David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md. – The first juvenile races of the season in Maryland serve to highlight closing weekend of Laurel Park’s 15-day spring meet, which kicks off with a 10-race program Friday.
First race post time is 12:25 p.m.
Three races scheduled for Laurel’s world-class turf course, each drawing 11 entries, are part of Friday’s card including a waiver maiden claimer for fillies and mares ages 3, 4 and 5 going 1 1/8 miles on the Fort Marcy layout in Race 7 where Love Saga returns to the flat for the first time in nearly two years after graduating over jumps April 6, and Irish-bred Coach Caley debuts for trainer Brittany Russell.
Russell, who clicks at 21 percent with first-time starters and 23 percent with 2-year-olds, will send out Joel Politi’s Biscuitwiththeboss, a Maryland homebred son of Holy Boss, in Saturday’s Race 4, a 4 ½-furlong main track sprint for 2-year-old fillies. The field of six also includes Pure Majestic, a daughter of Tapit that fetched $100,000 as a yearling last fall; a pair of Mosler homebred for Barak Farm, Rapido Rosa and Safe Trust; Ravenex, by 2016 Preakness (G1) winner Exaggerator; and Belmontis from the first crop of multiple graded-stakes winner Thousand Words.
Juvenile colts and geldings will get their turn in the spotlight in Sunday’s opener, also sprinting 4 ½ furlongs. Trainers John Robb, John Salzman Jr. and his brother, Tim Salzman, each entered two horses while the remaining horse Ace It, co-owned and trained by Kentucky-based Jim Chapman, already has a race under his belt. By Connect, whose 2-year-old offspring have won 65 of 508 races (12 percent), lost all chance when he was bumped and bobbled at the start of a 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight April 10 in the slop at Keeneland, finishing eighth of 12.
Heading into closing weekend, five-pound apprentice J.G. Torrealba leads Jaime Rodriguez, Maryland’s 2023 overall riding champion and winner of Laurel’s preceding winter meet, 18-15, atop the jockey standings. Injured Jevian Toledo is third with 12 wins.
Kieron Magee leads all trainers with nine wins, one more than Jamie Ness, with Robb at seven and Jose Corrales and Mario Serey Jr. at six. Magee has won with six of his last 16 starters at Laurel (38 percent) including a double April 27.
In addition to live racing, Laurel will host a Kentucky Derby (G1) Day party Saturday from 12:30 to 6 p.m. featuring a savory and sweet buffet and photo booth. Tickets are $65 per person and can be purchased by visiting https://am.ticketmaster.com/marylandjockeyclub/derby
