Pizmo Time Outruns Favored Surprise Twist to Claim Feature
Perennial Leading Rider Lynch Wins in Return to Maryland
Introduced Sets Dahlia Turf Course Record in Sprint Victory

LAUREL, MD – Caves Farm’s Pizmo Time stretched his win streak to three races by collaring pacesetter Saratoga Bob at the top of the stretch and outrunning favored Surprise Twist through the lane to capture Saturday’s feature at Laurel Park.

Jockey Alex Cintron registered his third win of the afternoon aboard Pizmo Time ($9.80), who ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:41.40 to take the $47,000 third-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up by a nose.

“He’s been doing good off his vacation and everything seems to be going right for him,” winning trainer Edward Graham said. “He likes this ground a little bit fast, and he’s maturing, too. Everything’s been good with him.”

Saratoga Bob, the 2018 Maryland Million Classic winner making 16th career start and second on the grass, ran the opening quarter-mile in 24.32 seconds with Surprise Twist to his right and Pizmo Time in the clear three wide, while multiple stakes winner John Jones settled in fourth on the rail.

Surprise Twist and Pizmo Time ranged up on the leader approaching the stretch and hooked up for a duel to the wire, with Pizmo Time on the outside edging past inside the sixteenth pole for his fifth career win, three coming over the Laurel turf. Twenty Four Seven finished third, with John Jones fourth.

A 6-year-old City Zip gelding bred in Maryland by the late Howard Bender, Pizmo Time won his 2018 finale Nov. 22 and returned with a victory April 28, both by a neck at Laurel.

“I have to see how he comes out of this race and go from there, but you think you’d try to stay in Maryland with him being a Maryland-bred,” Graham said. “He’s a class act. He tries every time.”

Cintron also won Saturday aboard Stetson Gold ($6.80) in Race 2 and Feelin Foxie ($18) in Race 4.

Perennial Leading Rider Lynch Wins in Return to Maryland

Kaleem Shah Inc.’s Closer Look ($6.80), favored at 2-1 in a field of 12, cruised to a 4 ¾-length triumph in Race 7 Saturday to give journeyman Feargal Lynch his first win since returning to the Maryland circuit with Friday’s opening of the 43-day summer meet.

Lynch, a two-time meet titlist in Maryland who has ranked in the top six overall in wins the past two years, spent the winter and spring riding in Florida. He rode at Tampa Bay Downs into April before heading to Gulfstream Park, where his most recent mount came May 19.      

“I spent the winter down in Florida just to break it up and start fresh. I enjoyed the nice weather and I was away for Christmas with the family so we took our time coming back up the road,” Lynch said. “The wife and dogs have all shipped back up and settled in. It’s good to be home.”

Lynch made the trip back to Laurel Feb. 16 for Winter Carnival, winning the John B. Campbell Stakes aboard Bonus Points and running second with Majestic Dunhill in the General George (G3). He also finished third on Bonus Points in the Harrison E. Johnson Memorial March 16 at Laurel.

Lynch had mounts in four of Saturday’s 10 races, three of them over Laurel’s world-class turf course. He also finished second aboard Bobby G in Race 1 and Dendrobia in Race 5.

“Like I always say, this is one of the nicest turf courses that I’ve ever ridden on and I really feel comfortable,” Lynch said. “I think that’s the main thing, to be comfortable and to enjoy riding on it.”

Trevor McCarthy, named in six stakes at Penn National Saturday, was Maryland’s leading rider in 2014 and 2016 and has won four consecutive meet titles since returning to the circuit full-time last fall. Jevian Toledo, the state’s top rider in 2015 and 2017; Jorge Vargas Jr., who unseated Toledo in 2018; and 2018 Eclipse Award champion apprentice Wes Hamilton are among the familiar faces for Lynch.

Lynch shared the 2017 Preakness Meet riding title with Kevin Gomez and Horacio Karamanos before winning it outright in 2018.

“It’s one of the toughest colonies in America. There’s a lot of good up-and-coming riders,” Lynch said. “It’s a good mix. There’s a lot of experience in here and a lot of new kids coming through every year. It’s a tough place.”

Notes: Colts Neck Stable’s Introduced ($4.60), with Jevian Toledo aboard, won Saturday’s fifth race in 1:00.55, setting the Dahlia Turf Course record for 5 ½ furlongs. The old mark of 1:00.65 was set by Dirty winning the King T. Leatherbury Stakes April 20 … There will carryovers of $2,215.38 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 4-9) and $950.38 in the $1 Super Hi-5 (Race 2) for Sunday’s nine-race program that begins at 1:10 p.m. Tickets with five of six winners in the Rainbow 6 Saturday returned $426.52.