Ain’t Da Beer Cold scoring the Maryland Million Classic. (Jeff Snyder/MJC)
Maryland Million Classic: Richest of 8 Stakes, 4 Starter Stakes on ‘Maryland’s Day at the Races’
Feeling Woozy Narrow 9-2 Favorite in 1 1/8M Stakes Worth $150K
David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md. – Matt Spencer, Kelly Jo Cox and Bonuccelli Racing’s Ain’t Da Beer Cold, a 36-1 winner last year after being placed first due to a disqualification, will attempt to defend his title and become just the sixth repeat winner of the $150,000 Classic on Saturday’s 39th Jim McKay Maryland Million program at Laurel Park.
The 1 1/8-mile Classic for 3-year-olds and up is the richest on a 12-race card featuring eight stakes and four starter stakes worth $1.08 million in purses that comprise ‘Maryland’s Day at the Races,’ celebrating the progeny of stallions standing in the state.
Doors will open at 10 a.m. with a special first race post time of 11:30 a.m. The Classic, carded as Race 11, has a post time of 5:12 p.m.
Not since Admirals War Chest in 2016 has a horse repeated as a Classic winner. Timely Warning was the first to do it in 1990 and 1991, followed by Algar (1997-98), Docent (2002-03) and Eighttofasttocatch, who is the race’s only three-time winner (2011, 2013-14).
This will be the fourth straight year in the Classic for Ain’t Da Beer Cold, a 6-year-old Freedom Child gelding that was eighth in 2021 and 2022 and owns the most starts (41), wins (seven) and purse earnings ($465,224) in the main field of 11. His victory via disqualification of first-place finisher Market Maven last fall gave trainer Kenny Cox his first Maryland Million victory.
“It’s always exciting. Even when it looks like you can count him out, you still can’t count him out,” Cox said. “With his form the way it is, we kind of just took the pressure off ourselves and said, ‘If he shows up, he does,’ and if he doesn’t, we still have the Classic from the year before. There’s no pressure, and I’ll be fine with whatever happens. Sure, we would love to win it outright this year. If it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be.”
As he did in a front-running head victory in the 1 1/8-mile Native Dancer April 13 at Laurel, Ain’t Da Beer Cold set the pace in last year’s Classic before losing the lead to Market Maven entering the stretch. The two battled through the lane, bumping near the eighth pole, and were separated by a neck at the wire before the result was reversed.
Ain’t Da Beer Cold has one win and one third from seven starts this year, most recently finishing last of five behind multiple graded-stakes winner and Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1)-bound Post Time in the one-mile Polynesian Sept. 14.
“He’s kind of one of those kooky horses but he’s just a fun-loving horse that’s so smart. He knows where the wire is. He knows what he wants to do and there’s been days where he gets it done,” Cox said. “Knock on wood he’s been perfectly sound. He had a few foot issues two years ago and we went to glue-on shoes and that’s been better. Every now and then I think his feet do get to stinging when the track’s a little hard and he’s smart enough to know when that’s going on. We’ve been so fortunate with him staying sound and hanging around at his age.”
Cox was encouraged after Ain’t Da Beer Cold breezed five furlongs in 1:00 Sunday, the fastest of 12 horses at Laurel. Jevian Toledo, the leading active rider in Maryland Million history with 17 wins, one behind Hall of Famer Edgar Prado for the all-time lead, has the return call from Post 7. They are rated at 12-1 on the morning line.
“It’s definitely a lot tougher than last year. We can look at the form and there’s a lot more speed in there,” Cox said. “I was pretty happy with the post I drew, though. I know his form is terrible but that’s him. When things aren’t the way, he wants them to be, he’s a smart horse and he just says, ‘It’s not for me today.’
“But I was pretty happy with the way he worked on Sunday. It was the best he’s worked in months,” he added. “He had something to run at, had a little duel and then put the horse away. I think it was a good confidence booster without planning it, so I was pleased with how it worked out.”
Greg Gordon’s Market Maven is also back making it just the 11th time since 1991 that the top two Classic finishers will square off again. The most recent came in 2022, when 2021 winner Prendimi ran sixth and runner-up Tappin Cat was ninth.
“He’s been training good, real good. I think we’re ready for this race,” trainer Jacinto Solis said. “He finished first in the race last year and he’s in good shape. I think he’s got a good shot.”
This year Market Maven is winless in five starts, his first and last both coming in 1 1/16-mile turf stakes – the May 31 With Anticipation at Penn National, where he finished sixth, and the Sept. 21 Alphabet Soup at Parx, running fifth. The 6-year-old Super Ninety Nine gelding has been third in each of his last two dirt efforts including the one-mile, 70-yard Storm Cat Aug. 26.
“He hasn’t won this year yet, but he’s run some good races,” Solis said. “He’s a good horse.”
Mychel Sanchez rides Market Maven (6-1) from Post 3.
The narrow 9-2 program favorite for the Classic is Feeling Woozy, a 4-year-old Irish War Cry gelding owned and trained by Hamilton Smith, 79, who is seeking his first victory in the race. Fifth last year with All Threes, Smith has run in the Classic six times since 2013 and been third with Just Jack (2016) and The Poser (2021-22).
Just Jack went off as the favorite as did Talk Show Man, a two-time Maryland Million Turf winner for Smith that was fourth in the 2015 Classic and fifth in 2013. Smith is tied for fifth overall with eight Maryland Million wins, second most among active trainers behind Michael Trombetta (10).
“I’ve hit the board in the Classic, but I haven’t won it,” Smith said. “It would be nice to do so if I could get it done. We’ll give it a try.”
Feeling Woozy comes into the Classic off three straight solid optional claiming allowance efforts starting with a runner-up finish July 13 at Colonial Downs going 1 1/16 miles in a race originally carded for the grass. He was third by a length sprinting seven furlongs Aug. 11 and third again to 2023 Maryland Million Sprint champion Seven’s Eleven in a similar spot going six furlongs Sept. 7.
In his only try at 1 1/8 miles, Feeling Woozy took an early lead and never looked back in an 11 ¼-length second-level optional claiming allowance romp last December at Laurel. He is stakes-placed, having run third in Laurel’s 2023 Miracle Wood going one mile.
“He made the lead fairly easy that day and just kept going. I was a little surprised that he pulled off and won by as many lengths as he did, but he did it easy. He’s bred to go around two turns so we’re going to try it and see,” Smith said. “He’s a pretty honest little colt. It looks like he handles the distance and everything OK. We’re going to take a shot and hope for the best.”
Victor Carrasco has the riding assignment from Post 8.
Phil Capuano, nephew of Maryland Million’s all-time leading trainer Dale Capuano, entered the pair of Dolice Vita and Vance Scholars. Taking Risks Stables and Louis Ulman’s Dolice Vita finished fourth in last year’s Classic and has two seconds and a third in four tries at the distance, while Ulman and Walter Vieser II’s Vance Scholars was runner-up in 2022 four starts after earning his lone stakes victory in Laurel’s off-the-turf Bald Eagle Derby.
Forest Boyce has the call on Dolice Vita (8-1) from Post 5 while Jorge Ruiz rides Vance Scholars (6-1) from Post 11.
Mugatu (6-1), eighth in the May 18 Preakness (G1) and second as the favorite in Laurel’s Bald Eagle Derby Aug. 4; Mosler Time (5-1), a 6 ¾-length allowance winner going 1 1/16 miles Sept. 7 at Laurel; Hittheroadjak (15-1), who romped by 9 ¼ lengths in a one-mile allowance Aug. 31 at Timonium; Brilliant Ice, who beat Feeling Woozy by a length when second July 26 at Laurel; Little Lance (30-1) and Crossland (12-1) round out the field.
Maryland-breds on the also-eligible list are Goodafternoonoscar (20-1) and Excellorator (6-1). Registered Maryland-breds are only able to run in races with less than eight Maryland Million-eligible entries.
Maryland Million Classic Field
