Hybrid Eclipse captures the 2023 Nellie Morse (Maryland Jockey Club)
Laurel Park News & Notes
LAUREL, Md.— The Elkstone Group’s Hybrid Eclipse will be heavily favored to defend her title in Saturday’s $100,000 Nellie Morse at Laurel Park as she makes her 6-year-old debut chasing a sixth career stakes victory. The first of five, all at Laurel, came in the 2022 Caesar’s Wish, after which she was purchased by Elkstone’s Stuart Grant.
“She’s rock solid,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “She was a good buy for Stuart way back when.”
The 1 1/16-mile Nellie Morse for fillies and mares 4 and older is the second of four stakes worth $600,000 on a 10-race Winter Carnival program co-headlined by the Fritchie for females and $200,000 General George (G3), both going seven furlongs.
Hybrid Eclipse, the even-money program favorite over six rivals, owns nine wins and $594,324 in purse earnings from 25 starts. She is racing for the first time since finishing second in the Dec. 23 Carousel at Laurel to stablemate Saddle Up Jessie, who came back to win Aqueduct’s Heavenly Prize Invitational Feb. 10.
“When I had to run them against each other, they’re coming down the stretch, Hybrid’s running and Jessie’s winning, and I’m like, ‘This is weird,’” Russell said. “I still think she ran really well, and she was flattered with how Jessie came back. I mean, the form’s good.”
Hybrid Eclipse has alternated wins and losses in each of her last four races, taking the Caesar’s Wish and Thirty Eight Go Go and running fourth in the Twixt to multiple graded-stakes winner Interstatedaydream prior to her run in the Carousel.
“She’s ready to go and I think she’s on a good cycle now,” Russell said. “She always seems to cycle on and off a race. She runs ok and then she runs big and then she runs ok. I think she’s back ready to roll.”
Completing the field are twice stakes-placed New Hire; Charming Way, riding a three-race win streak into her stakes debut; In My Opinion, a winner first time for trainer Lacey Gaudet Dec. 17 at Laurel; 10-time career winner Hashtag Lucky; and Frosty O Toole, a last-out optional claiming winner going 1 1/16 miles Jan. 7 at Tampa Bay Downs.
Trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. said Rosie’s Halo, the 5-2 second choice, will scratch in favor of Saturday’s 1 1/16-mile Royal Delta (G3) at her home track of Gulfstream Park. Joseph will be represented at Laurel by Bluefield and Intrepid Daydream in the Barbara Fritchie.
