With a gleam in his eye, Wondrwherecraigis won the G3 Bold Ruler at Belmont Park Oct. 31, 2021. (Joe Labozzetta)
David Joseph/Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md. – Thursday’s card also includes a third-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs in Race 6 that features the return of Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, Madaket Stables and Michael Caruso’s multiple stakes winner Wondrwherecraigis.
The 6-year-old Munnings gelding is favored at 9-5 on the morning line against 10 rivals including 2021 Tom Fool (G3) winner Chateau and his David Jacobson-owned and trained stablemate Synthesis, a nine-time winner that ran third in the 2018 Best Pal (G2); Borracho, third in the 2019 Woody Stephens (G1); Witty, a 7 ¾-length winner of the 2022 Spectacular Bid at Laurel; and War Tocsin, three times graded-stakes placed including a second to Cordmaker in Laurel’s 2022 General George (G3).
“‘Craig’ is great. We’re excited to get him going,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “We saw he was eligible for this race, and we figured it would be a good spot to bring him back, and it turned out to be a pretty salty race.”
Wondrwherecraigis gave Russell her first graded stakes win in the 2021 Bold Ruler at Belmont Park, one race after he finished first in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) at Laurel but was disqualified to second for interference. He captured the Fire Plug in his season opener last January and was sent to Dubai, where he finished off the board in the Golden Shaheen (G1).
(Editor’s Note: Wondrwherecraigis was robbed, I say!)
In his first start back, Wondrwherecraigis ran second in the De Francis before finishing fourth in the Russell Road at Charles Town and second by a head to stakes winner Alwaysinahurry in an optional claimer last September at historic Pimlico Race Course.
Thursday will be Wondrwherecraigis’ first race in 208 days. He opened his 2021 season with a three-length victory sprinting six furlongs at Pimlico off a 259-day layoff. The Fire Plug was his first start since the Bold Ruler, a span of 2 ½ months, and the De Francis came 112 days after his run in Dubai.
“‘Craig’ always seems to run well off the breaks that we’ve given him, so we’re hoping that’s the case again,” Russell said.
