Experts’ Maryland Million day selections
The Biz- October 22, 2022
It’s Maryland Million day 2022, and what a fantastic card the Laurel Park racing office has put together: a dozen races with full fields just about everywhere you look.
Eight of the 12 are stakes, while the other four are starter events. We asked some of our experts for their selections for the eight major stakes. Here’s what they had to say:
RACE 3: MARYLAND MILLION TURF SPRINT
| Derby Bill Watson | Eric Rubin | Joe Parisi | Gary Quill |
| 5. Grateful Bred | 5. Grateful Bred | (AE) 10. Justwaveandsmile | 1. Rock the Boat |
| 2. Sky’s Not Falling | 1. Rock the Boat | 7. Island Philo | 5. Grateful Bred |
| (AE) 10. Justwaveandsmile | 3. Cynergy’s Star | (AE) 9. Can the Queen | 2. Sky’s Not Falling |
Grateful Bred has the shortest odds of any horse on the card: 3-5 on the morning line. Yet our pickers see it as a more complicated scene than that. Who can beat him? Rock the Boat was just two lengths behind him in this event last year, and Sky’s Not Falling finished second in that event.
RACE 4: MARYLAND MILLION NURSERY
How wide open is the Nursery? Morning line favorite Lost Weekend is just 3-1 on the morning line — and none of our pickers pick him on top. Instead, two of them prefer trainer Dale Capuano’s other runner, Johnyz From Albany. Love also directed at last out maiden breaker Wildhunch and Brittany Russell trainee Heldish.
| Derby Bill Watson | Eric Rubin | Joe Parisi | Gary Quill |
| 4. Heldish | 7. Johnyz From Albany | 11. Wildhunch | 7. Johnyz From Albany |
| 3. Paymengold | 9. Lost Weekend | 7. Johnyz From Albany | 9. Lost Weekend |
| 7. Johnyz From Albany | 1. Bestsugardaddyever | 1. Bestsugardaddyever | 11. Wildhunch |
RACE 6: MARYLAND MILLION LADIES
| Derby Bill Watson | Eric Rubin | Joe Parisi | Gary Quill |
| 7. Coconut Cake | 5. Amplio Esquema | 2. Maldives Model | 4. Gamestonks |
| 2. Maldives Model | 10. Double Fireball | 7. Coconut Cake | 1. My Thoughts |
| 1. My Thoughts | 1. My Thoughts | 5. Amplio Esquema | 2. Maldives Model |
Fillies and mares on the lawn and another wide open heat beckons: our pickers land on four different horses in the top spot, including morning line fave Coconut Cake, Lyphard winner Maldives Model, Amplio Esquema, and first-time turfer Gamestonks.
RACE 7: MARYLAND MILLION DISTAFF
| Derby Bill Watson | Eric Rubin | Joe Parisi | Gary Quill |
| 1. Fille d’Esprit | 6. Wicked Hot | 6. Wicked Hot | 7. Fool Yourself |
| 2. Malibu Beauty | 1. Fille d’Esprit | 1. Fille d’Esprit | 1. Fille d’Esprit |
| (AE) 11. Edie Meeny Miny Mo | 7. Fool Yourself | 2. Malibu Beauty | 8. Summer Odds |
One of the card’s strongest favorites is Fille d’Esprit, who enters off a bit of a disappointing run in the Roamin Rachel on a sloppy surface she may not have liked. But two of our pickers land instead on the lightly raced Wicked Hot, who ran two bang up races before running a clunker last out at a sloppy Spa. Very little respect shown by our pickers for morning line second choice Malibu Beauty.
RACE 8: MARYLAND MILLION LASSIE
| Derby Bill Watson | Eric Rubin | Joe Parisi | Gary Quill |
| 4. Bosserati | 4. Bosserati | 5. Cynergy’s Electra | 13. Cocktail Dreaming |
| 6. Chickieness | 5. Cynergy’s Electra | 6. Chickieness | 10. Malibu Moonshine |
| 11. Blome | 11. Blome | 10. Malibu Moonshine | 3. Skylar’s Sister |
Bombs away? Two of our pickers land on 10-1 shot Bosserati, an impressive debut winner at Timonium before a disappointing try against winners as the favorite. In fact, all of our pickers land on outsiders here, with some love for 15-1 Cynergy’s Electra — a late-running third on debut — and 15-1 Cocktail Dreaming.
RACE 9: MARYLAND MILLION TURF
| Derby Bill Watson | Eric Rubin | Joe Parisi | Gary Quill |
| 8. Cannon’s Roar | 6. Rhumjar | 8. Cannon’s Roar | 13. Crabs N Beer |
| 7. Midnight Hauler | 8. Cannon’s Roar | 11. Wicked Prankster | 12. Nick Papagiorgio |
| 3. Mr. d’Angelo | 4. So Street | 7. Midnight Hauler | 8. Cannon’s Roar |
Two of our pickers will grab morning line choice Cannon’s Roar to snap a losing streak that reaches back to 2020, despite a number of good efforts in the interim. Two others take the opposite approach, landing on 20-1 Rhumjar in his first turf outing and 10-1 Crabs N Beer, a flashy winner in an off-the-turf allowance in last.
RACE 10: MARYLAND MILLION SPRINT
| Derby Bill Watson | Eric Rubin | Joe Parisi | Gary Quill |
| 11. Fortheluvofbourbon | 9. Goldenize | 11. Fortheluvofbourbon | 11. Fortheluvofbourbon |
| 14. Alwaysinahurry | 8. Karan’s Notion | 13. Elusive Agent | 14. Alwaysinahurry |
| 7. Hemp | 11. Fortheluvofbourbon | 12. Air Token | 9. Goldenize |
On paper, the Sprint is Fortheluvofbourbon’s to lose, and our ‘cappers agree: three of four have him on top and all have him on the ticket. Also some love for 30-1 Goldenize on the cutback. Defending champ Air Token is a scratch.
RACE 11: MARYLAND MILLION CLASSIC
| Derby Bill Watson | Eric Rubin | Joe Parisi | Gary Quill |
| 3. Double Crown | 6. The Poser | (AE) 12. Cordmaker | 4. Torch of Truth |
| 8. Crouchelli | 7. Vance Scholars | 2. Tappin Cat | 3. Double Crown |
| (AE) 12. Cordmaker | 5. Ain’t Da Beer Cold | 3. Double Crown | 5. Ain’t Da Beer Cold |
Even though our pickers love him, Cordmaker will not draw into the Classic. Instead… there looks to be plenty of pace in this nine-furlong contest, which might be good news for later sorts like The Poser and Torch of Truth. Those two finished third and fourth in this event a year ago, respectively, with Prendimi and Tappin Cat taking the top two slots.
Our handicappers are:
- Derby Bill Watson, former on-air analyst at Colonial Downs and legendary horseplayer.
- Eric Rubin, host of the Better Betting podcast.
- Joe Parisi, Delaware Park handicapper for The Racing Biz.
- Gary Quill, cohost of the Better Betting podcast and formerly Maryland analyst for The Racing Biz.
LATEST NEWS
