LAUREL, Md. – Although he took somewhat of a circuitous route, Exploration discovered the winner’s circle in today’s eighth race at Laurel Park, a $49,000 first-level allowance for 4-year-olds and upward at six furlongs.
Piloted by Jevian Toledo, Exploration broke last in the four-horse field and settled three wide in third. Meanwhile, Heaven’s Got Fire and Coringa sparred through an opening quarter in a moderate 23.63 seconds over the fast main track.
Coringa poked a head in front after a half-mile in 47.33, and Toledo had to get after heavily favored Exploration to keep pace with the new leader.
Jockey Jaime Rodriguez dropped the stick in midstretch, which might have stopped Coringa’s momentum slightly. On the other hand, Exploration continued to grind away, and he crossed the wire a neck in front in 1:12.25.
Bermuda Run finished a well-beaten third, 9 ½ lengths behind Coringa. Heaven’s Got Fire was fourth. Beaver State and Swifty Devil scratched.
Exploration returned $2.60 to win.
“[Heaven’s Got Fire| broke in quickly,” Toledo said about the slow start. “I knew [that horse] was the speed, so I didn’t send my horse because I didn’t want to be in trouble with that horse. I let him break on his own. When the other horse crossed over, I took him outside right away, put him on the bridle, and he was traveling good.”
Toledo admitted that he was anxious in the upper stretch. “[Coringa] didn’t want to stop. I felt like my horse was trying 100%, and I couldn’t go by until I hit him left-handed. Then, he gave me another gear and got the job done.”
Brittany Russell trains Exploration for the partnership of Spendthrift Farm, Martin Schwartz, Gandharvi Racing, Big Easy Racing, Winners Win, James Bakke, Titletown Racing, Kueber Racing, Goldonda Stable, Ali Goodrich, and Mark Parkinson.
Bred in Kentucky by Stonestreet Thoroughbred Holdings, Exploration is a 4-year-old colt by Curlin out of a placed half-sister to Grade 1 winners Tara’s Tango and Visionaire and Grade 3 winners Scarlet Strike and Madison’s Luna.
A $900,000 yearling purchase, Exploration raced once last year for trainer Brad Cox, finishing third in a maiden special weight at Fair Grounds. Transferred to Russell’s care, Exploration graduated in his fourth start, a maiden special at Aqueduct on Jan. 26.
Exploration now boasts two wins from five starts for lifetime earnings of $90,900.
Double Airo Finds The Mark
Double Airo. (Jim McCue/TMJC)
A return to Laurel Park was just what the doctor ordered for Double Airo in the co-featured sixth race, a first-level allowance with a $62,500 claiming option for 3-year-old fillies at 5 ½ furlongs.
Trained by Robbie Bailes for owner Eric Rizer, Double Airo warmed up vigorously under jockey J. G. Torrealba, a sign that the rider wanted to obtain forward position in the short sprint.
Double Airo did break well from her inside post but wasn’t as quick early as She’s No Uncle, who jumped to the lead and the rail under Jaime Rodriguez.
Torrealba calmly angled Double Airo off the inside, and they pulled forward to push She’s No Uncle through an opening quarter in 22.50 seconds. Double Airo then took the lead with relative ease outside the three-eighths pole, opening up a clear advantage under confident handling.
From there, it was all Double Airo, who strutted home five lengths better than Krissi N. She’s No Uncle finished another 1 ¼ lengths behind in third. Then came favored In My Memories and Little Cocoa Bean.
“The break was excellent,” Torrealba said. “The second position was good. My horse finished strong,” Torrealba said.
Double Airo completed the distance in 1:06.75 and paid $6 to win as the public’s second choice. Pocket Sand, Chickin Lickin, Green Eyed Monster, and Itsamonstamash scratched.
Bailes said that he closed up Double Airo’s blinkers following a fourth-place finish in a $50,000 starter allowance at Aqueduct on Jan. 30. In her prior start, the gray filly earned a stakes placing when third in the restricted Miss Behaviour at Parx.
Bred in Pennsylvania by PA Stallions, Double Airo is by Airoforce. Her second dam, Skating, finished third in Monmouth’s Little Silver Stakes at one mile on turf.
Purchased by Rizer for $3,000 as a weanling, Double Airo finished sixth in her debut, a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight on turf, before graduating over muddy Laurel dirt when entered for a $30,000
Double Airo has won twice from five starts for lifetime earnings of $62,840.
Around the track > > >
Celtic Contender. (Jerry Dzierwinski)
Multiple stakes-winner Celtic Contender, recently second in the General George Stakes on Feb. 15, breezed a half-mile in 48 seconds flat on Saturday morning for trainer Hammy Smith … Smith also worked stakes-placed Feeling Woozy a half in 47.80. Feeling Woozy is nominated to next Saturday’s $75,000 Not For Love Stakes and is also being considered for an allowance race over the weekend…
Hittheroadjak, third in the John B. Campbell Stakes on Feb. 15, earned the bullet for the distance with a 47.60 breeze for trainer Rudy Sanchez-Salomon…
Just a Fair Shake, third in the Laurel Futurity in his final start at two, went in 49.80 for Daniel McKenzie…
Omaha Omaha, third in Aqueduct’s Withers Stakes on Feb. 1, worked five-eighths in 1:03.60. Trained by Michael Gorham, Omaha Omaha is presumably a candidate for Laurel’s $100,000 Private Terms Stakes on March 2…
Stakes-winner Vance Scholars had his first breeze of the year, a three-furlong work in 39 flat for trainer Phil Capuano. Vance Scholars finished sixth in last year’s Maryland Million Classic…
Trainer Jerry Robb worked Maryland Million Nursery winner Do It for Michael and stakes-placed filly Great Andrei five furlongs from the gate in 1:01 flat…
Live racing resumes on Sunday with an eight-race program. The first post time is 12:10 p.m. ET.
