STAKES WINNER NAUGHTY THOUGHTS BACK IN ACTION
Rafael Lopez’s stakes-winning sophomore filly Naughty Thoughts is entered to make just her second start since mid-March as live racing returns to Laurel Park Thursday.
- What we learned on Maryland Juvenile Stakes dayHere’s what we learned at Laurel Park for Saturday’s Maryland Juvenile and Maryland Juvenile Filly Stakes.
Naughty Thoughts drew Post 8 of nine and is a lukewarm 3-1 program favorite in Thursday’s eighth race, a 5 ½-furlong allowance for Maryland-bred/sired fillies and mares 3 and older. Post time for the first of nine races is 12:25 p.m.
Trained by Jonathan Maldonaldo, Naughty Thoughts ran third in the Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship and Gin Talking last year before winning Laurel’s Wide Country Feb. 15 in a front-running effort. Second as the favorite in the Beyond the Wire March 14, she was last seen finishing eighth in the Dogwood (G3) June 6.
Co-second choice on the morning line at 4-1 is Quiet Imagination, second in the Maryland Million Distaff Oct. 24 at Laurel and third in the Tax Free Shopping Distaff Sept. 26 at Delaware Park. Quiet Imagination drew Post 6.
Thursday’s seventh race is an entry-level optional claiming allowance for 2-year-old fillies going one mile which attracted a field of eight led by 3-1 program favorite Mischiefs Model, a popular waiver maiden claiming winner Nov. 28 at Laurel.
There will be carryovers of $5,250.95 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 4-9) and $1,458.35 in the $1 Super Hi-5 (Race 1) Thursday.
Friday’s nine-race card includes a 1 1/8-mile allowance for 3-year-olds and up in Race 4 led by Midwest shipper Working Title, the 5-2 program favorite, and an optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting six furlongs. Ten were entered including 2019 Schuylerville (G2) runner-up Kiss the Girl.
Nancy Heil-bred, owned and trained Karan’s Notion, 16-1 upset winner of the Maryland Million Sprint, is the 123-pound topweight in Saturday’s featured eighth race, a second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up going 5 ½ furlongs. Karan’s Notion returned from the Sprint with a gate-to-wire entry-level allowance triumph Nov. 19 at Laurel as the favorite.
Nominations for Laurel’s Christmastide Day stakes program Dec. 26 are due Thursday, and entries will be taken Saturday. The $150,000 Allaire du Pont (G3) for fillies and mares 3 and up going 1 1/8 miles headlines a card featuring eight stakes worth $850,000 in purses.
Also scheduled are four juvenile stakes, the $100,000 Gin Talking (seven furlongs) and $100,000 Anne Arundel County (about 1 1/16 miles) for fillies and $100,000 Heft (seven furlongs) and $100,000 Howard County (about 1 1/16 miles); the $100,000 Dave’s Friend (six furlongs) and $100,000 Native Dancer (1 1/8 miles) for 3-year-olds and up and $100,000 Willa On the Move (six furlongs) for females 3 and up.
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