Two-Time Maryland Champion Among Six Stakes Winners Saturday
Remuda Breaks Bowl Game Turf Course Record in Friday Victory

BALTIMORE – The Elkstone Group’s Joe, a Maryland-bred champion at both 2 and 3 that ran a troubled fifth in his 4-year-old debut last month, seeks to resume his winning form in a deep, stakes-level feature that highlights Saturday’s 10-race program at Laurel Park.

The homebred son of Declaration of War trained by Michael Trombetta drew Post 5 of nine in Race 8, a third-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the Bowl Game turf course.

Joe, named for U.S. President Joe Biden, stumbled soon after the start and trailed throughout a one-mile optional claiming allowance May 6 at Laurel. It was the first time facing older horses for Joe in his first start in nearly a year since winning the James W. Murphy on the undercard of the 147th Preakness Stakes (G1).

The one-mile Murphy was Joe’s third career stakes win and first on the grass, following victories in the 2021 Maryland Juvenile and 2022 Federico Tesio, a ‘Win and In’ qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the Preakness. Not among Triple Crown nominees, Joe was briefly under consideration for the Preakness before the connections opted for the Murphy, also against 3-year-olds.

Victor Carrasco has been aboard for all eight starts, five of them wins, and gets the return call on Joe, voted Maryland’s champion 2-year-old male of 2021 and champion 3-year-old male in 2022. His competition Saturday includes five other stakes winners, including three in graded or group company.

Team Hanley’s Doctor Davis broke his maiden sprinting six furlongs on the Laurel turf last July, his first start in nine months and first for trainer Arnaud Delacour. The 4-year-old has placed in four of his last five races, two of them wins, including a last out triumph going 1 1/16 miles May 19 at Pimlico on the undercard of the Black-Eyed Susan (G2).

Delacour also entered Mark Grier’s 7-year-old Eons, who rallied to be second as the favorite, beaten 1 ¼ lengths, in a one-mile optional claiming allowance May 6 on the Laurel turf in his most recent start. He is a five-time stakes winner including the 1 1/8-mile Kent (G3) in 2019 at Delaware Park and last summer’s 1 1/8-mile Prince George’s County at Laurel, when he was placed first after running second by a nose behind English Tavern, who was disqualified for interference.

Belle Tower Stables’ Irish-bred Flop Shot, 7, began his career overseas, winning a Group 3 stakes in France and placing third in a pair of Group 2 events in 2019. He won one of nine starts for trainer Chad Brown upon coming to the U.S. in 2020 and returns to the flat after unseating his rider in a 2 1/8-mile maiden event over hurdles May 6 at Great Meadow. He is now trained by Elizabeth Voss.

Darryl Abramowitz’s Bodecream has run first or second in nine of 18 career tries on turf, four of them wins, including the 2020 Texas Turf Mile at Sam Houston. That summer and fall he ran third in the Saranac (G3) and Hill Prince (G2) in New York, both also going one mile, and was second in two other open stakes. Now trained by Horacio DePaz, he returns to the grass after ending a 15-month gap between starts running fourth in an off-the-turf Henry S. Clark April 29 at Laurel.

Flurry Racing Stables’ Shadow Sphinx is a multiple stakes-placed 8-year-old Pioneerof the Nile gelding that was claimed by Maryland’s leading trainer, Brittany Russell, for $40,000 after finishing third as the favorite behind Doctor Davis May 19 at Pimlico. Nine of his 12 wins from 36 lifetime starts have come on the grass, where over the winter he faced the likes of Colonel Liam, Emmanuel, City Man, Decorated Invader and English Bee in graded-stakes at Gulfstream Park.

Like Flop Shot, Uplands Flats Racing’s Royne exits a 2 1/8-mile maiden special weight steeplechase April 29 at Charlotte, his debut over hurdles and for trainer Keri Brion. Last summer the 5-year-old son of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper ran fourth by less than three lengths to Grade 1-winning millionaire Red Knight in the Colonial Cup and third to Grade 2 winner L’Imperator in the Presious Passion, both at 1 ½ miles.

Monmouth Stud’s Oceans Map finished between L’Imperator and Royne in the 2022 Presious Passion, and is entered to make his first start since running seventh in a 1 1/8-mile optional claimer Jan. 18 at Tampa Bay Downs behind Never Explain, who would go on to win his next two starts including the May 20 Dinner Party (G3) at Pimlico. The 6-year-old gelding won the 1 ½-mile Cape Henlopen in 2021 on the Monmouth Park turf and is 0-for-2 on the Laurel grass, running fourth in the 2022 Henry S. Clark and fifth in the 2021 Japan Turf Cup.

Built Wright Stables’ 6-year-old gelding Double Crown, 42-1 upset winner of last fall’s one-mile Kelso (G2) at Aqueduct, is entered to make his 34th start and just his second on the grass having run sixth in the 5 ½-furlong Ben’s Cat 11 months ago, also at Laurel.

A Laurel maiden winner in his 2019 debut for original trainer Lacey Gaudet, Double Crown was purchased privately by Dean Reeves and moved to Kathy Ritvo at Gulfstream Park, where he won the Roar and Carry Back and was third in the Smile Sprint (G3) in 2020, before returning to Maryland to run second in the Chick Lang (G3) at Pimlico. Owner-trainer Norman ‘Lynn’ Cash claimed Double Crown from trainer Tom Amoss for $40,000 out of a runner-up finish last summer at Churchill Downs.

First race post time Saturday is 12:25 p.m.

Reumda Breaks Bowl Game Turf Course Record in Friday Victory

Godolphin’s 4-year-old homebred Remuda, back on grass in his first start in two months, found room along the rail and opened up on his rivals through the stretch to earn his fourth career victory in record-setting fashion Friday at Laurel Park.

Ridden by Sheldon Russell for trainer Eoin Harty, Remuda ($7.60) covered 5 ½ furlongs over a firm Bowl Game turf course in 1:00.63, breaking the mark of 1:00.75 set by Minit to Stardom June 7, 2019. In his subsequent start, Minit to Stardom won the Honorable Miss (G2) at Saratoga.

By More than Ready, Remuda was making just his sixth start against a seasoned field that included six-time winner Zyramid, first or second in five prior turf races; multiple stakes-placed Marvalous Mike; two-time Virginia-bred turf stakes winner Determined Kingdom; 2021 Maryland Million Turf Sprint winner Grateful Bred; 2022 Nearctic (G2) winner Cazadero; and 2022 Jacques Cartier (G3) winner Arzak, the 2-1 favorite.

Remuda raced in third on the inside as Zyramid zipped through an opening quarter-mile in 21.34 seconds. Russell maintained his position on the rail as the leader drifted out on the far turn and was able to scoot through and wrest a short lead in mid-stretch after a half-mile in 43.43 seconds, pulling away late. Arzak came on to be second with Zyramid third and Grateful Bred fourth.

In his only previous try on grass, Remuda was a front-running neck maiden special weight winner going 1 1/16 miles last April at Tampa Bay Downs in his second start. He didn’t race again until November, returning to beat his elders in a six-furlong main track sprint, also at Tampa, where he notched a three-length win in his seasonal debut Jan. 15. He was a well-beaten eighth following a troubled trip April 16 at Keeneland.

Notes: Jockey Sheldon Russell tripled Friday aboard Remuda ($13) in Race 4, Runaway Storm ($16.80) in Race 5 and Northern Glow ($8.60) in Race 7 … Godolphin’s Remuda set a Bowl Game turf course record of 1:00.63 for 5 ½ furlongs while beating a pair of graded-stakes winners in the optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up … Robert Hunt’s 3-year-old homebred Runaway Storm, racing with blinkers on for the first time in his second start, led all the way around to graduate in 1:48.84 for 1 1/8 miles on the Exceller turf course in the last of three maiden special weights on the card … Steven Walfish’s 3-year-old Super Accelerate ($14.60), a Maryland-bred son of multiple Grade 1 winner Accelerate stepping up to maiden special weight company after two seconds in five prior starts, pulled clear through the stretch to capture Friday’s opener in 1:25.85 for seven furlongs. It marked the first victory for the Silver Train mare Bawlmer Hon, winner of the 2017 All Brandy on the Laurel turf … Speedyness ($7.60), a 2-year-old Great Notion colt bred, owned and trained by Jamie Ness, dueled with Malibu Slew to the top of the stretch before putting that rival away and drawing clear for a front-running debut triumph in Race 2, a maiden special weight sprinting 4 ½ furlongs. The winning time was 52.48 seconds … David Jacobson-owned and trained Self Isolation ($6.60) kept even-money favorite Intrepid Daydream at bay down the stretch to capture Race 8, a third-level optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up. It was the second straight win and eighth overall for the 5-year-old Square Eddie mare that began her career in Southern California … There will be a carryover of $2,617.33 in the $1 Jackpot Super High Five (Race 6) and $2,394.10 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 5-10) Saturday, with a first post of 12:25 p.m. Tickets with five of six winners Friday each returned $244.06.