Artful Splatter Works Sunday for Maryland Million Distaff
Artful Splatter Works Sunday for Maryland Million Distaff
Live Racing Returns to Laurel Thursday with Earlier Post Time
LAUREL, MD – Though pre-entered in stakes on two different surfaces, James C. Wolf’s multiple stakes winner Artful Splatter will stick to the dirt for her Maryland Million debut in the $100,000 Distaff Saturday, Oct. 24 at Laurel Park.
The seven-furlong Distaff for fillies and mares 3 and up is among eight stakes and four starter stakes that comprise the 35th Jim McKay Maryland Million program, anchored by the $150,000 Classic for 3-year-olds and up. A groundbreaking concept that spawned copycat events across North America, ‘Maryland’s Day at the Races’ celebrates progeny of stallions standing in the state.
Pimlico Race Course-based trainer Kieron Magee pre-entered the 4-year-old Artful Splatter in both the Distaff and $100,000 Maryland Million Ladies, a 1 1/8-mile event for females 3 and up on Laurel’s world-class turf course. Artful Splatter is 0-for-7 lifetime on the grass with two seconds and two thirds, finishing ninth in a 1 1/16-mile allowance June 12 at Laurel in her most recent attempt.
“We’re looking at the Distaff,” Magee said. “The other race is on the grass and she’s proven that she’s no grass horse. If it came off the grass, maybe, but the weather is supposed to be nice during the week.”
Artful Splatter breezed a half-mile in 48.80 seconds Sunday morning, ranking seventh of 16 horses at Pimlico. Other horses under consideration for the race include fellow multiple stakes winner Hello Beautiful; Coconut Cake, a winner of her last three starts; and Quiet Imagination.
“There’s some speed in there so I don’t think we’ll have the lead. I worked her this morning behind another horse and in the last part of it she went by him,” Magee said. “She’s sat off the pace before. It’s obviously not her favorite way to do it, but she’s definitely done it and she can do it. She does love the mud.”
Artful Splatter has won two of her last three races, both over sloppy tracks, including a front-running 10 ¼-length romp in an off-the-turf edition of the 1 1/16-mile George Rosenberger Memorial Sept. 26 at Delaware Park. In between, she finished second in the Sept. 5 Twixt Stakes at Laurel, where she beat Anna’s Bandit to open her season in the one-mile Geisha Stakes Jan. 20.
Since being claimed for $16,000 out of a runner-up finish last Sept. 7 at Laurel, Artful Splatter has put together a 7-1-1 record from 12 starts including five straight wins at one stretch and purse earnings of $247,904.
“I wish we could claim them all for 16 and make a quarter of a million dollars with them,” Magee said.
Magee said he also has Timothy Hopkins’ 5-year-old gelding Odds On, who had a two-race win streak snapped last out Oct. 2 at Pimlico, for the $40,000 Maryland Million Starter Handicap, a seven-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up that have started for a claiming price of $8,000 or less since October 20, 2019.
“We’ll enter him and see who goes in there and then we’ll make a decision,” Magee said. “Hopefully, it’s not too tough.”
Laurel Park’s Sunday work tab included several horses pre-entered to Maryland Million breezing four furlongs, among them 2-year-old geldings Depository and San Antone (48.40 seconds) for the $100,000 Nursery; 2-year-old fillies fillies Fearless Lassie (48.60) and Startwithabang (49.40) for the $100,000 Lassie; and 5-year-old gelding Whereshetoldmetogo (51.80) for the $100,000 Sprint.
Maryland-bred Whereshetoldmetogo finished first in his most recent start, the six-furlong New Castle Stakes Sept. 26 at Delaware Park by 1 ½ lengths, but was disqualified to second for interference in the stretch.
On Saturday afternoon, Laurel’s eight-race program included a game debut winner in Stronach Stable Inc.’s Swirling Dancer. A 2-year-old daughter of Fort Larned, Swirling Dancer covered 5 ½ furlongs in 1:04.98 for trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer and jockey Jevian Toledo.
Live Racing Returns to Laurel Thursday with Earlier Post Time
Post time moves to 12:25 p.m. for the duration of the calendar year-ending fall meet starting with the return of live racing to Laurel Park Thursday, Oct. 22 to open Maryland Million weekend.
Limited to a maximum of 250 persons, Laurel will open its doors at 11:30 a.m. to spectators, who must enter through the clubhouse entrance, have their temperature taken and maintain social distancing guidelines.
Post time on Maryland Million Day, Saturday, Oct. 24, will be 11:25 a.m. Other exceptions come on Breeders’ Cup Saturday, Nov. 7 and Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, Nov. 26, also at 11:25 a.m.
Thursday’s eight-race program is highlighted by a second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up going one mile on the main track in Race 7. Among the field of seven are 2019 Sapling Stakes winner Big City Bob, most recently third in the Federico Tesio Sept. 7 at Laurel; Thundershook, a winner of three straight races and five of his last six; and two horses that were pre-entered in the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic – Galerio, a three-time winner from the last four starts, and Toughest ‘Ombre, second in back-to-back races beaten less than a half-length combined.
Also on the card are maiden special weight events in Race 3 going seven furlongs for fillies and mares 3 and up led by Back Roads, a homebred son of Grade 1 winner Liam’s Map making his race debut, and Pago Querido, a $235,000 2-year-old in training purchase last April; and Race 6, a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint for 2-year-olds featuring four first-time starters in the field of seven including Medaglia d’Oro homebred Filigree.
Race 5 is an entry-level optional claiming allowance for 2-year-old fillies sprinting six furlongs on the main track. Five of the seven entered are coming off maiden special weight wins including Whiskey and Rye, a daughter of Maclean’s Music that fetched $150,000 out of Fasig-Tipton’s Midlantic 2-year-old in training sale in May at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.
