Richest of Eight Stakes, Four Starter Stakes Worth $1.08M
‘Maryland’s Day at the Races’ Set for Saturday, Oct. 12
LAUREL, MD – Ain’t Da Beer Cold and Market Maven, the top two finishers from last fall, stakes winner Vance Scholars and Preakness (G1) contender Mugatu are among a wide-open field of 13 entered Sunday for the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic Oct. 12 at Laurel Park.
The 1 1/8-mile Classic for 3-year-olds and up is the richest of eight stakes and four starter stakes that comprise the 39th Jim McKay Maryland Million program, ‘Maryland’s Day at the Races’ that was launched in 1986 to celebrate stallions standing in the state and spawned copycat events across the U.S. and Canada. First race post time is 11:30 a.m.
Ain’t Da Beer Cold was beaten a neck in last year’s Classic but elevated to the win at odds of 36-1 after first-place finisher Market Maven was disqualified for interference. The last of five horses to win the Classic in back-to-back years was Admiral’s War Chest in 2015-16.
This will be the 11th time since 1991 that the top two finishers from the previous year return to contest the Classic. The biggest fields over that time were 11 horses in 1998, 2017, 2019 and 2022.
Ain’t Da Beer Cold owns seven career wins, six at his home track of Laurel, and two in 11 tries at the Classic distance including a front-running victory in the April 13 Native Dancer. Trained by Jamie Ness last fall, Market Maven is winless in five starts this year for Jacinto Solis, with one of his two thirds coming in the Aug. 26 Storm Cat at Parx.
To be ridden by Jevian Toledo, who won four races on last year’s Maryland Million program led by the Classic, Ain’t Da Beer Cold (12-1) drew Post 7 while Market Maven (6-1) will break from Post 3 under Mychel Sanchez.
Owned and trained by Hamilton Smith, Feeling Woozy drew Post 8 under jockey Victor Carrasco and was installed as the narrow 9-2 program favorite for the Classic. Third in the 2023 Miracle Wood, the 4-year-old Irish War Cry gelding was an 11 ¼-length optional claiming allowance winner last December at Laurel in his lone previous try at 1 1/8 miles.
In Post 11 is Vance Scholars (6-1), the only other stakes winner in the field, having taken an off-the-turf edition of the Bald Eagle Derby in 2022 going 1 3/16 miles at Laurel. Four starts and two stakes placings later, he ran second behind Ournationonparade in the Classic.
Mugatu (Post 9, 6-1) will be making his second appearance at Laurel, having run second as the favorite in the 1 1/8-mile Bald Eagle Derby Aug. 4, also rained off the turf. Eighth in the May 18 Preakness at historic Pimlico Race Course, he is one of three 3-year-olds entered in the Classic along with Hittheroadjak (Post 6, 15-1) and Little Lance (Post 1, 30-1).
Crossland (Post 2, 12-1), Mosler Time (Post 4, 5-1), Dolice Vita (Post 5, 8-1) and Brilliant Ice (Post 10, 6-1) complete the main body of the field. Maryland-breds on the also-eligible list are Goodafternoonoscar (Post 12, 20-1) and Excellorator (Post 13, 6-1).
Defending champions Precious Avary, Seven’s Eleven and Witty all return on the undercard. Previous Avary heads a field of 14 entered in the $125,000 Ladies for fillies and mares 3 and up scheduled for 1 1/8 miles on the grass; Seven’s Eleven chases a third career stakes win against 10 rivals in the $100,000 Sprint for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs; and Witty, a half-brother to retired millionaire mare Caravel, looks to become only the second repeat winner of the $100,000 Turf Sprint, a 5 ½-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up that drew a field of 13.
Most popular among horsemen with 16 entries is the $100,000 Maryland Million Distaff for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting seven furlongs including 2023 Maryland Million Lassie winner Miss Harriett; 2022 Maryland Million Distaff Starter Handicap winner Mavilus; multiple stakes winner Malibu Beauty; and Kissedbyanangel and Malibu Moonshine, Maryland’s champion juvenile fillies of 2022 and 2023, respectively.
Sky’s Not Falling, winner of the 2022 Turf Sprint, will stretch out as one of 10 3-year-olds and up entered in the $125,000 Turf scheduled for 1 1/8 miles on the grass. Among the others are 2023 runner-up Starstruck Notion and Crabs N Beer, second in the May 18 Dinner Party (G3) at Pimlico that ran fifth by two lengths last year.
Stakes-placed Onyx Ten and Safe Trust and impressive last-out maiden winner No Need to Ask top 13 2-year-old fillies entered in the $100,000 Lassie, while the $100,000 Nursery drew a field of nine 2-year-olds including Re Markably, winner of the Aug. 14 Dover at Delaware Park, and twice stakes-placed Kerness K. Both races are sprinting six furlongs.
Completing the Maryland Million Day program are the $50,000 Turf Starter Handicap and $50,000 Turf Distaff Starter Handicap, each scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the grass, and the $40,000 Starter Handicap and $40,000 Distaff Starter Handicap, both at seven furlongs.