Miss Harriett Gamely Wins $100,000 Lassie at 60-1 Odds

LAUREL, MD – Behind a patience and well-timed ride by jockey Xavier Perez, Catahoula Moon split horses down the stretch to win the $100,000 Maryland Million Nursery by 4 ¾ lengths over Prado Road.

Trained by John Robb, Catahoula Moon covered the six furlongs in 1:12.24.

The Nursery for 2-year-olds and $100,000 Lassie for 2-year-old fillies, both sprinting six furlongs, were among eight stakes and four starter stakes that comprised the 38th Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program, ‘Maryland’s Day at the Races’ celebrating the progeny of stallions standing in the state.

A son of Golden Lad, Catahoula Moon broke his maiden at Timonium in his third career start before entering Saturday’s restricted event off a second-place finish over a sloppy track Sept. 24 at Pimlico. In the six-furlong Nursery, Perez rated Catahoula Moon off the leaders down the backstretch. After Blame the Tux took the field past a :22.41 opening quarter, he was joined by Point Pelee, Speedyness, Summerstateofmind and Prado Road entering the turn.

As the leaders were stretched six wide entering the stretch, Perez raced Catahoula Moon behind them all before finding a seam between Point Pelee and Prado Road and driving to the lead. Prado Road was three-quarters of a length in front of Kohler’s for the place. Robb also saddled Dance for Green to a fourth-place finish in the race and Bigdaddysboy to fifth.

“I sat back to save ground and track the leaders with the stretch run. The middle opened up and I got through and he responded very well with his run,” Perez said.

“I wasn’t surprised by his effort today,” Robb said. “He has been training very well leading up to this race. I’d like to keep him in the Juvenile Maryland Series Races and run him in the championship. Very happy I ran first, fourth and fifth.”

Miss Harriett Gamely Wins $100,000 Lassie at 60-1 Odds

Narrow Leaf Farm’s Miss Harriett, making her debut at odds of 60-1, gamely held off favored Sheilahs Warcloud Saturday to win the $100,000 Maryland Million Lassie.

Miss Harriett returned $126.60.

Trained by Brandon McFarlane and ridden by Jean Briceno, Miss Harriett broke from post 12 and chased pacesetter Remember Me past an opening quarter in :22.88 while Sheilahs Warcloud followed in third under Xavier Perez. After shaking loose from Remember Me and taking the lead past a half in :46.31, Miss Harriett entered the stretch on top while Sheilahs Warcloud drove in pursuit from the outside. While the two fought gamely down the stretch, with Sheilahs Warcloud even poking her nose in front at one point, Miss Harriett gamely came back to win by a neck. It was another 3 ½ lengths to Kissedbyangel in third.

Miss Harriett, a 2-year-old daughter of Blofeld, is a half-sister to Keep Momma Happy, winner of the 2012 Nursery.

“I expected her to break good,” McFarlane said. “I work easy. No bullet works. Always nice and easy. This is the first time I got to see the jockey dig in. I was hoping she dug in. She never had pressure ever on her in her life. This is the first time I got to see what’s she’s got.”