Unified Alliance winning the Coronation Cup at Saratoga July 14. (Adam Coglianese)
David Joseph/ Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md. – Reagan Jack Racing, John Hickey, Michael McKenna and Anthony Pepe’s Unified Alliance, a front-running stakes winner at Saratoga this summer, returns from a brief freshening out of her graded debut seeking a return to form in the 33rd edition of the $100,000 Safely Kept.
Unified Alliance, by Unified, has raced once previously at Laurel Park when she was third to Liquidator in a 5 ½-furlong optional claiming allowance March 3 when she was trained by John Servis. She was moved to New York-based Tom Morley in the summer, winning an off-the-turf renewal of the 5 ½-furlong Coronation Cup July 14 in her first start.
Encouraged by the effort, the connections stretched her out to six furlongs and stepped her up in company in the Sept. 2 Prioress (G2), where she chased a blazing pace of 21.73 and 44.64 seconds before tiring to be last of five behind Alva Starr, subsequently second in the Raven Run (G2). Runner-up Jersey Pearl came back to win the Cheryl S. White Memorial Nov. 20 at Mahoning Valley.
“We made a little bit of a mistake in the Prioress where we tried to go forward and threw some very fast fractions with some very fast fillies. But she’s a filly that’s had a little freshening after Saratoga and she’s come back and been working extremely well,” Morley said. “I feel great about her. I’ve had this race in the back of my mind for a long time with the view to it being seven furlongs. I think it is absolutely this filly’s optimum trip.”
Unified Alliance has raced once before at seven furlongs, going gate to wire in a 10 ¼-length romp April 3 at Parx. She drew Post 2 of seven and will have jockey Eric Cancel in from New York to ride for the first time.
“Obviously we would have loved an outside draw, but she’s a filly that has tactical speed. If someone wants to go on in front of her, then they can go on in front of her,” Morley said. “She’s not a need the lead type, but she’s very comfortable there if it’s offered up to her.
Liquidator, a five-time winner in Maryland this year that was beaten a head when second in the seven-furlong Miss Disco July 29 at Laurel, returns in her first start since being claimed for $25,000 out of an Oct. 27 win by owner-trainer Joanne Shankle. Overall, the Divining Rod filly has four wins and two seconds in eight tries going seven furlongs.
Servis entered Villa Rosa Farm Inc.’s Worst Behaviour, a winner of three of six starts since joining the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1)-winning trainer this spring. By champion Bernardini, she has won back-to-back starts over older horses going 5 ½ and six furlongs at Penn National heading into her stakes debut.
LNJ Foxwoods’ Howl is entered to make just her second career start in the Safely Kept. Trained by Brad Cox, the daughter of Practical Joke debuted with a popular, eye-catching 7 ¾-length maiden special weight triumph sprinting six furlongs Oct. 28 at Keeneland.
Apple Picker, winner of the six-furlong Weather Vane Sept. 16 at historic Pimlico Race Course most recently fourth in the Raven Run; twice stakes-placed Warrior’s Ransom and last-out winner Dot Marie round out the field.
The Safely Kept honors the champion sprinter of 1989 and member of the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame Class of 2011. The daughter of longtime Maryland sire Horatius was the first sprinter to top $2 million in earnings, the first Maryland-bred to win a Breeders’ Cup race in the 1990 Sprint (G1), a four-time Maryland-bred champion including Horse of the Year twice (1989,1990) and is one of only seven horses to win three Maryland Million races. She won 24 races, 22 in stakes, from 31 lifetime starts.
