Race 1: MdSpWt F&M 6F
1st: #1 Song of the Night, has performed decently amongst solid California company last year. Notably got Mike Smith to ride in the last at Del Mar when her stamina seemed to let her down going 2 panels further than today. Notice Todd Beattie’s first with trainer stat—44% on 16 starters.
2nd: #5 Zig, definitely like this Dale Capuano training heading in the right direction. Made up some lengths in the stretch last out, albeit against claimers, en route to her highest lifetime figure.
3rd: #2 So Gracious, not sure of the 9-5 ML, this one definitely prefers the turf although she has plenty of elite breeding for the dirt. Ugly loss last out as the odds-on favorite in the slop.
Race 2: MdSpWt 3 Year Old Fillies 7 & ½F
1st: #5 Factorintheheat, going with this one on top instead of Orbette who tired less than she did in their last because the Beyer improvement is more notable as it was this one’s first time on dirt. She was chasing the leader that day and it just didn’t work out. I trust Mary Eppler a bit more as well.
2nd: #4 Orbette, she probably has a bit more speed, but like I said above her 70 last out figure is such a tremendous outlier from her previous 3 attempts on dirt I am mostly ascribing it to liking the sloppy track. She got away on such an easy lead, that is unlikely to happen again.
3rd: #3 Arima, have seen Uriah scratch over and over when entered down here, but this one improved greatly in first to second out with Lasix, more improvement makes her a definite contender.
Race 3: The What A Summer Stakes $100k F&M 6 & ½F
1st: #3 Needs Supervision, fairly straightforward here, this one is 2 for 3 locally with a second including a convincing stakes win in November at 7F. O’Dwyer has thought highly enough of her to try graded company twice, most recently in the G3 Go For Wand in which she chased leaders and finished just 4 lengths behind a serious, serious racehorse, multiple G1 winner Spiced Perfection.
2nd: #4 Wildcat Combat, was really close behind a very nice mare Majestic Reason in the Willa On The Move in December at 18-1. 2 seconds in 3 tries locally, I am not looking down on Parx shippers any longer.
3rd: #1 Hey Mamaluke, 3 wins in her last 5, her most recent loss was a 3 length loss to Needs Supervision in that stakes event in November. Nice filly.
Race 4: The Geisha Stakes $75k Md Bred/Md Sired F&M 1M
1st: #4 Anna’s Bandit, simply the best mid-Atlantic mare there is. Dizzying 9 for 11 last year, losing only one turf once and to Breeder’s Cup-caliber Chalon the other time. Currently riding a 7 race win streak between Laurel, Charles Town, and Timonium. She beat Majestic Reason last out who came back to win the Willa On The Move stakes in November. Full disclosure: I had a dream she lost on Thursday night, but I’m not going against here.
2nd: #1 Artful Splatter, coming off three straight wins locally at this distance in lighter company, certainly going in the right direction. Continued Beyer improvement puts her squarely in the conversation.
3rd: #5 Limited View, another one running at her peak or even improving, projects to get the lead and see how far it takes her.
Race 5: The Jennings Stakes $75k Md Bred/Md Sired 1M
1st: #3 Alwaysmining, looks to be sitting on a big race, the mile distance seems like his ideal, notice he made the lead in the last at just about the mile point before surrendering going a panel further. That race bettered the best time at Laurel going 9F in the last 3 years, a 101 DRF Speed Rating. Think he uses his great speed against this bunch and lasts.
2nd: #1 John Jones, narrowly edged Aveenu Malcinau, a bona fide stakes horse in the most recent. This is definitely his distance—9 for 15 lifetime going a mile, most of which you’d assume are this one turn at Laurel. Would need to best his lifetime high Beyer to win this.
3rd: #8 Pretty Good Year, the “other Rubley” horse. Closing machine in an event that figures to have a good deal of speed. Most recent event featured a notable increase in speed, horse is 4 now, maturing nicely.
Race 6: The Fire Plug Stakes $100k 6 & ½F
1st: #6 Tiz He the One, have often thought this is a graded stakes horse, he showed up at Saratoga this August after another long period on the bench and I was in attendance that day. The allowance field he faced was a stakes field anywhere else and he nearly went off the favorite. His return to the Mid-Atlantic in September was a winning one defeating Taco Supream who was impressive following that up with a win in the MdMillion Sprint. Another freshening and he’s back in this event. The pick.
2nd: #3 Still Having Fun, haven’t been able to time this one right, but he’s a graded stakes horse who’s beaten the likes of Engage and Promises Fulfilled. Looking at the other names in his races is breathtaking: Mitole, Uncontested, 4 lengths (!) behind McKinzie, Audible, Patternrecognition, and most recently Lewisfield. I just named 5 G1 winners. Should improve off the last as well, if he goes here.
3rd: #4 Honor the Fleet, peaking at the right time, really nice win at 7.5-1 off the bench earning an 85 Beyer. Should improve also.
Race 7: MdClm $40k 3 Year Old Fillies 6F
1st: #2 Queen of Tomorrow, what more can you ask for? Most recently seen just getting beat by a neck at this level. All four races of her life have shown strong Beyer improvement, how high can it go?
2nd: #6 Be Good, a number of strong breezes under his belt, multiple bullets. Been working steadily since at least September. Should be ready to go.
3rd: #3 Quiet Imagination, 3 second place finishes at this level, today gets Lasix, could make the difference.
Race 8: Alw $42k 1M
1st: #6 Benintendi, not a pretty loss st out odds-on, but was just his first start against winners and he still registered another 88 Beyer figure. An added panel should help, Brittany and Sheldon are hitting 33% together.
2nd: #8 Bobby G, a Laurel wizard, winner of 8 of 13 locally and his form is there. Hard to believe he even qualifies for this race but he does.
3rd: #4 Absolved, picking this solid Claudio Gonzalez trainee third is a testament to the depth of this field. 6 second place finishes in 11 local starts with just 1 win.
Race 9: Clm $5k 5 & ½F
1st: #3 Allthewrongreasons
2nd: #1 Bucked Tooth
3rd: #9 Alphastest