Bode Miller's Ravenheart Takes Maryland Juvenile Futurity
Bode Miller's Ravenheart Takes Maryland Juvenile Futurity
Look Who's Talking Runs Off With Maryland Juvenile Filly
Always Sunshine Best in $100,000 Dave's Friend
Noteworthy Peach Easy Winner in $50,000 Jennings Handicap
Sunday's 10-cent Rainbow 6 Carryover $105,000
LAUREL, MD - Ravenheart, a 2-year-old colt owned by Olympic gold medalist and world champion skier Bode Miller, took the lead at the top of the stretch Saturday to win the $50,000 Maryland Juvenile Futurity by a head over a closing Flash McCaul.
Ravenheart, a son of Dance With Ravens trained by Francis Abbott III and ridden by Forest Boyce, covered the seven furlongs in 1:25.64.
The 2-year-old, who broke a step slow, was rated off a :23.34 and :47.55 pace set by Corvus and Showalter before holding off Flash McCaul. It's the Journey was third while Showalter, named after Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter, tired down the stretch after stumbling at the break and finished ninth.
Ravenheart, who runs under Miller's DB Dojo LLC, won his debut Oct. 3 at Delaware before finishing fourth at Laurel in the Maryland Million Nursery at six furlongs Oct. 17 and sixth at 1 1/8 miles Nov. 28 in the Remsen (G2) at Aqueduct.
"We thought he deserved a shot to run in the Remsen," Abbott said. "It was tough to get him to cut back after trying to get him to relax that extra quarter mile, so to come back - we had to sharpen him up a little bit and put a little bit of speed in him - was great. He's game and he dig deep today."
Miller, who was not in attendance, "sent us about seven 2-year-olds and they all just got running recently so it's a lot of fun," Abbott said. "[Miller] was lucky enough to be here in middle of December to see one win. To have this horse win today was great."
Look Who's Talking Runs Off With Maryland Juvenile Filly
Skeedattle Associate's Look Who's Talking, a homebred juvenile daughter of Cape Blanco who finished second in the Selima earlier in the year, took the lead entering the stretch and had plenty left to hold off 1-2 favorite Lexington Street in the $50,000 Maryland Juvenile Filly.
Look Who's Talking, who broke her maiden at first asking on the turf at Laurel in August, covered the seven furlongs in 1:25.50.
Trained by Robin Graham and ridden by Forest Boyce, Look Who's Talking was rated just off the lead set by If I Was a Boy before moving to the lead entering the stretch and putting away her six opponents.
"Our filly finally got everything together," Graham said. "She's had little issues - last time she lost a shoe - and just one thing after another but it all came together today."
"It worked out perfect. The race set up the way I wanted it to," Boyce said.
Lexington Street was seeking her fourth consecutive victory. After finishing second in his racing debut Sept. 18, Lexington Street had reeled off three consecutive victories, including a 5 3/4-length score Oct. 17 in the Maryland Million Lassie.
Always Sunshine Best in $100,000 Dave's Friend
Gilbert Campbell's 3-year-old homebred Always Sunshine drove inside Majestic Hussar down the stretch to win the $100,000 Dave's Friend by 1 3/4 lengths.
Trained by Edward Allard and ridden by Frankie Pennington, Always Sunshine covered six furlongs in 1:10.02 and returned $8.80.
Unraced as a juvenile, Always Sunshine broke his maiden at Parx in July. He finished sixth in the City of Laurel Nov. 14 and was a 13-length winner Dec. 14 at Parx with Pennington in the saddle for the first time. Pennington rated the son of West Acre third down the backstretch Saturday behind a :22.76 and :45.99 pace set by Beach Hut before driving past Majestic Hussar above the sixteenth pole.
Majestic Hussar finished second and Beach Hut third.
Thirty Eight Go Go Goes to Athena
Mary Grum's Athena, a daughter of Street Sense trained by Helen Pitts, rallied along the inside in deep stretch to win the $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go for her third consecutive victory.
After breaking her maiden in May at Churchill Downs, Athena was off the board in her next four starts in Kentucky - including two on the turf at Ellis Park and Churchill - before winning at seven furlongs and a mile at Churchill Downs. On Saturday, Athena closed under jockey Julien Pimentel to get up in the final 50 yards for a length victory over Bound.
Athena has now won four of 10 starts.
Noteworthy Peach Easy Winner in $50,000 Jennings Handicap
Non Stop Stable's Noteworthy Peach, second earlier in the year in the Tesio. made a four-wide move around the turn before cruising home to a ??? length victory in the $50,000 Jennings Handicap.
Trained by Gary Capuano and ridden by Jevian Toledo, Noteworthy Peach covered the mile in 1:37.41 and paid $8.20.
Rainbow 6 Continues To Build
Sunday's 10-cent Rainbow 6 carryover will be $105,345.28 after there were no single winning tickets on Saturday's program.
Multiple winning tickets on Saturday's 10-cent Rainbow 6 returned $7,004.03.
Along with the Rainbow 6 carryover, there will be a Super Hi 5 carryover on Sunday's first race of $1,894.
First race post time is 12:25 p.m.
