Photo Essay: Maryland Million Day
Photos by Allison Janezic. Text by Frank Vespe.
Photographer Allison Janezic was on hand to document the 38th Maryland Million October 14 at Laurel Park. Here’s what she saw. (Words by Frank Vespe).
The thing about Maryland Million is, it just means more. The purses, perhaps, don’t stand out the way they once did. The competition’s not quite as fierce as when more than 100 stallions stood in Maryland.
But if you think these are just more modest stakes, then you haven’t been there in the winner’s circle when the joyful tears start flowing, haven’t seen normally reserved people screaming their heads off during the stretch run, or heard the emotion in the winner’s voice. It just means more.
Keep it down!
Jockey Xavier Perez is known for his victorious histrionics, and when Catahoula Moon overcame some traffic troubles to post a dominant win in the Nursery, he seemed to call for silence — reverence, maybe? –in recognition of the horse’s win.
Catahoula Moon, a two-year-old Golden Lad colt, is trained by Jerry Robb for Super C Racing and was bred in Maryland by Angela Coombs.
“He came to me as a big dummy,” Robb said. “He’s a huge horse, and it’s taken forever to get him, but he’s really coming around.”
TURF
Despite on-and-off rain that persisted for much of the day, the turf held up admirably to the five races contested over it. Three of those — the Ladies, Turf, and Turf Sprint — were among the day’s major stakes, while two others were starter handicaps.
TOLEDO
Jockey Jevian Toledo enjoyed a banner Million day, winning four races. That included the Classic, via disqualification, aboard Ain’t Da Beer Cold; the Distaff on Intrepid Daydream, who drew in late; and here, in the Turf Sprint, aboard Witty.
Witty is a four-year-old Great Notion gelding who’s an effective runner in his own right — he owns five career stakes wins — but isn’t quite as well known as his big half-sister. That’s Caravel, winner of last year’s Breeders’ Cup Turf Sprint.
Witty is owned and trained — and was bred — by Elizabeth Merryman. He’s now won six of 18 starts, including two straight.
LOVE FOR THE WINNER
Horse racing lives in the intersection between humans and horses, something that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. Not here, though: jockey Angel Cruz had nothing but love for Sprint winner Seven’s Eleven, who crushed a legit field by five lengths. Seven’s Eleven is a three-year-old Bandbox gelding who’s coming into his own now. He’s trained by Carlos Mancilla for owner-breeder The Cottonwood Stable LLC.
WE’RE NUMBER ONE
Is Precious Avary number one? Jockey Silvestre Gonzalez sure thinks so, and after her win in the Ladies, few will disagree.
Tim Shaw, who trains the New Jersey-bred daughter of Divining Rod for owner-breeder Smith Farm and Stable, certainly agrees. Shaw has just eight horses in the barn, but with one of them this sophomore, who’s now 5-for-13 in her career, that helps the cause.
“There’s a lot of Tuesday, nickel, last-race horses,” said the Parx-based Shaw. “I love them all, but she’s very easy, beautiful.”
RAINDROPS KEEP FALLING…
Rain was a pretty regular presence on Maryland Million day, and it picked up for a time midway through the card. It did not, however, slow down Wicked Prankster, who turned the 2023 Maryland Million Turf into a virtual replay of the 2022 edition, going right to the front and repelling all challengers to win by three parts of a length. He was the only winner from ’22 to repeat this year.
Wicked Prankster is a five-year-old Mosler gelding who is owned and trained by Sammy Davis. Yomar Ortiz was in the irons Saturday, as the Prankster picked up the fifth win of his career — and the first since last year’s Turf.
GIVING THANKS
What’s the proper response when your 62-1 shot comes in? Jockey Jean Briceno has it right as he looks to the heavens after guiding Miss Harriett to a shocking neck victory in the Lassie, for two-year-old fillies.
Miss Harriett, owned and bred by David Baxter’s Narrow Leaf Farm, was making her career debut in the Lassie and was resolute in victory.
Were you confident, winning trainer Brandon McFarlane was asked. “Not really,” he said, adding, “I got a couple of works in her, and every single one, she beat whoever she was with, but I didn’t know what she was with. That’s the thing. So she proved it today.”
NICE LID
The hat contest on Maryland’s day at the races calls for hats that celebrate Maryland, and these contestants didn’t disappoint. Flags and horses did the trick, along with some red-and-yellow sunglasses.
STILL UNDECIDED
Market Maven (#1) was first past the post in the Maryland Million Classic. But Jevian Toledo, aboard runner-up Ain’t Da Beer Cold, objected that, in coming over, Market Maven and jockey Carlos Lopez had bumped him. In a race decided by less than a neck, the stewards agreed, setting off a wild celebration among Ain’t Da Beer Cold’s people: trainer Kenny Cox, his wife, co-owner and co-breeder Kelly Cox, fellow co-owner and co-breeder Matt Spencer, and co-owner Bonnucelli Racing. Until a few days later, when The Racing BIz revealed that Market Maven’s people — trainer Jamie Ness and owner-breeder Gregory Gordon — had filed an appeal to the state Racing Commission.
“I’m not surprised,” said Kenny Cox. “I might have done the same thing.”
KICKOFF
Don’t Tell Deren kicked off the day in style under jockey Angel Cruz, winning a turf starter as the 5-2 betting choice.
Don’t Tell Deren, a three-year-old, Maryland-bred Tourist filly, is trained by John Robb for Uptown Girl Racing and Michael Upton and was ridden by Angel Cruz.
NO DISPUTE
There was no disputing that Disputed Claim was best in the second race, another starter handicap, as the three-year-old Golden Lad gelding won by over three lengths under jockey Jevian Toledo. Disputed Claim is trained by Mike Geralis for Thousand Watts Racing Stable and now has three wins from nine career starts.
“One for the little guys!!” Beth Metrenas Watts exulted on Facebook.
SURPRISE ENTRANT
Because she is not Maryland-sired, Intrepid Daydream’s only hope of drawing into the Maryland Million Distaff was for three runners to scratch, which would bring the number of Maryland-sired horses down to seven and allow her in. It’s seemed implausible at best, but it’s exactly what happened, and the Jess’s Dream filly made the best possible use of her unexpected opportunity, drawing away to win by three lengths for her third consecutive win. Gary Capuano trains her for owner-breeder Larry Fowler.
“I was home sitting on the couch watching races and Gary [Capuano] texted me and goes, ‘Well, we’re gonna be in,’ and I go, ‘In what?'” Fowler said with a laugh afterwards.
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