Drew Outermost Post 8 in Featured Restricted Allowance
20-Cent Rainbow 6 Carryover Jackpot Stands at $15,805
Live Racing Goes Back to Three-Day Schedule in November
LAUREL, MD – Paul Berube, Karen Linnell and Heather Hunter’s promising 3-year-old stakes-placed gelding Quint’s Brew is set to make his first start in four months as live racing resumes Thursday at Laurel Park.
Quint’s Brew is the 7-5 program favorite from outermost Post 8 in featured Race 7, a one-mile allowance for Maryland-bred/sired 3-year-olds and up. Regular rider Raul Mena will be aboard the son of Mosler.
Trained by Mike Gorham, Quint’s Brew has raced exclusively at Laurel winning each of his first two career starts March 2 and April 5, the latter a one-mile optional claiming allowance, both in open company, before making his stakes debut against state-bred/sired horses in the June 29 Star de Naskra.
In that race Quint’s Brew got bumped leaving the gate and then again by eventual first-place finisher Celtic Contender and was forced inward where he encountered more trouble before settling into a stalking position between horses. Quint’s Brew eventually finished a distant third behind Celtic Contender and Play Harder, who were separated by a head, but promoted to second when Celtic Contender was disqualified and placed third for interference.
Play Harder has raced just once since then, finishing fourth in the July 28 Concern at Laurel, also sprinting seven furlongs, while Celtic Contender has made four subsequent starts finishing third by a half-length in the Concern and most recently winning the six-furlong Maryland Million Sprint Oct. 19.
Quint’s Brew has tuned up for his return with five sharp works at Delaware Park including bullet half-mile moves Aug. 1, Sept. 6 and Oct. 4. Most recently he went four furlongs in 48 seconds Oct. 19, second-fastest of 40 horses.
Second choice on the morning line at odds of 5-2 is The Elkstone Group’s Derbyness, racing for the fourth time and second straight against elders since being claimed for $40,000 April 20. Trained by Brittany Russell, who left with jockey husband Sheldon Russell and Hillwood Stable’s Ellen Charles for Del Mar to saddle Post Time in Saturday’s $1 million Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile (G1), Derbyness returned from four months away to take an off-the-turf claiming event going one mile by a neck Oct. 1 at Laurel.
The restricted allowance is the penultimate leg of the 20-cent Rainbow 6, which covers Races 3-8 and offers a carryover jackpot of $15,805.74 having gone unsolved since Oct. 10, a span of 11 racing days. There will also be a carryover of $6,497.51 in the $1 Jackpot Super High Five (Race 6).
The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out only when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 60 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 40 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.
Thursday’s sequence includes Race 4, a one-mile entry level optional claiming allowance for 2-year-old fillies led by Shkhara Fire, last-out upset winner of the six-furlong Maryland Million Lassie at odds of 8-1, and My Charm, beaten 1 ¼ lengths when second in an off-the-turf edition of the one-mile Selima Sept. 28.
First race post time Thursday is 12:25 p.m. Laurel’s calendar year-ending fall stand moves back to a Friday through Sunday live racing schedule in November and December with the exception of Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 28.