L Street Lady winning the Xtra Heat. (Jerry Dzierwinski/MJC)
Trainer Russell Poised to Sweep Laurel Sophomore Stakes
David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md. – Madaket Stables’ L Street Lady captured the Xtra Heat in her stakes debut earlier on the card and chases a third straight victory in the $100,000 Wide Country.
In the Wide Country, trainer Brittany Russell is hoping that L Street Lady can continue her forward progression in just her fourth start, giving up seasoning to all but one of her rivals most notably Maryland Million Lassie winner Chickieness, who has run nine prior times, and two-time New York-bred stakes winner Stonewall Star.
L Street Lady comes in with momentum, having beaten Chickieness by 2 ¼ lengths in the six-furlong Xtra Heat following a front-running 7 ¼-length maiden special weight romp second time out in December.
“I was really, really pleased for her to step up. We all run a maiden that wins impressively, and you get high on them and then you ask them to step up next time and they don’t. She did,” Russell said. “I thought she was game. Jamie Ness’ filly [Chickieness] is seasoned. She’s done plenty of running and she’s done plenty of good running, so for [L Street Lady] to get past her I was very happy with her.”
Both L Street Lady’s wins have come on dirt, after she ran third sprinting 5 ½ furlongs on the Laurel turf late last October in her unveiling. The Wide Country will be the longest start to date for the bay daughter of Munnings, who shares her sire with Prince of Jericho.
The Wide Country is the next step in Laurel’s 3-year-old filly stakes series that began with the Xtra Heat and continues with the $100,000 Beyond the Wire going one mile March 18 and $125,000 Weber City Miss April 15, a 1 1/16-mile ‘Win and In’ qualifier for the 99th Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 19 at Pimlico.
“I think she can handle seven-eighths, but she’ll definitely have to answer the question past that. She might just be a sprinter type, but sometimes you have to try it in the afternoon to find out,” Russell said. “I will say she’s different now. She’s figured it out. She’s doing better than I’ve seen her do. I genuinely believe she has changed a lot. I hope that means it’s a step in the right direction for her.”
In addition to her Lassie victory, Morris Kernan and Jagger Inc.’s Chickiness has run second three times in stakes including twice to then-undefeated Bound by Destiny last summer at Delaware Park. Her worst finish was a fourth behind multiple stakes winner Malibu Moonshine in the Maryland Juvenile Fillies.
Barry Schwartz’s homebred Stonewall Star will be trying open company for the third time, having run third in her two previous attempts, the most recent behind Malibu Moonshine in Laurel’s Dec. 30 Gin Talking. The won the six-furlong Key Cents in November and 6 ½-furlong Franklin Square Jan. 22, both at Aqueduct, for trainer Horacio DePaz.
Built Wright Stable’s Gormley’s Gabriela will be racing first time for owner-trainer Norman ‘Lynn’ Cash since being claimed for $62,500 out of a neck loss going one mile Jan. 28 at Laurel. The Gormley filly ran fourth in the Gin Talking and third in the Maryland Juvenile Fillies and was also third in the six-furlong Smart Halo last November in her stakes debut. She will be fitted with blinkers for the Wide Country.
“She’s coming along and getting better. As I look back through her lines it seems like she’s improving. Even though she’s running third and third and even the fourth, she wasn’t beaten far. I think she’s got talent,” Cash said.
“That Malibu Moonshine is a nice horse. There’s no shame running behind her. She was competitive and fighting the whole way,” he added. “She closes, so the distance helps her. When you get a horse like that that’s up and coming, one of these days she’s going to get through and make a nice move and she gets up. The race sets up just right.”
Sally’s Sassy was entered to make her first start on dirt and on the East Coast for Northern California’s perennial leading trainer Jonathan Wong. Sally’s Sassy began her career on turf and has won two straight by a nose over the all-weather surface at Golden Gate, including the Golden Gate Debutante last fall.
We’ll See, third in the Xtra Heat in her stakes debut, rounds out the field.
Wide Country was Maryland’s Horse of the Year in 1991 when she won eight of 13 starts as a 3-year-old, each of her victories coming in stakes, led by the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) and Pimlico Oaks (G3). She placed in four other graded stakes including the Barbara Fritchie (G2) and Go for Wand (G1) in 1992 and was retired with 12 wins and $819,728 in purses earned from 26 starts.
