LRL: Taj Mahal lives up to hype at first asking
$525k yearling overcomes sluggish start for decisive win
Frank Vespe
February 6, 2026
Brittany Russell looked, well, relieved in the moments after Friday’s third race at Laurel Park.
Last year’s runaway leading trainer in Maryland, Russell scuffled through a winless-in-Maryland January, going 0-for-13, and added three more defeats Feb. 4.
After Night Time Nap’s Thursday triumph and Taj Mahal’s flashy Friday win, though, it appears that the Russell barn is getting back on track.
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“These are the horses we’ve been kind of trying to get ready to get the year going,” Russell said after Taj Mahal scored at first asking in a $47,000 maiden special weight event. “We’ve had a couple of winners, but it’s been slow. Hopefully, I can keep getting these better ones ready and they keep running like that.”
Taj Mahal, a three-year-old Nyquist colt, cost SF Bloodstock, Starlight Racing, and Madaket Stable $525,000 as a yearling, a partnership they’ve since broadened to include several others. Initially sent to Bob Baffert in Southern California, Taj Mahal had a lengthy string of works at Los Alamitos – stretching from Apr. 24 to Aug. 28 – without making a start.
After coming east, he had his first three-furlong move in Russell’s care Dec. 7 at Laurel. After a half-dozen more works, he was ready.
“I think he got to a point where he was kind of like, you know, he just hadn’t progressed,” Russell said of Taj Mahal’s lengthy worktab. ”And when I got him, he had one little thing we just had to take a little bit of time with. I’m happy [the owners] were so patient, because obviously, I think he’s worthwhile.”
He was today, certainly.
Sent off as the 3-2 post time favorite, Taj Mahal was away slowly, spotting the field a couple of early lengths. Up front, Ballinaclash, second in back-to-back maiden special weight events, and Sir George, second to next-out Maryland Million Nursery winner Big Cuddle in his only prior outing, showed the way through an opening quarter-mile in 23.47 seconds.
“He breaks pretty good in the morning,” Russell said. “But I saw today, like, a little bit of immaturity, like just kind of how he was acting. I mean, a lot of these horses in here were acting a little babyish, I think.”
Jockey Sheldon Russell was patient, though, steering Taj Mahal outside rivals and letting him reel in the others under his own steam. By the time the field had traveled a half in 47.72 seconds, Taj Mahal was within 1 ½ lengths and possessed of plenty of momentum.
He took the lead in upper stretch and bounded away readily while Sir George gave willing but futile chase. Taj Mahal won by 4 ¼ lengths in 1:12.42 for six furlongs on a fast main track, with Sir George a couple lengths ahead of Pont Aven in third. Early leader Ballinaclash faded to fourth.
Taj Mahal paid $5.00 to win and topped an exacta that returned $9.80 for a one-dollar wager.
It’s been a tough winter in Maryland for everyone. Laurel has canceled all or most of five cards to date, and weather has impacted training on other days. But Russell gave props to the track crew for their work to battle Mother Nature.
“They’ve done a great job,” she said. “We’ve been really lucky. Some of my works were on the slower side, but we stayed on a pretty good schedule.”
As for Taj Mahal’s ragged start and strong finish, Russell could afford to be philosophical.
“Sheldon said [Taj Mahal] learned something today doing that,” Russell said. “So it’s good. I mean, you can have them as ready as you think, but you know, I wasn’t expecting him to break like that.”
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