New Maryland Million bonus pays immediate dividends
Two Million-eligible horses score
Frank Vespe
March 2, 2026
A new Maryland Million bonus program kicked off with a bang Sunday at Laurel Park.
The program pays a five percent bonus to any Maryland Million-eligible horse that wins a maiden race in Maryland. To be Maryland Million-eligible, a horse must be by a Maryland stallion registered to Maryland Million.
Sunday’s card included two maiden events with Maryland Million-eligible runners, and the winners of both will receive bonuses.
This article contains affiliate links. If you click and buy, we may earn a commission at no extra charge to you.
Pick up reliable and rewarding tickets for major events!
In the first race, MIH Affiliates’ Sunset Rising, a Maryland-bred by Golden Lad, narrowly held off a late charge to graduate at first asking. A homebred for trainer Daniel McKenzie and his daughter Lianna, Sunset Rising was bred in partnership with Katy Voss and paid $40.40 to win.
With a base purse of $47,000, the maiden special weight pays the winner $28,200. The new Maryland Million bonus will sweeten that by $1,410.
Closing the card, Lady Olivia At Northcliff LLC’s Spice Gal inched past early leader Rylnnslookinglucky to win by a length in a $12,500 maiden claimer. The homebred daughter of Holy Boss is trained by Irvin Flores and returned $12.80 to win.
Spice Gal closed a sequence in which favorites were defeated in each of the last five races on the card, triggering a carryover of $6,876 in the late Pick 5.
With a base purse of $22,000, the winner’s share of the pot was $13,200. The bonus will increase Lady Olivia’s share by $660.
“It pays to have a Maryland Million-eligible horse,” Maryland Million chair TK Kuegler said via email.
Pick up reliable and rewarding tickets for major events!
LATEST NEWS
