Maryland Jockey Club Photo
David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md. – Michael Dubb and Michael J. Caruso’s Baby Man, riding a two-race win streak, ships in and steps up into stakes company for the first time in Saturday’s $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go at Laurel Park.
The 1 1/16-mile Thirty Eight Go Go for fillies and mares 3 and up is the last of three stakes on a 10-race program following the $100,000 Smart Halo for 2-year-old fillies and $100,000 James F. Lewis III for 2-year-olds, both sprinting six furlongs.
First race post time is 11:45 a.m.
Based in New York with trainer Rudy Rodriguez, Baby Man is a 3-year-old daughter of multiple graded-stakes winner Bird Song and granddaughter of 2004 Belmont (G1) and Travers (G1) winner Birdstone. She went unraced at 2 before debuting with a 1 ¾-length triumph March 22 at Aqueduct.
“She’s coming along good,” Rodriguez said. “We won with her the first time, and she’s been a steady competitor since. She deserves the chance to run in a stakes. The race is tough, but she’s got a lot of speed and I think she can control the race. Hopefully she keeps progressing the way she is. She seems like she’s training very good, so hopefully she keeps moving forward.”
Baby Man went winless in her next three starts including a runner-up finish to A Mo Reay, trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, after setting the pace in a one-mile optional claiming allowance June 10 at Laurel.
She has gone up against older horses in each of her last three races, going gate to wire to win a one-mile, 70-yard optional claimer by 1 ¾ lengths Aug. 12 at Monmouth Park and hold on for a half-length triumph going 1 1/8 miles Sept. 22 at Aqueduct.
“She ran there [at Laurel] before and she hooked up with one of Pletcher’s horses that is very good. That was a good race for her,” Rodriguez said. “She came back and won and then she come back and had another solid win here at Aqueduct. She’s had some nice time off, so I think she’s ready to go.”
Baby Man has raced at a mile or more in four straight races and will have the services of jockey Jose Gomez from Post 7 in a field of eight. They are co-fourth choice on the morning line with Grade 2-placed Beguine at 5-1, following Malibu Beauty (5-2), Hybrid Eclipse (3-1) and Berate (9-2).
“I think the distance should be fine,” Rodriguez said. “I thought the mile and an eighth the other day at Aqueduct was a little too far for her, but she hung around pretty good. I think she’ll be all right.”
Notes: Jockey Angel Cruz swept Friday’s early double with Great Days Ahead ($13.20) in Race 1 and Lookin for Justice ($9) in Race 2 … The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved for the 17th consecutive racing day, producing a jackpot carryover of $25,676.39 for Saturday’s 10-race card that begins at 11:45 a.m. Multiple tickets with all six winners Friday each returned $214.22.
