Prince of Jericho overcomes rail draw in Fire Plug
Quint’s Brew returns firing from layoff in Jennings
Call Another Play returns to form in Geisha
LAUREL, MD – “She’s why you wake up seven days a week, 365 days a year, at four o’clock in the morning,” assistant trainer Colton Moore said of Ms. Bucchero after the 5-year-old mare nosed out an onrushing St. Benedicts Prep to capture Saturday’s $100,000 What a Summer Stakes for fillies and mares at six furlongs. “She is the horse that dreams are made of.”
The What a Summer was one of four stakes races on the program.
Ridden by Xavier Perez, Ms. Bucchero displayed her usual early speed, blasting off to a two-length lead after an opening quarter clocked in 22.66 seconds.
Ms. Bucchero dispatched her closest pace pursuer, the multiple stakes-winning Kant Hurry Love, opened a clear lead into the stretch, then had the wire come just in the nick of time.
Favored St. Benedicts Prep, shipping in from New York for trainer Linda Rice, placed 2 ½ lengths ahead of Spencerian. Then came Happy Clouds and Don’t Tell Kelly.
Ms. Bucchero raced the distance in 1:12.25 over the fast track and returned $6.40 to win as the second choice in the betting.
“She’s one of the fastest fillies that I’ve ever rode in my career,” Perez exclaimed. “She doesn’t want to be told what to do. I popped her out of there and dropped her head. You can see on the backside I have a loop on the rein. She was relaxed. When I tightened up my reins at the quarter pole and asked her to go, she gave me everything she had.”
Trained by Diane Morici for Morici Racing Stable, Ms. Bucchero is a 5-year-old chestnut mare by Bucchero. Bred in Florida by Pamela Edel, Ms. Bucchero, a half-sister to stakes-winner Red Crescent, was transferred to Morici after starting twice for trainer John Vinson and owner Equine Authority.
The What a Summer was Ms. Bucchero’s second stakes win in a row after she wired the field in the Willa On the Move Stakes here on Nov. 29. Overall, she sports a record of 8 wins from 15 starts for career earnings of $324,950.
*Fire Plug Stakes
Earlier this week, trainer Brittany Russell expressed mild frustration that Prince of Jericho drew the inside post position again, this time in the $100,000 Fire Plug for 4-year-olds and upward at 6 ½ furlongs.
“It’s incredible how many times this horse draws the rail,” said Russell, Maryland’s leading trainer in 2024 by wins. “There’s been a couple of times where I wonder what would have happened had he drawn outside just a bit. He knows what he’s doing from there [though]. I like [this spot].”
The consistent Prince of Jericho, winless from three prior starts after breaking from the inside post position, got it done this time, grabbing the Fire Plug by a widening 2 ¾ lengths over 22-1 longshot Freeze the Fire.
On the Mark was another two lengths behind in third. Repo Rocks, Tudox Opportunity, and No Easy Days completed the order of finish. Full Irish scratched.
Prince of Jericho completed the 6 ½ panels in 1:18.14 and returned $4.40 as the chalk.
“He broke good,” Russell said. “It just worked out good from the first jump.”
Ridden by Russell’s husband, Sheldon Russell, Prince of Jericho took advantage of his quick start by sparring for the early lead with No Easy Days through a quick quarter of 22.29 seconds. On the Mark made a bold outside bid at the quarter pole, but Prince of Jericho rebuffed that foe before kicking clear.
Prince of Jericho has hit the board in 16 of 19 starts, including victories in the 2023 Spectacular Bid and Concern Stakes. Brittany Russell credited owner Michael Dubb for allowing Prince of Jericho to have the time between races to have him fresh on race day.
Campaigned by Dubb and Morris Bailey, Prince of Jericho is a 5-year-old son of Munnings. Bred in Kentucky by Edward Seltzer, he sold for $50,000 as a July yearling before going for $85,000 three months later.
“He’s just a really good, classy horse,” Brittany Russell said. “He’s a fighter. I was glad to see him kick on.”
*Jennings Stakes
A little time, love, and tenderness helped Quint’s Brew overcome a 203-day layoff in the $75,000 Jennings Stakes for older state-bred or -sired milers.
Quint’s Brew burst onto the scene by winning his first two starts for trainer Michael Gorham. He made his stakes debut in the restricted Star de Naskra Stakes on June 29 and finished third as the odds-on favorite.
Quint’s Brew was entered in an allowance race on Halloween but grabbed a quarter and had to be scratched. Transferred to trainer Ned Allard, Quint’s Brew received a freshening and was sharp from the opening bell in the Jennings.
He sat second behind favored Speedyness’s fractions of 24.01 and 47.10 seconds, moved to the lead under jockey Mychel Sanchez, then drew off to score by a commanding six lengths despite swapping leads several times in the stretch.
Hittheroadjak nosed out Circle P for second. Speedyness faded to fourth. Then came Brilliant Ice, Feeling Woozy, Big Blue Line, Whiskeyinthejaro, and Captain Quint, an older full brother to the winner, also trained by Allard.
Quint’s Brew ran the mile in 1:37.53 and paid $20.60.
“I thought he’d run big,” Allard said. “How big? I had never run him before. All I know is that he just really enjoys being a racehorse. The ones that really enjoyed it can run. I was real pleased. I thought that was an awesome race. Perfect ride.”
A 4-year-old by Mosler, Quint’s Brew was bred by Paul Berube, Karen Linnell, and Spinnaker Hill Farm and is owned by Berube, Linnell, and Heather Hunter.
*Geisha Stakes
A change of tactics propelled Call Another Play returned to a rallying victory in the $75,000 Geisha Stakes for older state-bred or sired fillies and mares at one mile.
Call Another Play, a 4-year-old homebred owned by Larry Johnson, was one of the better 3-year-old fillies in the Mid-Atlantic region last year, winning the Weber City Miss on April 20, a “Win and You’re In” for the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes.
After finishing an excellent third in the Black-Eyed Susan, Call Another Play then ran a fine fourth in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks before seemingly going off form. Three double-digit defeats followed a well-beaten second in the off-turf Searching Stakes on Aug. 4.
One of those losses was the open Carousel Stakes on Dec. 21, and Call Another Play finished eighth of nine after battling for the lead through hot fractions.
This time around, Call Another Play settled back off the pace under jockey Mychel Sanchez, and they rated on the inside three lengths behind the easy fractions of 25.22 and 49.43 seconds set by uncontested longshot leader Royal Whisper.
Royal Whisper was still clear after a six-furlong clocking of 1:14.83, but Sanchez eased Call Another Play off the lead, and they took command entering the long stretch of the one-mile run.
Favored Oncourtcommentator took a late run at Call Another Play, but her bid fell two lengths shy after 1:40.19. Too Many Kisses was another half-length back in third. Royal Whisper, Bourbon Bon Bay, Mavilus, and Gold Digging Broad completed the order of finish.
Call Another Play returned $32.60 to win as the sixth choice in the betting.
“The last race, she was just a little too keen, and she went to the lead and spit it,” said assistant trainer Tana Aubrey, “Today, [Sanchez] tucked her in behind another horse. He had a great trip, and when he called on her, she went. She likes to stalk and make that little move.”
The connections had considered retiring Call Another Play after the Geisha, but this performance convinced them to keep her in training for the foreseeable future.
