Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club
• Saturday Marks Return of Two-Time Maryland Champion Joe
• Special Noon Post at Laurel for Kentucky Derby Day Saturday
David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md. – Bird Mobberley and Grady Griffin’s Low Mileage, a bay daughter of 2003 Horse of the Year Mineshaft, launched her career with a last-to-first victory in Friday’s feature at Laurel Park, the first juvenile race of the season in Maryland.
Ridden by Jevian Toledo for trainer John Salzman Jr., Low Mileage ($9) completed 4 ½ furlongs over a fast main track in 53.46 seconds to win the maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies by 1 ¼ lengths over 2-1 favorite Buckin’ Great.
Low Mileage broke a step slow from her rail position and was allowed to drop back by Toledo to trail her six rivals approaching the far turn. Toledo stayed patient while saving ground on the turn, tipped out at the top of the stretch and came with a steady run to reel in Buckin’ Great, who outraced Divine Magic for the early lead through a quarter-mile in 23.64 seconds and held it until passed in mid-stretch by Low Mileage after a half in 47.21.
Buckin’ Great was two lengths better than Jerry Robb-trained stablemate Buckin’ Lucky in third, followed by Divine Magic, Family Gal, She’s Fantastic and Call the Question.
Out of the Distorted Humor mare Chabeso, Low Mileage was bred in Virginia by Audrey Farm Equine. She had breezed three times at Laurel for her unveiling, including a bullet three-furlong work in 35.80 seconds April 15, fastest of nine horses, and a strong half-mile from the gate in 49.00 April 27.
Notes
The Elkstone Group’s two-time Maryland champion homebred Joe is entered to make his 4-year-old debut in Saturday’s featured Race 9, a third-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up scheduled for one mile on the Bowl Game turf course. Trained by Mike Trombetta, Maryland’s champion 2-year-old male of 2021 and 3-year-old male of 2022 has not raced since extending his win streak to two races in the one-mile James Murphy on the Pimlico turf last May 21 on the 147th Preakness (G1) undercard. Named for President Joe Biden, a family friend of Elkstone’s Stuart Grant, Joe won the Federico Tesio at 3 and Maryland Juvenile Futurity at 2, both on dirt …
Laurel will open its doors at 10 a.m. Saturday and have a special noon post for its live 11-race program. Post time at Churchill Downs is 10:30 a.m. with a 6:57 p.m. post for the Kentucky Derby (G1) in Race 12.
