“She’s a good filly,” trainer Brittany Russell said with a laugh after Friday’s eighth race allowance at Laurel Park. “It’s just a tough time of year to bring back a grass filly.”

Russell wasn’t wrong, of course; the talented but starcrossed Lute Warm had missed virtually the entire turf season in Maryland, returning for what is likely to be just this single start before Russell will have to make a decision: put the Midnight Lute mare away for the winter or send her south, perhaps to the Fair Grounds.

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It’s the latter route towards which Russell said she’s leaning, and after today’s return to action, that’s no surprise.

Under jockey Sheldon Russell, Lute Warm went to the attack mid-race and pulled clear to win a third-level allowance by 1 ½ lengths in a zippy 1:34.94 for a mile over firm turf.

The win was her fifth from nine starts and increased her bankroll to nearly $280,000.

Lute Warm paid $6.00 as the 2-1 favorite. With 3-1 third choice Amie’s Symphony in second, the exacta returned $8.80 for a one-dollar wager.

A $125,000 purchase by Bridlewood Farm and Madaket Stables LLC, Lute Warm didn’t make the races until March of her four-year-old season. Once put on the turf in her second career start, Lute Warm rattled off four wins in maiden and allowance company before suffering back-to-back defeats at Keeneland and in a stake at the Fair Grounds.

The latter defeat came on December 21, 2024. Lute Warm didn’t return to action until today, nearly 11 months after that outing.

“We gave her some time [and tried to bring her back in the spring],” Russell said. “And I worked her like one time, and [she had] a super-small thing, but it was a nagging thing, and we just had to forget about it for the summer.”

Following a steady string of works – and some races that didn’t fill – Russell was happy to get her charge in today’s contest.

Jamie Ness sent out the speedy Central Casting, who appeared on paper, and on the track, to be the controlling speed. She doled out moderate early fractions of 24.27 seconds for the first quarter and 48.48 for the half.

But, unwilling to let Central Casting sneak away too easily on the front, Sheldon Russell and Lute Warm went to the attack then, revving up outside to press the leader. Those two were heads apart for the next quarter-mile, with Lute Warm gradually inching away in the lane, while Central Casting, whose prior turf tries had come going one turn, faded to sixth.

In the lane Amie’s Symphony and Cut From Class ran on willingly late for the minor awards, but neither was a threat to the winner.

“Training in the morning, she’s on the engine. She’s fresh, you know,” Russell said. “So I just wanted to see her kind of settle in, and it was just a good trip.”

NOTES It was the second win of the day for the team of Russell-and-Russell. They previously had won a two-year-old allowance/optional claimer with 1-9 favorite Peach Tie… Trainer Jamie Ness won a couple, scoring with Hagrid’s Flame (Martin Chuan up) and Wild Vine (Mychel Sanchez)… Leading rider Yedsit Hazlewood won twice, including aboard 15-length winner Biker Baley, a first-time starter who won the nightcap, a $16,000 maiden claimer…