LAUREL, MD—Jaws dropped at Laurel Park on September 19 when Scabiosa blasted to the lead in her turf debut and left nine other juvenile fillies in her wake, winning the maiden special weight at 5 ½ furlongs by 4 ¼ lengths.
Scabiosa proved her win was no fluke on Thursday afternoon, as she once again showed easy early speed, opened a long advantage turning into the stretch, and was never threatened in a first-level allowance at 5 ½ furlongs on the Bowl Game Turf Course.
“Man, she’s just fast,” marveled jockey Jomar Torres. “She broke really good, and when I asked at the quarter pole, she took off really good.”
Scabiosa was a 9-2 shot in her first run at Laurel, but the betting public wasn’t fooled today, hammering her down to evens on the tote.
They never felt anxious.
Scabiosa was two lengths clear in the blink of an eye, blazing the trail in 22.60 and 45.11 seconds. She drove under the wire 2 ¼ lengths clear of Maybe Gold in 1:02.93 on the firm course.
Worryaboutyourself finished another nose back in third. Millford Lass, Gypsy Lullaby, She’s a Twelve, Occupy, and Laflordelacanela were next. Bellablaze scratched in the paddock after acting up badly. Almas Gone Gamblin, Weaver, No One Else’s, and Go New York Go also withdrew.
Pennsylvania-bred Scabiosa, owned by Tom Coulter’s Arrowwood Farm, is by Mendelssohn out of multiple stakes-placed Ianthe (Sky Mesa). Her second dam, Bellflower (Cherokee Run), placed in a dirt sprint stakes at Laurel Park.
A half-sister to the stakes-placed Queen’s Wreath, Scabiosa is trained by Parx-based Hugo Padilla, who raced the filly three times on dirt at Parx, Penn National, and Delaware, finishing on the board in each race.
After the maiden-race blowout, Padilla tried Scabiosa again on dirt, no surprise given her versatile pedigree. She ran a fine third in a tough first-level allowance at Delaware on October 14.
“She loves the turf,” Torres commented. “She did it so easy today. She’s really good. She’s got talent.”
*Around the track:
Jockey Mychel Sanchez rode two winners on Thursday’s program. He placed Kuhner ($6.60) right on the lead in the day’s opener and stayed strong to the wire for trainer Robbie Bailes. Sanchez then swept the early Daily Double, wiring the second race aboard Quaker City ($4) for trainer Jamie Ness. Sanchez leads Jaime Rodriguez by one victory in the current meet standings.
Live racing resumes Friday with a ten-race program. Gates open at 11 am ET, the first post time is 12:00 pm ET, 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. 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.