Laurel Park will kick off the New Year with four $100,000 stakes races
Saturday afternoon.
Lady Sabelia, a two-time stakes winner at Laurel, heads the cast of eight
fillies and mares in the $100,000
What A
Summer. The five-year-old mare won four of five races in 2014, including the
Willa on the Move on December 6. The daughter of Majestic Warrior is trained by
Robin Graham and has been ridden exclusively by Horacio Karamanos since she
broke her maiden in October 2013.
“She is doing great. She keeps moving forward after each race,” Graham said
of the even-money morning line favorite. “She has matured so much as she has
gotten older. She is as honest as she can be and tries hard. Every time we take
her over she is ready to do what we ask her to do.”
Defending champion Winning Image (9-2) beat Lady Sabelia in the Cornucopia at
Parx Racing in October for her 10th stakes victory. Other stakes wins include
the 2014 Primonetta Stakes at Pimlico and the 2012 Willa on the Move. The
ageless Tony Black, 63, has the mount.
Bakken is the 4-5 morning line choice to capture the $100,000
Fire Plug,
a six-furlong test for older horses. Chad Brown supplemented the son of
Distorted Humor, who has three victories in seven starts, into the race. The
five-year-old has competed in four graded races, including a second place finish
in the True North H. at Belmont Park and an eighth place finish in the Breeders’
Cup Sprint.
Cutty Shark (4-1) and Smash and Grab (5-1) appear to be the best local hopes.
Cutty Shark finished first or second in half of his 14 starts a year ago,
including a runner-up finish in the City of Laurel. The son of Old Fashioned
comes into the race off an allowance score on December 19 for trainer Donald
Barr.
“It is a little fast back. I wish I had another week but he is on his game
right now,” Barr said. “The supplemented horse (Bakken) makes this a tough spot.
He showed flashes as a younger horse but has started putting it together on a
more consistent basis as the weather got colder. The last race didn’t take too
much out of him. He does his best running just off the pace and I expect that is
where we will be in this race.”
Smash and Grab won three of his final four races last year, all at Laurel,
for trainer Damon Dilodovico. In the $350,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash,
the son of Sharp Humor stumbled at the break and finished next to last but he
came back to win an allowance test last month in wire-to-wire fashion.
Miss Mischief (3-1), who won three times last year for trainer Dale Capuano
after she moved into his barn during the summer, is the likely choice in the
$100,000
Nellie Morse. Graham Motion has entered Star Pearl (4-1), Zucchini Flower
(6-1) and Unbound (10-1).
Stormin Monarcho earned the role as the favorite in the $100,000
Native
Dancer off three stakes victories in 2014, including the Richard Small
Stakes at Laurel in November. The David Jacobson trainee is the 2-1 morning line
choice. Last year, Jacobson runners won 14 races from just 25 starters at
Laurel. Other contenders include Turco Bravo (9-2), Cerro (5-1), Elnaawi (6-1)
and Cosmic Gold (8-1).
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