LAUREL, MD—Trinity splashed home as an off-the-pace winner in Sunday’s featured seventh race at Laurel Park, a first-level allowance race for juvenile fillies at seven furlongs.
Trained by Hamilton Smith for Mens Grille Racing, Trinity settled off the pace as the odds-on favorite, Go New York Go, who was making her first start since winning a Colonial maiden race by 20 ¼ lengths, blasted to the early lead.
Go New York Go was four lengths clear through the opening quarter in 22.69 seconds and remained two lengths ahead of both Whose Notion and Almas Gone Gamblin after a half-mile clocked in 46.48 seconds.
However, those enervating fractions took their toll on the gray pacesetter, and she dropped back when the field reached the quarter pole.
Whose Notion and Almas Gone Gamblin inherited the lead, but jockey Jose Vargas had Trinity rolling while four wide and clear of traffic. They inhaled the leaders just outside the eighth pole and rolled home to win by 5 ¾ lengths in 1:27.05 on the sealed, muddy track.
Whose Notion held second by a neck over Almas Gone Gamblin. Go New York Go faded to fourth. Befuddled trailed. No One Else’s scratched.
Trinity, the second choice in the betting, paid $9.80 to win. A heavy show bet on Go New York Go failed to pay off, resulting in larger-than-usual show returns for the top three finishers.
Trinity returned $4.80 to place and $6.60 to show. Whose Notion, a 4-1 shot on the tote, paid $29.60 to show, while Almas Gone Gamblin paid $15.20 for finishing third.
“When we first got her, she wasn’t quite this big,” said Smith, who notched career victory 2,209. “But she’s been growing and is still in a bit of a growing mood. She’s a big, handsome filly.”
Bred in Kentucky by Endeavor Farm, Trinity is a chestnut daughter of Happy Saver, sire of Piggybunz, who won yesterday’s $100,000 Smart Halo Stakes for 2-year-old fillies at Laurel Park.
Trinity, a half-sister to multiple stakes winner Bishop’s Pond and stakes-placed Black Oak, is out of stakes winner More for Me (by More Than Ready). She hails from the female family of Richter Scale, who set a track record of 1:07 4/5 in six furlongs when winning the Grade 1 Frank J. De Francis Dash.
She went through the auction ring three times. A $100,000 weanling, she sold for $150,000 as a yearling, then Mens Grille Racing purchased her for $200,000 in March after breezing a furlong in a speedy 9 4/5 seconds.
“I liked her,” Smith said of his first impression of Trinity. “She’s smart. That’s what I like about a young horse. They do things right and don’t give you any problems. She was that way and handled everything perfectly. She never balked at the gate and did all her work well.”
Trinity made her debut in a maiden special weight on turf at five furlongs on July 5, finishing fifth of nine. She showed improved early speed when switching to dirt 20 days later, but got caught up in a speed duel and faded to fifth.
Trinity and Vargas teamed up for the first time in the filly’s third start, a six-furlong maiden special weight at Laurel last month. She settled off the pace that afternoon, then surged in the stretch to win by 1 3/4 lengths.
“Hopefully, we’re looking for better things with her, and see how she comes back,” Smith concluded. “Everything looks good right now.”
*Around the track:
Jockey Jeiron Barbosa rode two winners on Sunday’s program. In the second race, he kept favored Love Yourself ($4) clear of traffic and rallied to win for trainer Niall Saville. Three races later, Barbosa angled Penny Loafer ($4.40) off the inside in the upper stretch, then drew clear for trainer Anthony Farrior.
Reigning Maryland Million Classic winner Barbadian Runner became racing’s newest millionaire after surging from off the pace under jockey Forest Boyce to win Saturday’s $200,000 Battery Park Stakes at Delaware Park. Trained by Henry Walters, Barbadian Runner, a 4-year-old Barbados gelding, was purchased for $5,000 as a yearling by owner AJ Will Win Stables. He has won 10 of 26 starts and is being pointed for this year’s Maryland Million Classic, scheduled for October 24.
Live racing resumes Friday with ten races. First post time is 12:00 pm, and two “Value Pick 5” wagers feature a LOW 12% takeout.
The free “Laurel Park Handicapping Guide” is available on every race day. It features picks, analysis, trainer stats, trip notes, horses to watch, track bias information, and more from The Maryland Jockey Club’s handicapping team. Friday’s guide is available Thursday evening. Click here to view it.
Never miss a second of the action on the Laurel Park YouTube channel. Click here to watch full pan and head-on replays.
Watch “Today at the Races,” the Maryland Jockey Club’s morning handicapping show every racing day at 11 am ET on the Maryland Jockey Club’s X account. Click here to watch.