Multiple Dirt Stakes Winner Draws Outside in 3YO Filly Sprint
Nine-Race Father’s Day Program Featuring Bourbon and BBQ
Hardspun Reason Extends Streak to Three in Season Opener Saturday

LAUREL, MD – Unlike her first try on the turf, Cash is King and LC Racing’s Carmelina will be sprinting over firm ground when the multiple dirt stakes winner returns to the grass in Sunday’s $100,000 Stormy Blues at Laurel Park.

The 16th running of the 5 ½-furlong Stormy Blues for 3-year-old fillies scheduled for the Exceller turf course layout is the headliner on a special nine-race Father’s Day program. First race post time is 12:25 p.m.

Based at Parx with trainer Robert E. ‘Butch’ Reid Jr., Carmelina’s lone grass experience came over a course rated good last fall at Laurel when she weakened to seventh after setting the pace into the stretch of the 1 1/16-mile Selima. It was her fourth career start and first of two around two turns, the other being a seventh-place finish in the 1 1/8-mile Gazelle (G3) April 6 on Aqueduct’s main track.

By Maximus Mischief, a son of Into Mischief, Carmelina was bred in Pennsylvania by Lillith Boucher, who trained Carmelina’s mare, Complete St., a two-time stakes winner on the grass that ran three times in the Maryland Million Ladies over Laurel’s turf including a runner-up finish in 2016.

“We decided to give her another shot. Her mother was a stone turf horse and a lot of Maximus Mischiefs, which is Into Mischief, they’ll run over anything. She showed us enough the first time to warrant another try,” Reid said. “It looks like she’s distance challenged more than she’s surface challenged, so we wanted to take a look at it again.”

Not among the original 37 nominees and supplemented at entry time for $1,000, Carmelina comes into the Stormy Blues having run eighth in the six-furlong Miss Preakness (G3) May 17 at historic Pimlico Race Course, where she was unable to employ her familiar front-running tactics and raced in mid-pack before finishing well behind pacesetting Mystic Lake.

“She never really got a chance to do any real running. I was a little disappointed with that,” Reid said. “She kind of got stuck in between horses and never really got a chance to extend herself. We kind of gave her a mulligan on that one. She’d been running a lot so we gave her a little bit of extra time coming up to this one and we’re hoping that will pay dividends.”

Carmelina went 4-for-6 as a 2-year-old including stakes wins in the five-furlong Keswick at Colonial Downs, six-furlong Shamrock Rose at Penn National and seven-furlong Gin Talking at Laurel, the latter over Cap Classique, who also returns in the Stormy Blues. She is 0-for-3 this year, starting with a runner-up finish in Aqueduct’s one-mile Busher Invitational March 2.

Angel Cruz is named to ride from the outermost post in the Stormy Blues, which attracted a full field of 15 entries including Caress (Post 13) for main track only.

“She’s handled a lot of different things. She’s been to every track in the Northeast corridor of the United States and did fine, so we’re not too worried about the ship or anything,” Reid said. “The one thing that concerns me is the post position. I see there’s one main track only, so hopefully there will be a scratch or two to ease us a little closer to the rail.”

Carmelina is rated at 20-1 on the morning line. The narrow 5-2 program favorite is Wertheimer and Frere homebred Toupie, third or better in five of six career starts including a victory in the six-furlong Stewart Manor last fall on the Aqueduct turf. Trained by Graham Motion, she was second by less than a length in her season debut, the 5 ½-furlong Mamzelle May 11 on the grass at Churchill Downs.

Second choice at 9-2 is Big Tufff Stables, Blackridge Stables, Black Type Thoroughbreds, R.A. Hill Stable and Swinbank Stables’ Amidst Waves, a turf sprint stakes winner last summer at both Monmouth Park and Saratoga that has also raced just once this year, finishing third by 1 ¼ lengths in the six-furlong Soaring Softly (G3) May 12 at Aqueduct.

The Stormy Blues is the first of 16 stakes worth $1.5 million in purses during Laurel’s 33-day summer meet which began May 31 and runs through Aug. 18. Next up on the schedule is the $75,000 Star de Naskra for Maryland-bred/sired 3-year-olds sprinting seven furlongs Saturday, June 29.

In addition to live racing, the Laurel Father’s Day program will feature Bourbon and BBQ and a vintage car show (weather permitting). For tickets and information, click here.

Hardspun Reason Extends Streak to Three in Season Opener Saturday

Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds and Hillwood Stable’s Maryland homebred Hardspun Reason made a successful return to the races after eight months away and extended his win streak to three in the process, capturing Saturday’s Race 8 feature at Laurel Park.

Ridden by Victor Carrasco for trainer Graham Motion, Hardspun Reason ($8.40) covered 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.26 over a firm Bowl Game turf course layout to win the second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up by three-quarters of a length.

Hardspun Reason trailed all but The Addison Pour as 30-1 longshot Marched and two-time defending Maryland Million Turf winner Wicked Prankster dueled through a half-mile in 46.35 seconds. Carrasco maintained his inside position into the far turn before tipping off the rail straightening for home, closing stoutly down the center of the track to catch new leader Sports Editor, and turn back a spirited late bid on the far outside from The Addison Pour.

A gelded 5-year-old son of Hard Spun, Hardspun Reason made his first four starts on dirt, with one win, before being switched to the grass last summer for a restricted Laurel allowance where he ran fifth, beaten 1 ½ lengths by The Addison Pour. Third in a similar spot against open company next out, he beat winners going 1 1/8 miles last August and came back with a 3 ¾-length score at the distance in late October before getting time off.

Beaten less than a length for the third straight race, The Addison Pour was second followed by Sports Editor, Eldest Son, Riccio, Wicked Prankster, Amusing Mischief and Marched. Scratched were Street Copper and main-track-only entrants Tops the Chart and Frightland. Eldest Son was claimed for $40,000 by trainer Nolan Ramsey.

Notes: Jockey Horacio Karamanos doubled for the second straight day Saturday, visiting the winner’s circle with Nicolar ($15) in Race 1 and The Amazing Mizzen ($6.20) in Race 3 … There will be carryovers of $5,501.94 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 4-9) and $1,855.80 in the $1 Jackpot Super High Five (Race 6) wagers for Sunday’s card.