LRL: Call Me Micky J. sings winning debut tune
Salzman trainee scores in second baby race of the year
Frank Vespe
May 2, 2026
They couldn’t find the golden horseshoe Saturday at Laurel Park. But maybe John Salzman, Jr. has found one of his own.
Today’s kickoff of the National Thoroughbred League season featured an appearance by Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who, as part of the ceremony, threw a “golden horseshoe” onto the Laurel main track.
Problem was, no one could find it afterwards.
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Eventually, a member of the turf crew came onto the track to uncover the prodigal shoe, so racing could continue.
A couple of races prior, Salzman had unveiled two-year-old Call Me Micky J., a 1 ¾-length winner in a $47,000 maiden special weight contest for two-year-olds.
“He doesn’t owe me anything now,” the veteran trainer said. “We’re good to go. Anything from here on is a plus.”
The 4 ½-furlong race was the second race for two-year-olds this year at Laurel Park. The first, for fillies, took place yesterday and went to Costa Linda.
In today’s contest, Call Me Micky J. broke alertly under jockey Joe Rocco, Jr. He took early heat from Remembertheword, eventually rebuffing that rival, and kept finding more in the lane to post the win in 54.34 seconds. Remembertheword held second, a heat better than post time favorite Island Bandit.
Pelican Pier broke considerably outward before righting himself, making a promising move to contention before emptying out to finish fourth. Moneta Agenda was fifth, while Speed Focused was scratched.
Call Me Micky J. – named by Salzman’s wife Marla in honor of Rolling Stones front man Mick Jagger – is a son of Sharp Azteca out of the Exchange Rate mare Lovely Rate. He was bred in West Virginia by O’Sullivan Farms LLC.
Salzman purchased the colt for $20,000 from the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic fall yearling sale last October on behalf of an ownership group including himself, Fred Wasserloos, and Anthony Geruso. That same group was behind 2023 Preakness runner Coffeewithchris.
“He just caught my eye,” Salzman said of Call Me Micky J. “He’s a flashy type horse, and I was hoping he’d win early, which he did. He sort of grew up. He’s a little more lankier than he was when I bought him.”
Call Me Micky J. $5.60 to win, topping an exacta that returned $15.60 for one dollar.
Salzman is known for his win-early success, buying horses he thinks will be precocious for relatively short money and aiming them at the early juvenile races. When it works, it’s an approach that pays a lot of bills. And if the horses can go on from there, all the better.
“Joe [Rocco] just said he thinks he’ll go on. He said, ‘This is a pretty nice horse,’” said Salzman. “He showed a lot of class, and, hey, we’re off to a good start.”
NOTES In the day’s featured third-level allowance, first-in-the-Brittany-Russell barn Catalytic took advantage of major class relief to win by 3 ½ lengths under Sheldon Russell, returning backers $9.40. Catalytic finished 19th in the 2024 Kentucky Derby… It was the second win of the day for the trainer-jockey combo of Russell-and-Russell, who also won a claiming event with Vanilla…
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