New York shippers invade for Laurel Futurity
Grayosh, Awesome Czech contenders in All Along
LAUREL, MD—Trainer Keri Brion’s barn has become one of the more consistent outfits in the Mid-Atlantic region. Whether on the flat or over jumps, Brion regularly sends out winners.
That’s why it was surprising to learn that Brion, who has won 11 Grade 1 hurdles races, is still seeking her first stakes win on the flat.
“I’m really getting sick of being close. I’ve placed in plenty of stakes,” Brion said. “It sure would be nice to get that milestone out of the way.”
Brion sends out two live contenders in the $125,000 Selima Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles on the Bowl Game Turf Course. The Selima joins the $125,000 Laurel Futurity for juveniles at 1 1/16 miles on the Exceller Turf Course and the $100,000 All Along Stakes for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on the Exceller as the featured races on Saturday’s Autumn Turf Festival at Laurel Park.
There are ten races on Saturday’s card. Gates open at 11 am ET, and the first post time is at noon. Laurel Park offers two “Value Pick 5” wagers, each with a low 12% takeout.
In addition to high-quality racing, Laurel Park hosts the “Autumn Turf Festival” Handicapping Challenge, a hybrid on-site and online contest held at Laurel Park or via Xpressbet, TwinSpires, and TVG/4NJBETS. The entry fee is $500 ($250 entry fee, $250 live bankroll). Contest wagering is permitted on the full card of Laurel Park live races. Win, Place, Show, Exacta, and Daily Double wagers are allowed. For more information, visit here.
Laurel Park also hosts the “Craft Beer Festival.” Enjoy craft beer, great company, and top-tier racing from the Apron Tent Lounge. Chat with local brewers while exploring various tasting stations. Get your tickets here.
Brion will saddle Three Diamonds Farm’s Sea Isle City from post two, ridden by jockey Vincent Cheminaud, and Norman Lewis’s Millford Lass from post ten, ridden by jockey Jorge Ruiz.
Sea Isle City, a daughter of Jack Christopher, made her dirt debut at Saratoga on July 17. “She worked fine on the dirt early on, and we debuted her at Saratoga, and it was ok,” Brion said. “After she ran, we worked her back, and she worked so badly on the dirt that the next day we took her out on the grass. She breezed so much better.”
Sea Isle City finished second in her turf debut, a sprint at Saratoga on August 12, then graduated on September 7 over the undulating Kentucky Downs course at 6 ½ furlongs.
“She ran great at Saratoga, probably just ran into a nice filly of Chad Brown’s,” Brion analyzed. “It wasn’t by design for Kentucky Downs. She got on the also-eligible list at Saratoga the next time around. We changed plans, shipped her home to Fair Hill, galloped her up and down the hills for a couple of days, then shipped her out to Kentucky Downs, and she did the business.”
For a lightly raced filly, Sea Isle City has shown a ton of professionalism. “She’s a really mature filly,” Brion added. She’s always been pretty simple from Day One. [The Selima] is a little bit quicker back than I would normally like, but she came back from Kentucky Downs like she never even ran. We blew her out [Tuesday], and she was awesome.”
Brion isn’t concerned about the extra distance. “She acts like a filly that wants to go longer. [Flavien] Prat couldn’t pull her up [at Kentucky Downs]. [He] came back and said she’d go farther.”
Millford Lass is also stretching out in distance after two starts at Colonial. In her debut, the Galawi filly finished fourth. She rallied from off the pace to win her second start, a 5 ½-furlong restricted maiden special, on August 22.
“She’s a really nice filly, too,” Brion said. “You hate to run them against each other. I trained Lendalfoot, her full sister, so she’s bred all day long to go two turns. She ran great first time out. She had a really wide trip, chased the whole way, and just tired. Second time out, a much more patient ride and trip, and she just got up. She has really taken a step forward since her maiden win. She has figured out what racing is and has been training like it. This is what she’s bred to do. She’s a big filly, and there’s no question in my mind that she wants two turns.”
Trainer Brittany Russell also entered two fillies in the Selima. Repole Stable’s Dance to Glory drew post four and will be ridden by Jose Lezcano. Golden Lion Racing and Hidden Brook Farm’s Hidden Overture will start from post six under Julien Pimentel.
Dance to Glory, a $400,000 yearling by perennial leading sire Into Mischief, wired the field in her debut, an open maiden special weight race over one mile on turf at Colonial on July 31. She is a half-sister to stakes-winning turf router Fairchild.
Hidden Overture, a juvenile purchase costing $180,000, dominated four other opponents in an off-turf debut at Delaware Park. The horse went two turns and won by 13 ¾ lengths as the heavy favorite.
A half-sister to Grade 2-placed turf runner Bojaca Blessing, Hidden Overture is a daughter of Mendelssohn and is expected to be forwardly placed in the Selima.
Colts Neck Stable’s Maybe Gold is the 3-1 favorite on Horse Racing Nation’s morning line. A daughter of Medaglia d’Oro, Maybe Gold rallied to win her debut, a six-furlong maiden special weight race at Colonial on August 15. Emmanuel Esquivel will ride from post five.
“We’ve always thought very highly of her,” said trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. “She’s a beautiful filly. A lot of leg. I trained the mare. Being by Medaglia d’Oro, everything clicked from Day One. We got her started at Colonial. She did everything right. She got a little lost once she reached the front. She seemed to have plenty in the tank. The gallop-out was great. The Selima seems like a good stepping-stone for a two-turn race.”
Duarte is very pleased with Maybe Gold’s recent training. “She seems more engaged and has really learned from that race.”
Dede McGehee’s Cherokee Purple finished behind Dance to Glory at Colonial, then rallied to finish second in a maiden special weight race at Kentucky Downs. Kelsey Danner trains the Cairo Prince filly, who will start from post seven with Yedsit Hazlewood aboard.
Starlight Racing and Emcee Stable’s Homeawayfromhome successfully stretched out around two turns to win her maiden at Ellis Park on August 16. A $775,000 yearling by Nyquist, Homeawayfromhome is trained by Brendan Walsh and ridden by Mychel Sanchez. She breaks from post nine.
Stakes-placed Gypsy Lullaby and the speedy Sun Valley complete the field.
Cash Or Credit is expected to scratch.
The race honors Selima, a British-bred daughter of the Thoroughbred foundation stallion Godolphin Arabian. Foaled in 1745, Selima was imported to the Colony of Maryland in the mid-18th century. The bay mare won several important races and became a key foundation mare for the American Thoroughbred.
In 2019, Sharing parlayed a Selima victory into a win in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf at Santa Anita.
*New York shippers invade for Laurel Futurity
Speaking of Sharing, her younger half-brother was named the morning-line favorite at 9-5 in the Laurel Futurity.
Dahman’s Broadcast, by Into Mischief out of Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare heroine Shared Account, finished a close fourth in his debut, a maiden special weight race at Saratoga over 1 1/16 miles on turf on August 23.
“He’s a very straightforward, lovely colt,” said trainer Miguel Clement. “He was a bit unlucky on debut. He gained experience around two turns. If he had run a length faster, I’d probably be running in this stakes race or the Pilgrim [Grade 2 at Belmont on October 3].”
An $80,000 yearling purchase, Broadcast was bought for $250,000 in April. “He’s very well-bred. I thought it was very reasonable given his pedigree.”
Broadcast breaks from post four with jockey Mychel Sanchez.
Barry Schwartz’s Howard’s Hope also shipped down from New York. A son of Breeders’ Cup Mile winner Karakontie, Howard’s Hope rallied from well off the pace to win his debut, a two-turn maiden special weight race for statebreds on August 6.
“I thought he would need the race to give him a good experience, but everything he did entering the stretch to the wire was his determination,” said trainer Horacio De Paz. “In the mornings, he was very unassuming,” said trainer Horacio De Paz. “He worked like a turf horse; he’s a smaller, more refined horse. His workouts weren’t super-fast or anything, but he showed good energy doing it and galloping.”
De Paz had originally planned to run Howard’s Hope in Saratoga’s Grade 3 With Anticipation Stakes on September 5. “He did back off his feed a bit, so we skipped the With Anticipation. I wish we could have had another race in between, but winning first-time out, there aren’t many options. He won off the layoff, so I’m assuming he’s not one who needs racing to get him ready.”
Trainer Graham Motion conditioned Sharing, and he’s also trained two of the last seven winners of the Laurel Futurity, including the 2025 winner, Proton. This year, he saddles Amerman Racing’s Coast Highway, a debut winner at 5 ½ furlongs on the inner turf at Colonial on September 4. Jorge Ruiz rides Coast Highway from post seven.
Barak Farm’s Moneta Agenda stretches out over two turns for the first time after upsetting the restricted Jamestown Stakes at Colonial Downs on August 29. Yedsit Hazlewood rides from post four, and Jose Corrales trains.
Anthony Fontana’s Perfect Dream won his turf debut around two turns at Monmouth on August 15, then finished last of three in the With Anticipation. A tactical son of Corniche, Perfect Dream earned a respectable Beyer Speed Figure in that race. Jorge Delgado trains, and Chantal Sutherland guides from post six.
Wachtel Stable and Team Penney Racing’s Fullcup makes his turf debut in the Laurel Futurity for trainer Riley Mott. A debut winner on wet dirt at Saratoga, Fullcup then finished third in the Funny Cide Stakes, also for statebreds. Although his dam, Flipcup, specialized in synthetic races, she earned multiple stakes placings on the turf at longer distances. Jaime Rodriguez and Fullcup should show speed from post two.
Bishop Moon and Fire Marshal, both maidens, also entered the Laurel Futurity.
The Laurel Futurity has been run at various distances on different surfaces throughout its rich history. Past winners include legendary horses such as Count Fleet, Citation, Secretariat, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, and Barbaro.
*Grayosh, Awesome Czech contenders in All Along Stakes
Trainer Chad Brown’s wide-ranging turf empire extends to Laurel Park, and Flanagan Racing’s Grayosh is listed as the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the All Along Stakes.
A gray mare by Yoshida, Grayosh is a multiple graded stakes winner who is dropping in class following a fourth-place finish in Saratoga’s Grade 3 Ballston Spa Stakes on August 22.
Jorge Ruiz, known for his expertise with turf horses, rides Grayosh from the outside post in an eight-horse field.
Schwartz and De Paz counter with Awesome Czech, a multiple-stakes-winning New York-bred who finished a troubled fourth while defending her title in Saratoga’s Yaddo Stakes on August 30.
“There was a horse in that race known for lugging out, and Ricardo [Santana Jr.] was sitting behind her,” De Paz said. “On the last turn, that horse started to lug out. He decided to stay inside, but they were able to overcorrect that horse and drop in. Ricardo had already committed and had nowhere to go. She was still coming with a good, strong run at the end, but didn’t get to run for a sixteenth of a mile.”
Jockey Jose Lezcano pilots Awesome Czech from post five.
Trainer Amelia Green entered two mares owned by EGL-One Racing. On Wednesday morning, she said Storm Miami might scratch from the All Along to run at Belmont instead, but she will monitor the weather before deciding.
Shore War, a gate-to-wire winner of a first-level allowance here on June 28, recently finished third in a second-level event at Saratoga on August 5.
“That was the thought for bringing her back for this stake,” Green said about the local victory. “Obviously, a win on the course goes a long way, and I think she fits in the race.”
Owner Eric Rizer and trainer Robbie Bailes teamed up to win last week’s Weather Vane Stakes with Slewperstitus. They’ll try to repeat the feat with Nick’s Notion, who has won two of her last three starts and excels on wet turf.
Stakes-winning Mischief in Motion, stakes-placed Salty Senorita, and allowance-winning So Darn Pretty should show early speed.
All Along was named Horse of the Year in both the U.S. and France in 1983 after a campaign in which she won four Grade/Group 1 races in 42 days. Bred and owned by Daniel Wildenstein, All Along became the first foreign-based horse to be named Horse of the Year in the U.S. She was also the first mare honored since Moccasin in 1965. She was inducted into Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1990.