Shake Em Loose, With 59-1 Upset, Favored Buy The Best Take Pair Of Laurel Juvenile Stakes

JR Sanchez Racing Stable's Shake Em Loose, making his seventh career start and the first for new connections, paid immediate and thrilling dividends by collaring Last Romance approaching the wire and pulling away to a 59-1 upset in Sunday's $100,000 Heft at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

The 20th running of the Heft for 2-year-olds and 14th renewal of the Gin Talking for 2-year-old fillies, both sprinting seven furlongs, were among six $100,000 stakes on a nine-race Christmastide Day program.

Ridden by Yomar Ortiz for trainer Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon, Shake Em Loose ($120.80) completed the distance in 1:25.69 over a fast main track to beat Last Romance by three-quarters of a length. It was 1 ¼ lengths back to 3-5 favorite Life Is Great in third, followed by Run to Daylight, Uncle Buddy, Dontcrossfuzzy and Amidships.

“I was feeling really good about him, that's why I ran him in there,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “I was going to run him for [$25,000] but I couldn't by the way he was training, and God helped us.”

Claimed for $16,000 out of a maiden victory Nov. 19 at Laurel and racing as a new gelding, Shake Em Loose found himself trailing the field but gaining momentum as Uncle Buddy led through a quarter-mile in 23 seconds and a half in 46.85 chased by Dontcrossfuzzy and Life Is Great down inside. Run to Daylight overtook Uncle Buddy on the turn and was passed by Last Romance as they straightened for home, as Shake Em Loose came rolling on the far outside. Shake Em Loose reeled in Last Romance and surged past for his second straight win.

“I thought he was going to be a little closer. He broke a little bad coming out of the gate but the jockey put him right in the race. Thank God he came to the wire first,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “I was hoping to improve 20 percent from what he did last time, and he did.”

Shake Em Loose, by Shakin It Up, had one win, one second and one third through six starts dating back to Aug. 7 at historic Pimlico Race Course. He notched a popular 3 ¾-length score in mid-November over Heartness, who came back to win a Parx maiden claimer by 10 ½ lengths Dec. 22.

“I was following this horse for a while,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “Thank God I got him.”

Buy the Best winning the Gin Talking Stakes

Buy the Best Extends Streak to Four in $100,000 Gin Talking
Hope Jones' Buy the Best collared pacesetter Beneath the Stars in mid-stretch and edged past to extend her win streak to four races with a popular two-length victory in the $100,000 Gin Talking.

Buy the Best ($2.20), a bay daughter of Tapiture ridden by Jaime Rodriguez and trained by Cathal Lynch, ran seven furlongs in 1:26.79 over a fast main track. Beneath the Stars, making her stakes debut off back-to-back wins, was 6 ½ lengths clear of Moody Woman in third.

Beneath the Stars broke sharply from the rail and set a comfortable pace of 23.11 seconds for a quarter mile while Buy the Best raced in second between Sommer Velvet to her inside and My Thoughts. Buy the Best had moved clearly into second after a half in 46.77, closed the gap on the turn and steadily gained ground on the leader through the stretch before taking over.

Buy the Best, a $70,000 yearling purchase last fall, ran second in debut May 23 at historic Pimlico Race Course then made her next three starts at Delaware Park, graduating in a Sept. 29 maiden special weight and beating winners Oct. 28. She entered the Gin Talking off a 3 ¼-length triumph in the six-furlong Smart Halo Nov. 13 at Laurel over Luna Belle, who came back to win the Maryland Juvenile Fillies Dec. 18.

The post Shake Em Loose, With 59-1 Upset, Favored Buy The Best Take Pair Of Laurel Juvenile Stakes appeared first on Horse Racing News | Paulick Report.

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A First For Nancy Heil: Karan’s Notion Wins Maryland Million Sprint

Owner/trainer/breeder Nancy Heil's Karan's Notion pulled off a 16-1 upset victory in Saturday's $100,000 Maryland Million Sprint at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.

The Sprint, a six-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up, was one of eight stakes and four starter stakes on the 35th Jim McKay Maryland Million program for offspring of stallions standing in Maryland.

“I don't believe it's real yet. I've been training 50-some years, but I've never had a [Maryland Million] eligible horse,” Heil said. “When he was a baby – he had these long legs, like spider legs – and we said, 'I think he's going to be the one.'”

Karan's Notion did all the work himself while winning his stakes debut, setting a strong early pace and continuing on to register a length victory under Yomar Ortiz in 1:09.15.

Karan's Notion broke his maiden in his third career start by 13 lengths in a July 20 maiden race for $40,000 claimers. He went on to win a state-bred allowance two races later before finishing in the money in two open-company allowance races.

“I never knew how fast he could run. When he won here by 13 lengths, I knew he had more in the tank,” Heil said. “I tried to get the rider to believe in him and just go with him and trust yourself.”

Karan's Notion set fractions of 22.49 and 45.07 seconds for the first half-mile while pressed by Onemoregreattime, the 9-5 favorite in a field of 10. The homebred gelding fought gamey through the stretch to hold off Baptize the Boy, who saved ground while stalking the pacesetter. Lewisfield, the 2018 Maryland Millions Sprint winner, rallied to finish third another 1 ½ length back.

Karan's Notion gave sire Great Notion his fourth winner of the day at Laurel Park, while giving Heil a thrill of a lifetime.

“Never give up,” Heil said.

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