Malibu Beauty Extends Streak to Three in $75,000 All Brandy
Rodriguez Wraps Up Second Straight Summer Meet Riding Title
LAUREL, MD – Sterling Road Stables and LBR Racing Stable’s Riccio, back in stakes company for the first time in 17 months, became a stakes winner for the first time in dominant fashion with a nine-length upset of Sunday’s $75,000 Find at Laurel Park.
The 43rd running of the Find for 3-year-olds and up co-headlined a 13-race summer meet closing day program with the $75,000 All Brandy for fillies and mares 3 and older, both restricted to Maryland-bred/sired horses.
Ridden by Daniel Centeno for trainer Richard Sillaman, Riccio ($16.80) completed one mile over a fast main track in 1:38.79 after the Find was taken off the grass following overnight rain. It was the second win of the day for Centeno including Landslide Is Home ($16.40) in the opener.
Second-longest shot in a field of five at odds of 7-1, Riccio started his career on dirt but had made nine of his previous 10 starts on grass. His last time on the main track came in another off-the-turf event, a 1 1/8-mile restricted allowance last September at historic Pimlico Race Course, where he ran third.
“I think he can run either surface, I really do,” Sillaman said. “We were hoping the race today would go just like it did. It was a perfect plan, and perfect ride. We’ll just see now whatever comes up for him next.”
Centeno and Ricco tracked in third racing three wide as Hunter Joe on the rail and Wicked Prankster to his outside dueled for the lead through a quarter-mile in 23.95 seconds and a half in 47.47. Centeno gave Riccio his cue midway around the far turn and the 4-year-old gelding responded with a bold move to take the lead, then opened up once straightened for home and cruised to the wire under a hand ride.
Hunter Joe was a clear second, four lengths ahead of Wicked Prankster, followed by Vance Scholars and Bestsugardaddyever. Crabs N Beer, Vax a Nation and Sky’s Not Falling were scratched.
Ricco, a son Grade 1 winner Cross Traffic bred by Glenangus Farm, placed three times in stakes as a 2-year-old, the first two for previous trainer Jerry Robb, and made his last stakes appearance in Laurel’s 2023 Private Terms, finishing sixth. After a brief freshening he was moved last summer to the turf where he has been third or better in seven of nine tries, two of them wins.
The Find is named for the Sagamore Farm homebred that raced through age 11, starting 110 times with 22 wins, 27 seconds and 27 thirds and purse earnings of $803,615. He won or placed in 51 stakes, retired in 1961 as Maryland’s all-time leading money winner and the second-richest gelding in history.
Malibu Beauty Extends Streak to Three in $75,000 All Brandy
ZWP Stable and Non Stop Stable’s multiple stakes-winning homebred Malibu Beauty powered to the lead entering the far turn, opened up through the stretch and held on for a popular three-quarter-length victory over defending champion Gold Digging Broad in the 52nd running of the $75,000 All Brandy.
It was the third straight win, 12th from 38 career starts and sixth in a stakes for the 6-year-old Malibu Beauty ($3.80), entered for main track only and sent off as the 4-5 favorite when the race was moved off the grass. The winning time under jockey J.G. Torrealba was 1:38.83 for one mile over a fast main track.
Torrealba, also aboard for a last-out triumph in Laurel’s Aug. 4 Caesar’s Wish, urged Malibu Beauty away from the gate for a quick advantage then settled in second when Gold Digging Broad came up the inside, going a quarter-mile in 23.74 seconds. Malibu Beauty was back in front leaving the backstretch, went a half-mile in 46.83, and extended her advantage heading into the straightaway with enough left to hold off the game runner-up.
“That was fun,” Torrealba said. “[Gold Digging Broad] was the speed of the race. My horse sat second and relaxed, and it was a good finish. She fought hard.”
Bella Bettina, also entered for main track only, was 3 ¾ lengths behind Gold Digging Broad in third. One Silk Stocking, Cut From Class and My Brazilian Girl completed the order of finish. Naval Empire, Atlas Strong, Next Episode, Livelovenlaughter, Circle Home, Juniper Juice and Thegirlfromireland were scratched.
Bred by John Manfuso Sr., former owner of the Maryland Jockey Club, All Brandy was named Maryland’s champion 3-year-old filly of 1962 and would go on to win three stakes in 1963 including the Barbara Fritchie Handicap. All Brandy was also the granddam of Maryland’s 1981 champion 2-year-old colt A Magic Spray.
Rodriguez Wraps Up Second Straight Summer Meet Riding Title
Jockey Jaime Rodriguez had one win on Sunday’s 13-race closing day program at Laurel Park to put the finishing touches on his second straight summer meet riding title, third this year and sixth overall in Maryland.
Rodriguez, 33, captured Race 8 on Haleigh B ($3.60) to end the 35-day summer meet with 45 wins, 11 more than runner-up J.G. Torrealba, who tripled Sunday. The Puerto Rico native also captured Laurel’s calendar year-opening winter stand as well as the Preakness Meet at historic Pimlico Race Course, his first.
“I have to thank God, everything is going good. We’re having a hell of a year,” Rodriguez said. “It feels good, amazing. Without the support of the owners and trainers and horses and everybody, it wouldn’t be possible. I’m very thankful and blessed and I look forward to finishing the year strong.”
Represented by agent John Weilbacher, Rodriguez leads all riders with 124 wins at Laurel and Pimlico this year. He registered 13 multi-win days during the summer meet including hat tricks June 9, July 13, 20 and 27 and Aug. 17. Two of his wins came in July 28 stakes – the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash on Dean Delivers and Concern with Sunny Breeze, both for trainer Ned Allard.
Stable rider for summer meet leading trainer Jamie Ness, Rodriguez captured three meet titles in Maryland and finished leading all jockeys in wins at Laurel and Pimlico with 166 in 2023, when he set career highs with 1,102 starters and $8.2 million in purse earnings and ranked seventh nationally with 237 wins.
A three-time defending riding champion at Delaware Park, where he again leads the standings this year, Rodriguez has 176 wins and more than $5.8 million in purses earned in 2024. His win total is good for fourth nationally behind Irad Ortiz Jr., Paco Lopez and Jose Ortiz.
Ness had already clinched the summer meet title to open the final weekend and his one win Sunday came with Haleigh B to finish with a 27-19 advantage over Brittany Russell, who won Race 3 Sunday with Oncourtcommentator ($4.80).
Notes: Jockey J.G. Torrealba notched a Sunday hat trick with The Big Enchilada ($11.40) in Race 5, Malibu Beauty ($3.80) in the $75,000 All Brandy and Pudge Boy Palace ($4.60) in Race 12 … Angel Cruz doubled on Admit Nothing ($12.20) in Race 4 and Crossland ($6.60) in Race 7 as did Horacio Karamanos aboard Right Quick ($12) in Race 2 and Dyna Point ($4) in Race 13 … There were mandatory payouts of $4,876 in the $1 Jackpot Super High Five (Race 6), $1,819.10 in the 50-cent Late Pick 5 (Races 9-13) and $1,274.78 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 8-13).