Maryland Million at a glance: 2-year-old stakes * The Racing Biz

Maryland Million at a glance: 2-year-old stakes

Walt’s Notion, Olivia’s Legacy the headliners

The Biz
October 21, 2026

In advance of the Maryland Million races, we’ll be providing Maryland Million stakes at a glance: couple-paragraph writeups on what each race offers.

Here, the two two-year-old races, the Lassie for fillies and the Nursery for the boys.

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Olivia’s Legacy favored in competitive Lassie

Olivia’s Legacy brings experience and consistency to Saturday’s $100,000 Maryland Million Lassie for two-year-old fillies at Laurel Park. The Anthony Pecoraro-trained daughter of Blofeld has two wins and two seconds in four starts, all at Delaware Park. After narrow defeats in the Blue Hen and Small Wonder, she rallied to win a six-furlong allowance Sept. 25 by 1¾ lengths. Paco Lopez, aboard for her last two starts, rides again.

Several lightly raced winners offer alternatives. Lynn Ashby-trained Just a Smooch overcame a slow start to win her debut at Delaware Oct. 3, while Belle Shot and Blo Your Mind also scored at first asking at Laurel. Talking Foolish brings stakes experience after finishing third in the Smart Halo for Hamilton Smith. Whose Notion, trained by Brittany Russell, cuts back from seven furlongs after finishing second in an allowance; she previously broke her maiden by six lengths at Timonium.

Walt’s Notion seeks second stakes win in Nursery

Walt’s Notion has already passed a stakes test at Laurel Park and will seek another victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Maryland Million Nursery for two-year-olds. The Phillip Capuano-trained gelding led throughout the James F. Lewis III Stakes Oct. 3, winning by 1¼ lengths. That followed a head defeat in Delaware Park’s First State Dash and a debut maiden victory. Paco Lopez takes the mount on the son of Great Notion, who has earned $109,000 in three starts.

Aruba Ariba enters off a 9¾-length maiden victory at Laurel Oct. 9 for trainer John Robb and jockey Xavier Perez. He improved sharply from his debut, when he finished third behind Monster Mitch, another contender who won that race by 1½ lengths. Eclipseness also comes off a decisive maiden win, drawing away by six lengths at Delaware for Jamie Ness. Derry Moon rallied from far back to win his debut, while Futile Gesture brings stakes experience from a narrow runner-up finish in Colonial Downs’ Jamestown, though his best form has come on turf.