MID-ATLANTIC THREE STARS: MARCH 7
Plenty of racing action took place throughout the Mid-Atlantic this past week.
Here’s a look at the “three stars” of each track:
Laurel Park
FIRST STAR: MIKE GORHAM. Gorham had a big training day on Friday, with three winners from three starters. He teamed up with jockey Jean Alvelo twice, winning race 3 with Sammie Sunshine and race 4 with Escape Fund. He capped off the hat trick in the featured 9th race, won by Borracho. Gorham had two wins on the year going into Friday, and has now won five times from 34 starters at the Laurel meet.
SECOND STAR: BORRACHO. The aforementioned Borracho was impressive in victory in Friday’s feature race, a third-level allowance optional claiming race at a mile. He set the early pace while being pressed, then drew away entering the stretch and held sway to cross the wire 1 1/4 lengths in front. He’s won twice from three starts on the year, and six times from 30 lifetime races. He’s owned by Steeplechase Farm.
THIRD STAR: PEYTON ELIZABETH. Jamie Ness sent out a pair of promising fillies in Saturday’s feature, a second-level allowance optional claiming sprint. Peyton Elizabeth and Proper Attire, who were coupled in the betting, went off as the 6-5 favorite, and Peyton Elizabeth got the job done by a half-length. She rated off the pace early, then came up the inside late and won while under a drive by Jaime Rodriguez. Proper Attire set the early pace and flattened out to fourth. Peyton Elizabeth traveled seven furlongs in 1:25.15, for owners Troy Johnson, Charles Lo, and Jagger Inc.
Charles Town Races
- 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.
FIRST STAR: SOMEDAY IS TODAY. Friday’s card started off with a bang, as promising West Virginia-bred filly Someday is Today won an allowance race by seven lengths. Breaking from the inside post under Arnaldo Bocachica, she went straight to the front and was two lengths in front by the time they hit the first turn in the seven-furlong contest. From there, she opened up more and powered away late, going the distance in 1:27.95. She’s now 3-for-4 lifetime, with earnings of just under $67,000. She’s owned by Andrew Warren and trained by Anthony Farrior.
SECOND STAR: COMPLETE SURPRISE. Saturday’s feature, a first-level allowance optional claiming went to this 5-year-old mare, who won her season debut by 7 1/4 lengths. Much like Someday is Today, she broke on top and never looked back, going 6 1/2 furlongs in 1:21.19. She’s won four times from 29 starts lifetime, with earnings of over $112,000. Andre Ramgeet had the mount for owner/trainer Ernest Haynes.
THIRD STAR: CIELO AZUL. The Wednesday feature was a first-level allowance optional claiming race at seven furlongs. Cielo Azul won his second in a row in determined effort. He was pressed on the pace while racing on the inside, but despite the competition from Hobe Sound, and the late rally of Combination, he had enough late to hold on for a three-quarter length victory. He’s owned by Gumpster Stable LLC, trained by Joan Reynolds, and ridden by Christian Hiraldo.
Parx Racing
FIRST STAR: RUBEN SILVERA. Parx’s leading rider turned a hat trick on Monday. He won with his first three mounts of the day, taking race 3 on Empress Irene for trainer Michael Catalano, race 5 on Jamie Ness trainee Brett’s World, and the 6th race aboard Get Her Readyeddie, trained by Jacinto Solis. Silvera’s 34 wins from 157 mounts at the meet are good for a comfortable advantage in the jockey standings.
SECOND STAR: FLEETERTHAN. This Pennsylvania-bred mare continued an impressive season on Tuesday, taking a first-level allowance optional claiming race by three-quarters of a length. She came through on the inside and took the lead in the last eighth, holding sway on the front end until the end. She went seven furlongs in 1:26.76, for owner Hardesty Stables, trainer Michael Moore, and jockey Andy Hernandez.
THIRD STAR: BLUE PAYNT. She got the job done in a starter allowance race on Monday, for her third victory in her last four starts. After rating near the pace on the inside in the early stages, she rallied wide in the stretch and pulled clear to win by 2 1/2 lengths. She’s owned by Krakow Racing LLC and America’s Pastime Stables, trained by Ilkay Kantarmaci, and ridden by Silvestre Gonzalez.
Region’s Best
- Mike Gorham- Big day on Friday.
- Borracho
- Ruben Silvera.
- Maryland Juvenile: A mystery solved, decades laterSaturday’s Maryland Juvenile Stakes should be a fun race, but it’s unlikely to launch the careers of two Classic winners, like the 1982 edition did.
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