$100,000 Concern, $100,000 Caesar’s Wish Top Saturday Program
Jockey Lynch, Trainer Motion Team Up for Pair of Friday Feature Wins
BALTIMORE – Starting this weekend, Laurel Park will serve up 11 stakes worth $1.05 million in purses every other Saturday in July along with $500 in gift card giveaways each stakes day.
The stakes action begins Saturday with the $100,000 Concern for 3-year-olds sprinting seven furlongs led by stakes winners Nimitz Class and Old Homestead, and the $100,000 Caesar’s Wish for fillies and mares 3 and up going one mile where 2021 Davona Dale (G2) winner Wholebodemeister continues her comeback where she will be tested from the outside by stakes winner The Grass Is Blue.
July 16 will feature four stakes worth $450,000 in purses led by the $150,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash for 3-year-olds and up, moved up from its traditional fall positioning on the Maryland stakes calendar. All four stakes are part of the Mid-Atlantic Thoroughbred Championship (MATCH) Series.
Named for the late president and chairman of both Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course, the six-furlong Dash’s illustrious roster of winners includes Hall of Famer Housebuster along with fellow sprint champions Cherokee Run, Smoke Glacken, Thor’s Echo and Benny the Bull. Grade 3 winner Wondrwherecraigis, disqualified to second after finishing first in last year’s race, is being pointed to a return.
Also on the July 16 program are the $100,000 Alma North for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting 6 ½ furlongs and a pair of $100,000 turf events – the Prince George’s County for 3-year-olds and up and Big Dreyfus for fillies and mares 3 and older, both going 1 1/8 miles.
The month’s busy schedule wraps up July 30 with five stakes worth $400,000 July 30, topped by the $100,000 Deputed Testamony for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles. It is joined by four $75,000 events restricted to Maryland-bred/sired horses – the Star de Naskra for 3-year-olds and Miss Disco for 3-year-olds fillies going seven furlongs, and Ben’s Cat for 3-year-olds and up and Jameela for females 3 and older each scheduled for 5 ½ furlongs on the grass.
John Davison and Eunhee Kim’s undefeated homebred Super Love is expected to make his stakes debut in the Star de Naskra. The son of 2010 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Super Saver has won each of his three starts for Laurel-based trainer Damon Dilodovico, the most recent a popular front-running 8 ¾-length allowance romp June 19 over his home track.
Free nominations for all four July 16 stakes close Saturday, July 2 and can be made by emailing stakes coordinator Marie Kizenko at marie.kizenko@marylandracing.com or calling the racing office at 1-800-638-1859.
Every stakes day in July, five $100 VISA gift cards will be given away to fans in attendance at Laurel. Fans can enter for a chance to win at guest services in the grandstand, and winners will be chosen at random. Fans must be on site to claim their prize.
For more information on the July stakes and stakes-day giveaways, click here for July stakes and click here for the giveaway.
Laurel Park’s 37-day summer meet began June 3 and runs through Aug. 21, with a special Independence Day holiday program Monday, July 4. Fans will be able to enjoy $2 beer specials, $2 hot dogs and $5 burgers with live racing both July 3 and 4.
Notes: Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Albert Frassetto’s Piqua ($3.40) dueled for the lead for six furlongs before taking command at the top of the stretch and holding on for a popular three-quarter-length victory in Race 6, a maiden special weight for horses 3, 4 and 5. Returning after 11 months for his second career start and first both as a gelding and with Lasix, the sophomore son of champion Speightstown ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.66 over a firm Fort Marcy turf course … Race 8, a seven-furlong allowance for 3-year-olds and up, saw Wertheimer & Frere’s Zatip ($7.20), a homebred Tapit colt, cross the line in 1:23.84 to earn his second straight win in his first start since late October … Both Piqua and Zatip were ridden by Feargal Lynch for trainer Graham Motion … There will be carryovers of $16,900.71 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 5-10) and $902.43 in the $1 Super Hi-5 (Race 1) for Saturday’s card that begins at 12:40 p.m. Multiple tickets with all six winners in Friday’s Rainbow 6 each returned $52.90.