her most recent race, the daughter of Great Notion out of the No Armistice mare Onearmedbandit ran fifth in a six-furlong optional claiming allowance July 26 at Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va., behind fellow multiple stakes winner Never Enough Time.

“We were pretty much decided that this was going to be her last year regardless, it didn't matter if she was good, bad, or indifferent,” Gina Robb said. “She came out of that Colonial race a little tired, and we were kind of shaking our heads because we thought it was one of her easier spots.

“When she came back from Colonial, we just kind of didn't like the way she was going,” she added. “She doesn't have anything major where we had to stop her, but I think in all of our minds and our hearts and how much she means to us, we really didn't want to take any more chances.”

Perez, who reached 1,000th career wins in June at Delaware Park in Wilmington, Del., rode Anna's Bandit to 14 wins, four seconds, and seven thirds, and all but $114,540 of her purse earnings. Other jockeys to ride Anna's Bandit were Eric Camacho and Katie Davis in 2016 and 2017 and Gerald Almodovar in the May 29, 2020 Original Gold at Charles Town in Charles Town, W.Va., her last win.

“She deserves it,” Perez said of retirement. “She doesn't owe anything to anybody. She did her job and she made us proud. She's safe and where she belongs. I'm happy for her.”

In 2019, Anna's Bandit won nine of 11 starts and more than $400,000 in purses, tying for the most wins of any horse in North America. Her career stakes wins included the 2018 and 2019 Conniver, 2019 Maryland Million Distaff and 2019 Politely at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., and 2019 Timonium Distaff.

In West Virginia, where she was bred, Anna's Bandit won the Down Town Allen and Sadie Hawkins in 2018; Original Gold, Sadie Hawkins, and West Virgina Cavada Breeders' Classic in 2019; and Original Gold in 2020.

Her Maryland Million win came just a week after Anna's Bandit won the Cavada, a feat Gina Robb felt was at the top of a laundry list of accomplishments.

“That one year that when she won all those stakes, it was kind of like a blur,” she said. “After she won the West Virginia-bred race and came back in seven days … I have the goosebumps thinking of it. That had to be the most incredible of all the races.”

Anna's Bandit also placed in 10 other stakes, including a third behind Majestic Reason and Victim of Love in the 2020 Grade 3 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie, her lone graded-stakes attempt. Majestic Reason was a three-time stakes winner that was retired following the race, while Victim of Love went on to win back-to-back editions of the Grade 3 Vagrancy in 2020 and 2021 and run third in the 2020 Grade 1 Ballerina.

“She's amazing. She's always going to be one of the best horses I ever rode, or anybody rode,” Perez said. “They don't come around too often. You have to be lucky and be in the right place at the right time. It worked out for me.”

Anna's Bandit's success has been nothing short of remarkable. She showed she was special early on, debuting with a 6 ¾-length maiden special weight triumph May 6, 2016 at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md., and jumping straight into stakes company. She finished third in the Astoria at Belmont Park in Elmont, N.Y., and second in the Debutante at Churchill Downs in Louisville, Ky., the latter in July, before going to the sidelines.

She went 14 ½ months between races, the result of multiple operations to repair leg injuries that went undiagnosed during her formative years.

Anna's Bandit was limited to four starts in 2020, due to both the coronavirus pandemic that paused live racing in Maryland for 2 ½ months from mid-March to late May, and a minor foot issue in late summer that prompted Robb to give her the rest of the year off. She began this year running fifth in the June 13 Shine Again at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md., and second in the July 10 Dashing Beauty at Delaware Park.

Plans call for Anna's Bandit to be bred in 2022, though the details have yet to be worked out.

“We are just trying to get over the fact that she's retired. We do have time to discuss where we're going on February 15th, because we plan on trying to get her in foal early,” Gina Robb said. “We would like to ship her and bring her home and not have her stay anywhere else. I don't know that I'm ready to let her go. I'm just getting her back.

“I think the first year we might keep her local, to a Maryland sire or on the East Coast, somewhere close so we can ship and go and keep her home where I don't have to worry about anything else. I'm very excited to be a part of her broodmare career, and to have her first foal on this farm is going to be one remarkable day.”

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Valued Notion, a lightly raced 4-year-old gelded son of Great Notion, covered the 5 furlongs in :58.19 over the main track after the races were taken off the turf.

Breaking from post 10, Valued Notion broke out of the gate quickly and was chased from the outside by longshot Xmasinthecity past an opening quarter in :22.22 and a half in :45.47. But entering the stretch, Perez put away Xmasinthecity and held off the remainder of his opponents.

“He was in contention right away. I was just trying to let the 12 [Xmasinthecity] go ahead of me,” Perez said. “I watched a couple of his races and he kind of slowed down at the end. As soon as I put my horse against the bit, he took me to the front and I just cruised. He was doing it so comfortable and I just let him do it himself until we got to the top of the lane.”

Valued Notion, who broke his maiden at third asking in February, followed up that victory with an allowance victory before finishing a tired fourth in his last start April 9.

Bred, owned and trained by Hall of Fame horseman King Leatherbury, Ben's Cat won 32 of 63 career races, 26 stakes, and more than $2.6 million in purses from 2010 to 2017. A four-time Maryland-bred Horse of the Year, Ben's Cat died July 18, 2017 from complications following colic surgery.

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Despite an awkward start while breaking from the outside post, Street Lute won her seventh stakes race when she gamely drove around the field to win Sunday's $100,000 Stormy Blues at historic Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore, Md.

Trained by Jerry Robb and ridden by Xavier Perez, Street Lute covered five furlongs on the main track in :58 for her seventh stakes win and eighth career win in 11 starts.

The 13th running of the Stormy Blues Stakes for 3-year-old fillies capped a 10-race program featuring five stakes worth $475,000 in purses. Both the Stormy Blues and $75,000 Ben's Cat Stakes for Maryland-bred/sired 3-year-olds and up were moved from the grass to the main track and kept at five furlongs. Horses scratched from the Stormy Blues included two from the barn of Wesley Ward, Wink and Amanzi Yimpilo.

After Street Lute broke awkwardly at the start, Proper Attire, beaten on the turf in the Hilltop Stakes last out, went to the front with Malibu Beauty in pursuit. But as those two entered the turn, Perez began moving Street Lute. Past Beautiful Grace, past Prodigy Doll, Street Lute drove down the center of the stretch gamely passing Malibu Beauty and then Proper Attire for victory number seven.

“To be honest I thought it was kind of over,” said Lucky 7 owner Joey Lloyd. “But when I saw her coming down the final homestretch I knew she has the heart, bigger than this world. My heart was in my throat, but as soon as I saw her coming down the stretch right outside [Proper Attire], I knew she was going to catch her.”

Stormy Blues was one of the top 2-year-old fillies of 1994 whose four wins in six starts that year included the Grade 1 Matron Stakes, Grade 3 Sorority Stakes, and Grade 3 Selima Stakes, the latter at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md. Trained by late Hall of Famer Scotty Schulhofer, she finished third in the Grade 1 Breeders' Cup Juvenile Fillies.

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“It's a big achievement for me,” Perez told The Racing Biz. “It's been ups and downs – more ups than downs. I had a couple of bad years, but it was just a little bump in the road. I went through it, and I'm here. I'm here.”

The 33-year-old native of Puerto Rico began his riding career at Charles Town, and moved to Maryland in 2011. His career-defining horse came in 2013 when he piloted Dance to Bristol to seven consecutive victories, including the G1 Ballerina at Saratoga.

Perez won just 22 races in both 2016 and 2017, but bounced back to double and then triple that total in the next two years.

His 1,000 victories have come from 8,134 mounts, with earnings approaching $26 million.

Read more at The Racing Biz and in this Maryland Jockey Club feature about the jockey.

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“I've been counting,” Perez, 33, said. “I told my wife, 'Look I'm getting close. It's coming. It's coming.' She was like, 'Don't start thinking about it.' So I said, 'I'm superstitious and I'm going to count it because I've been counting since I had 50 left and it's been working out for me.”

According to Equibase statistics, the count stands at 995 wins with mounts in four of nine races when live action returns to historic Pimlico Race Course Friday to kick off a Memorial Day weekend program that includes a special holiday card Monday, May 31. Perez also had one mount in Delaware Park's 10th race finale Wednesday.

Perez would be the second jockey to reach 1,000 wins in Maryland this year, following Carol Cedeno Jan. 2 at Laurel Park. Perez and Cedeno grew up together in Puerto Rico and were classmates at the country's famed Escuela Vocacional Hipica, graduating in 2006 and beginning their professional careers in 2007.

“We are childhood friends. It meant a lot to me that she got that milestone, and now that I'm getting close to it I'm getting anxious. I just want to do it,” Perez said. “A thousand wins is a big milestone. It means a lot for every rider in the country and the world.”

Perez rode the winter and spring of 2007 in Puerto Rico before coming to the U.S. that summer, registering his first career winner aboard Danger Quest Aug. 25, 2007 at Charles Town, where another former classmate, Arnaldo Bocachica, had urged him to start.

“He is one of my best friends and he contacted me when I started riding. He told me he was talking to his agent and was telling him about me,” Perez said. “He said I didn't have to bring anything, just my tack. I had a place to stay and a fresh start. That meant a lot. I'm blessed that he's in my life. He's been an amazing brother and amazing friend to me.”

Represented by agent J.D. Brown, Perez rode 3 ½ years at Charles Town – winning the $500,000 West Virginia Breeders' Cup Classic in 2010 with 57-1 long shot Sea Rescue – before moving to Maryland at the start of 2011. That fall, he won a total of 32 races for 20 different trainers at Laurel with an average win mutuel of $14.75.

The first big horse of Perez's career was Susan Wantz's Dance to Bristol, trained by Ollie Figgins III. During the winter, spring and summer of 2013 they won seven consecutive races including the Skipat at Pimlico, Bed o'Roses (G3) at Belmont Park, and Honorable Miss (G2) and Ballerina (G1) at Saratoga – the jockey's first graded triumphs. They would end the year finishing sixth in the Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1) at Santa Anita.

Perez's most memorable ride came earlier that year, gaining national attention for a mid-April trip aboard Spicer Cub that saw the gelding blow Pimlico's far turn while on the lead, then bolt suddenly to the outside fence and around the parked starting gate before making a mad dash to the wire and finishing second by a nose. Perez lost both his irons in the process.

“That pushed me to have the campaign that I had. After Spicer Cub, a lot of trainers and owners were asking for me, and me and my agent were really busy. We were going to New York, Monmouth Park, Philadelphia, Colonial Downs, Charles Town. We were riding everywhere on the East Coast. It was a great year,” Perez said. “Still people talk about it. It makes me feel good. I got famous for something that was crazy. It was a jump start for me.”

Perez finished 2013 with 133 wins and $3.8 million in purse earnings, both of which remain career highs. He won his last graded-stakes with Bandbox in the 2014 General George (G3) at Laurel, and in recent years has been part of a formidable team with trainer John 'Jerry' Robb that has put him aboard multiple stakes winners Anna's Bandit and Street Lute as well as Anna's Bandit's 2-year-old half-sister, Bandits Warrior, a debut winner May 23 at Pimlico.

Street Lute has raced 10 times with seven wins, six in stakes, and Perez has been aboard for each of her last seven races including five of her stakes victories. Anna's Bandit owns 17 wins from 36 starts and Perez has accounted for 14 of her wins and 10 of her 11 stakes triumphs, riding in 30 of her last 31 races.

“Dance to Bristol was a special horse to me because it gave me my first graded races,” Perez said. “I didn't have the chance to get on her in the morning like I do with these three mares. I'm there at 5:30 in the morning with Jerry's horses. I take my time with Anna. I take my time with Street Lute. I take my time with Bandits Warrior, and it's paying off. It means so much to me to get the chance to ride such amazing animals.”

Perez had 58 wins in Maryland in a coronavirus pandemic-shortened 2020, 41 of them in 157 starts (26 percent) for Robb – the most of any jockey-trainer combination on the year – including Robb's 2,000th career victory with Stroll Smokin at Laurel. This year they are 19-for-63 (30 percent) together at Laurel and Pimlico.

“He's at the barn every morning, he's getting on them, he knows the horses. I think that means a lot, especially with young horses,” Robb said. “He gets on all the horses. He doesn't get on them all every day, but he gets on all of them at one time or another and he knows them. I think that plays a big role in it.”

Other top horses for Perez have included multiple stakes winners Sensible Lady and Talk Show Man and 2015 Maryland Million Distaff winner Lionhearted Lady. Perez's mounts have earned more than $25.6 million in purses.

“It would mean so much if I get to do it in Maryland, because the people in Maryland have been so great to me,” Perez said. “I have to say thanks to all the trainers that have supported me, riding me the 11 wonderful years I've been in Maryland. My agent has always been right there with me keeping me on the right path. He knows me well. Jerry and the whole team, they've been so amazing to me. They are like family to me. Me and my wife are so blessed and thankful to have such great people around us. I hope it stays like that for a while.”

Perez credits his wife, Jessica, for helping his maturity on and off the track. They met in 2009 when she was ponying the horse he was riding to the starting gate at Colonial Downs and have been together since.

“Thank God I have my wife beside me, 24-7. She's always supported me and she never lets me get too down when I have bad days,” Perez said. “It's been a great journey. There's been ups and downs, but there's been more ups than downs and I'm just grateful for that.”

The post ‘More Ups Than Downs’: Jockey Xavier Perez Nearing 1,000-Win Milestone appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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Three of six horses were live to take down the jackpot heading into Sunday's ninth-race finale, won by Ran Char ($27.20). A total of $120,537 was bet into the popular multi-race wager, which began with a carryover of $670,306.25 from Saturday. Multiple tickets with all six winners were each worth $19,275.78.

The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out only when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 60 percent of that day's pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 40 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Introduced in Maryland April 2, 2015 on opening day of Pimlico's spring meet, the Rainbow 6 had its previous state record carryover reach $345,898.33 spanning 31 racing programs before being solved by one lucky bettor for a life-changing $399,545.94 payout April 15, 2018 at Laurel Park. The winning ticket was purchased through Maine off-track betting.

Post time for the first of nine races Friday is 12:40 p.m. The Rainbow 6 spans Races 4-9 and includes the featured eighth race, an entry-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs on the main track. Among the field are Palatial Times, most recently fifth in the Chick Lang (G3) May 15 at Pimlico; recent Pimlico allowance winners Heir Port and Cry No More; Exculpatory, a dramatic March 5 debut winner at Laurel Park that was fifth last out May 11 at Parx; and Subject to Change, a 4 ¾-length debut winner May 15 at Charles Town.

There will also be carryovers of $115,038.40 in the 50-cent Late Pick 5 (Races 5-9) and $5,876.76 in the $1 Super Hi-5 (Race 2). Tickets with four of five winners in Sunday's Late Pick 5 each returned $559.90.

In addition to Friday, Pimlico will also host live race cards Saturday, May 29 and Sunday, May 30 as well as a special Memorial Day holiday program Monday, May 31.

Bandits Warrior Honors Sister with Debut Triumph Sunday
Following in the family tradition of her 11-time stakes-winning older half-sister, Anna's Bandit, No Guts No Glory Farm's Maryland homebred Bandits Warrior sprinted to a decisive 2 ½-length debut victory Sunday at Pimlico.

Stable rider Xavier Perez was aboard for breeder, owner and trainer Jerry Robb as Bandits Warrior ($9.80) broke running from Post 4 in the 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies. The winning time was 52.59 seconds over a fast main track.

“That's my baby right there. She was born on our farm, and we are so thrilled,” Robb's wife, Gina, said. “You can't be any happier. She's done everything right.”

By Mosler, Bandits Warrior was never threatened posting splits of 23.50 and 46.64 seconds. She put away Tessa P midway around the turn when the 6-5 favorite attempted to mount a challenge, then kept late-running Buy the Best at bay through the stretch.

“She's been breaking good out of the gate but she's never been asked to run in the morning,” Perez said. “Before the race, we wanted to keep her face clear. She's been doing everything good coming out of the gate in the morning. As soon as she popped out of the gate with her head in front I moved on her a little bit to get to the lead and by the three-eighths pole she took it.

“She started playing with her ears and when [Tessa P] came to her a little bit, I just let her open up a little bit and smooched at her,” he added. “What you saw inside the sixteenth pole when [Buy the Best] to make a run, she broke again and pulled away from her a little bit.”

Perez, also the regular rider for Anna's Bandit and fellow multiple stakes winner Street Lute, proudly patted the neck of Bandits Warrior three times as they approached the wire. It was the 995th career victory for Perez.

“She's got a long way to go to do what Anna has done, but she showed that she's got her bloodline,” Perez said. “I'm proud of her. I'm proud of all my kids. They're all my kids. I'm fortunate to be able to ride every day for Jerry in the morning and I'm blessed to be able to be in the winner's circle for him.”

Bandits Warrior is out of the No Armistice mare Onearmedbandit. West Virginia-bred Anna's Bandit, a 17-time winner of $782,655 in lifetime purses from 36 starts who is nearing her 7-year-old debut after more than 10 months away, also won in her unveiling – May 6, 2016 at Laurel Park – beating two of her stablemates in the process.

“She probably trains a little better than her sister,” Robb said of Bandits Warrior. “Her sister, when she won her first start, surprised everybody. I think we had three in the race, we bet on the other two and she won by [6 ¾]. She just never showed anything in the morning. This one, she showed good works in the morning.”

Buy the Best, among five first-time starters in the field of seven, was 4 ¾ lengths ahead of third-place finisher Cabra Chica. Mama G's Wish, another Robb-trained homebred, was fourth with Tessa P fifth.

“I think [Bandits Warrior is] a little better-looking filly than Anna was as a baby. When Anna got off the trailer as a baby I said, 'Put her back on.' True story,” Robb said. “She just didn't look the part, but she grew into it,” Robb said. “This filly does everything right. I wasn't sure how fit she was, but she ran big. And fast. So, we're happy.”

Notes: Five-pound apprentice Charlie Marquez doubled Sunday aboard Rockstar Girl ($7.60) in Race 1 and Dancing Til Dusk ($4.80) in Race 3 … Perpetrate ($100.80) edged Order for Porky to spring a 45-1 upset in Race 5, a 1 1/16-mile starter-optional claimer on the grass that marked the season debut of 2019 Maryland Million Turf winner Mr. d'Angelo. Unraced since finishing fourth in defense of his win last fall, Mr. d'Angelo got squeezed out of the gate and trailed the field early before making a belated run to be fourth … Robert D. Bone's Eastern Bay ($5.20), exiting a third in the April 24 Frank Y. Whiteley, swept to the lead at the top of the stretch and edged clear for a three-length victory over Whiskey and You in Race 8, a fourth-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up. Winner of the Polynesian and second by a nose to Laki in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) in 2020, Eastern Bay ran six furlongs in 1:10.78.

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Tiz Mandate, who broke last, closed to finish second, just a half-length in front of Spectacular Bid winner Kenny Had a Notion.

The Miracle Wood was one of six stakes run on the afternoon worth $900,000 along with the Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) and General George (G3).

Second last time out in the Spectacular Bid at seven furlongs  after rating off Kenny Had a Notion, Maythehorsebwithu, trained by Brittany Russell and ridden by Sheldon Russell, broke sharp and on top in the five-horse field and went an opening quarter in :24.02 and a half in :47.51 while being pressed by Klaravich Stables Inc.'s Subsidize while Kenny Had a Notion raced third. Around the turn, Kenny Had a Notion moved inside Subsidize into second took aim on the leader. But Maythehorsebwithu had plenty left and drove to the finish for his first stakes victory.

“My horse broke very sharp today and he's a forward kind of horse,” Sheldon Russell said. “Last time I sort of broke on Kenny's hip. But the way my guy broke today I had no choice. I was inside Kenny. We didn't have any problems with this horse getting the distance. He trains in the morning like he'll run all day. I'm just glad we got the job done.”

A son of Bullsbay who sold for $55,000 as a yearling, Maythehorsebwithu has won three of seven starts along with three seconds.

Maythehorsebwithu winning the Miracle Wood under Sheldon Russell

“He's the kind of horse in the morning that always trains very forwardly,” Brittany Russell said. “You can't get this horse tired, and he always has big, huge gallop-outs after his breezes, so we were pretty confident that he would appreciate added distance.

“Seeing what happened in the Spectacular Bid in the stretch run, I was confident that if he got the right trip he could definitely get the mile.”

Subsidize, who shipped in from the New York stable of Chad Brown, finished fourth while Newyearsblockparty, second in the Pasco at Tampa Bay Downs Jan. 16, finished fifth.

Street Lute Makes It Five in a Row in Wide Country
The wins just keep piling up for the impressive Street Lute.

Owned by Lucky 7 Stable and trained by John Robb, Street Lute won her fifth consecutive stakes races and seventh race in eight starts when she moved three-wide at the top of the stretch to win the $100,000 Wide Country by a length over Fraudulent Charge. Salt Plage checked in third.

A daughter of Street Magician ridden by Xavier Perez, Street Lute covered the seven furlongs in 1:23.59.

“From the beginning we all thought she was a very special horse and I think that Jerry's said that in every interview,” said Gina Robb, assistant, and wife of John Robb. “Now with so many stakes under her belt and her performance today, I think she's finally stamped it. Today was definitely a big day and I think it was her toughest company today.”

Breaking alertly from the gate, Perez rated Street Lute in third while Little Huntress was pressed by Whiskey and Rye through brisk fractions of 22:62 and :441.91. But around the turn, Street Lute carried Perez effortlessly to the front and drove away from the competition as Fraudulent Charge closed for the place.

“My concern when I was watching the race was, I said, 'Wow, I don't feel like he's asking her but she's not going anywhere. They must be flying.' So, when I saw the 44 [second half-mile] I said, 'Oh, thank goodness.' Then once he asked her, it was all over,” Gina Robb said. “Able to chase that pace and finish the way she did? That was pretty spectacular.”

“Seven-eighths today, in great fashion. I think it was even better than the day she won the Maryland Juvenile [Filly Championship going] seven-eighths. I think she kind of proved a point today.”

Said Perez: “She likes running after horses up front. I saw Brittany's horse go and we settled in nice. This race set up perfect for us just like Jerry said. I was so confident off the turn we were cruising to the wire.”

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The inaugural seven-furlong Spectacular Bid for 3-year-olds and return of the $100,000 Xtra Heat for 3-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs were among six stakes worth $550,000 in purses on a Winter Carnival program that launched Maryland's 2021 stakes calendar.

Ridden by Jorge Ruiz for trainer Dale Capuano, Kenny Had a Notion ($8) led all the way to snap a two-race losing streak with his third career stakes win. The winning time was 1:23.98 over a fast main track.

“He's been showing a lot more speed the last few races. I think a lot has to do with him maturing and getting himself together,” Capuano said. “We're very pleased with him.”

Kenny Had a Notion was pressed by Maythehorsebwithu from the outset, the two running in tandem through a quarter-mile in 23.14 seconds and a half in 46.47, briefly joined in the chase by Shackqueenking, winner of the 1 1/16-mile Howard County Dec. 26 at Laurel. The top pair began to edge away once straightened for home and set the stage for a battle through the lane with Kenny Had a Notion, racing along the rail, refusing to budge under relentless pressure.

Maythehorsebwithu, who beat Kenny Had a Notion when second in the First State Dash over a sloppy track last fall, finished two lengths ahead of Shackqueenking. Tiz Mandate was another length back in fourth, trailed by Erawan, Nobody Knew, Scotch Rock's and Wicked Prankster.

“He's just gotten better,” Capuano said. “His first race when he won at Delaware, he ran a decent race but not that fast. Then the next time was on an off track and he didn't run well. Then he won on the turf and in the Maryland Million. The turf race seemed to turn him around.”

Kenny Had a Notion won the 5 ½-furlong Jamestown Stakes on Laurel's world-class turf course in October and now has also won at six and seven furlongs on the main track. He ran sixth after displacing his palate in the James F. Lewis III Dec. 13, had a procedure to correct the problem and came back two weeks later to be second by a neck in the Heft Dec. 26.

“He's run well at six and seven [furlongs], so I think we'll stretch him out at some point,” Capuano said. “He's game. He seems to carry his speed at seven, so it's exciting. We'll see how far he takes us.”

Spectacular Bid was named champion colt at 2 and 3 and champion older horse and Horse of the Year at 4 for the late Maryland-based Hall of Fame trainer Grover 'Bud' Delp, who called him “the greatest horse ever to look through a bridle.” 'The Bid' won the 1979 Kentucky Derby and Preakness and won each of his last 10 races, retiring with 26 wins and nearly $2.8 million in purse earnings from 30 starts. He was elected to the Hall of Fame in 1982.

Street Lute Makes It Four Straight Victories in $100,000 Xtra Heat
Lucky 7 Stables' Street Lute, cutting back to six furlongs for the first time in two months, ran her win streak to four races, all in stakes, with a dominant five-length triumph in the $100,000 Xtra Heat.

A neck shy of being undefeated in seven career starts, Street Lute ($2.80) ran six furlongs in 1:10.31 over a fast main track under regular rider Xavier Perez in her 3-year-old season opener.

“The horses, they all improve after they win and she's done nothing but win, so she expects to win,” winning trainer John 'Jerry' Robb said. “I think that helps.”

Perez and Street Lute were outrun for the early lead by Trip to Freedom, the Maryland Million Lassie show finisher who went the first quarter-mile in 22.51 seconds. Street Lute, racing in the clear two wide, eased up to take over the top spot following a half in 45.64 and kept rolling, opening up by five lengths heading for home.

“It's easy to say now, but I kept looking for the fractions to make sure [Perez] was going easy and apparently he was,” Robb said. “I was confident coming into today but after watching the races today and all the closers were winning every race, I was a little nervous from that.”

Miss Leslie, winner of the 1 1/16-mile Ann Arundel County in her previous start, ran second to snap her three-race win streak. It was 3 ¾ lengths back to 30-1 long shot Breeze Off the Bay, who edged Whiskey and Rye by a neck for third. It Can, Plane Drunk, Trip to Freedom and Incomparable completed the order of finish.

Street Lute overcame an eye injury and subsequent surgery to win her debut, delayed to September at Delaware Park. The Street Magician filly won the Small Wonder in her second start and got caught at the wire in the Maryland Million Lassie before reeling off consecutive wins in the Smart Halo, Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship and Gin Talking, the latter Dec. 26.

Robb tied Mike Trombetta for second overall among all trainers with 43 wins in Maryland last year. It was Trombetta's Miss Nondescript that edged Street Lute in the Lassie.

“The whole barn's been doing good, not just her,” Robb said. “We've been having a great meet, thanks to everyone.”

Last run at Pimlico in 2007, the Xtra Heat honors the Maryland-based Hall of Fame mare and champion 3-year-old filly of 2001 that won 26 of 35 career starts, captured 25 stakes including the Prioress (G1), and was second against the boys in the Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1), both during her championship season.

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Flat Rate ($69.80), a 4-year-old Violence gelding, ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1:05.90 over a fast main track in the beaten claimer for 3-year-olds and up to earn his fourth career victory and first since joining trainer Michael Jones Jr.

“It's something very special, unbelievable really. I can't believe it,” Hiraldo said. “I'm very happy. I have to thank God for always watching over me and all the other riders. I'm just very happy. I've worked so hard for this moment and I've dreamed about it since I was a little kid. It's something very special for me.”

Hiraldo, 19, is a native of Puerto Rico who galloped horses for trainer Brittany Russell before making his professional debut running fourth on Maximo Strong Dec. 10 at Laurel. Hiraldo had gone winless in his first 18 mounts including a third on Frontier Woman in Thursday's third race.

“My cousin, Angel Cruz, he has been a big part of my short career. Xavier [Perez], Sheldon [Russell]. Sheldon is one of the best ones in there. He's a great guy on and off the racetrack and he's been a good mentor for me,” Hiraldo said.

Angel Cruz is member of the Maryland track's riding colony who won with Dance and Dance ($16.60) Thursday and finished sixth in the fall meet standings with 20 wins. Hiraldo's father, Joel, won 200 races between 2001 and 2011, the last coming at Charles Town.

“When I was growing up, my dad was a jockey so he was the person I would always look up to. I would go to school and always think about riding. I didn't care about the grades, I just wanted to go to be a jockey when I grew up,” Hiraldo said. “When I grew up I went to the farm and started learning as much as I could. I came back and was here for a couple months working for Brittany Russell. I have to thank her for all her help. I just felt like it was the right time to do it.”

Flat Rate and Hiraldo posing for pictures

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