Signator Rallies to Capture Henry S. Clark Stakes
Zielinski Strikes Late, Takes Handicapping Challenge in Dramatic Fashion
LAUREL, MD — Fore Harp may have mellowed with age, but he hasn’t slowed.
The newly behaved 7-year-old surged to the lead of the $100,000 King T. Leatherbury Stakes today at Laurel Park and proved unreachable for eight challengers. At 7-1 odds, he extended a remarkable family saga and presented the 999th career victory for trainer Robert “Butch” Reid Jr.
“He’s a different horse this year,” Reid said after Fore Harp managed his second stakes score and seventh victory overall.
He called the old Fore Harp “a very cantankerous horse. . . . He was very difficult to train. Some days he would not gallop at all. We had to get the ponies and people and chase him around out there. Today he’s been training very forwardly. He really appreciates training, and it showed up in his performance today.”
Fore Harp returned from a winter in Florida more compliant, and today he willingly followed jockey Abner Adorno’s cues. Breaking from the rail, Fore Harp outran Whenigettoheaven and odds-on favorite Determined Kingdom early and held a safe lead amid a late advance from Witty, last year’s Leatherbury Stakes winner, to win by 1 3/4 lengths.
In his 2025 debut, Fore Harp completed 5 1/2 grassy furlongs in 1:02.40 and further burnished his pedigree.
Bred in Maryland by Stephen and Susan Quick of St. Omer’s Farm and foaled in Pennsylvania, Fore Harp stands as one of 10 full siblings to have raced and won. The union of Weigelia and Katarica Disco produced million-dollar winner Smooth B, awaiting his first start of 2025 at age 10, and 6-year-old Disco Ebo, who made last week’s Primonetta Stakes at Laurel Park her 13th career victory. She’s made $797,694 in purses, and eight all told have earned six figures. Fore Harp reached $449,695 today.
“These horses have been very sturdy horses,” said Reid, who owns Fore Harp with LC Racing LLC and James Bonner. He called Weigelia “underappreciated” even at 24 and in the sunset of his stud career, adding, “We’re gonna have to find a replacement for him.”
With only four starters this week, Reid laughed off the trudge toward his milestone victory. “I’m crawling to one thousand,” he said. “I’m not really sprinting toward one thousand.”
No. 999 put him in esteemed company. There in the Laurel Park winner’s circle, Reid greeted King T. Leatherbury himself, Maryland’s all-time leading trainer with 6,508 victories and 2015 National Hall of Fame entrant. Retired from training but not horseplaying at 92, Leatherbury bore a distinguished presence in the winner’s circle.
“King’s here,” Reid said with regard as track photographer Jim McCue prepared to shoot the winners’ photo. “Get in the picture. It’d be an honor.” Leatherbury then presented the glass trophy, reclaimed his crystal-handled walking stick and left.
The King T. Leatherbury was one of five stakes on the 12-race “Preakness Preview Day” program.
*Signator Thrives Again on Grass
After a dozen respectable races on dirt, Signator has found splendor on the grass.
The dappled gray 5-year-old avoided traffic congestion early and persevered late for a half-length victory over Mischievous Angel in the $100,000 Henry S. Clark Stakes at Laurel Park. Fulmineo finished third and favored Neat fourth.
A sprawling ownership group led by West Point Thoroughbreds had grand hopes for Signator, a $1.7 million purchase as a 2-year-old.
Potential bubbled: A Kentucky-bred by Tapit out of the Seeking the Gold mare Pension, Signator stood a full brother to the graded stakes-winning mare Thoughtfully and a half-brother to stakes heroes Annual Report and Giant Payday. The early returns were solid if unspectacular, Signator winning four races and $200,000 in purses while unplaced in three stakes.
Then trainer Shug McGaughey changed tactics. He gave Signator an eight-month rest in Florida and brought him back in a $100,000 optional claimer at Tampa Bay Downs last month, the horse’s first try on turf. Signator showed new spark and resolve, grinding to a head-length score, and followed with another resolute performance in the Clark.
“It’s not unusual for Shug to have a later-developing horse for our partnership,” said Dawn Lenert, West Point’s chief marketing officer and Mid-Atlantic rep.
Signator displayed the evidence in determined fashion. Jockey Sam Marin had him inside, toward the back of the field near the clubhouse turn, and deftly angled outside when Jeiron Barbosa checked Neat along the rail.
As the Brittany Russell-trained Ocean City set the pace through respectable fractions, Marin contented to stay patient with Signator, even between horses, along the backstretch. He moved toward the rail along the far turn, then back outside as Signator advanced.
By early stretch, Card Trick joined Ocean City before Mischievous Angel overtook both for a clear lead that proved temporary. Signator steadily advanced off his right flank and went by 10 strides before the wire. Signator won by a half-length in the one-mile time of 1:35.51 and widened on the gallop-out.
“He’s a horse that is enjoying his job right now,” Lenert said after Signator triggered an $11 win mutuel. “I think his natural talents are now showing on the turf.”
Race namesake Henry S. Clark (1904-1999) trained celebrated stakes winners across seven decades and entered the National Racing Hall of Fame in 1982. A grandson of Preakness-winning trainer William Jennings Jr., Clark conditioned Travers Stakes winner Thinking Cap, Blue Grass winner Linkage and female standouts Tempted, Obeah, Endine and Light Hearted.
*Zielinski’s Hail Mary Yields Handicapping Challenge Shocker
Well behind the leader and down to her last bet, Joanne Zielinski made a colossal score on the Laurel Park finale today to wrest the Preakness Preview Day Handicapping Challenge from front-running Brendan Fay.
Playing off-site through the TVG platform, Zielinski wagered $400 to win on Southern District (4-1) and played a $50 exacta of Southern District over Formal Order (12-1).
In a condition $8,500 claiming race at 1 1/16-miles, Southern District rallied outside and beat Formal Order to the wire. The winner paid $10.60; the exacta returned $92.60.
With the $4,435 score, Zielinski claimed the $10,038 first prize with the dramatic finish. She’ll also receive two tickets to the 150th Preakness Stakes and a choice of a berth in the 2026 National Horseplayers Championship or the 2025 Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge.
Horseplayers on- and off-site, 240 in all, paid $500 to enter the tournament and received a $250 bankroll to wager on Laurel Park’s stakes-studded, 12-race program.
