Brittany and Sheldon Russell combine for three maiden winners
Jockey Jaime Rodriguez wins four on the Saturday card

LAUREL, MD – Complexity Jane overcame adversity to impressively win her career debut in Saturday’s sixth race at Laurel Park, a $47,000 maiden special weight for 3-year-olds fillies at six furlongs.

Over a muddy racetrack that seemingly aided speed horses, favored Complexity Jane took a hard bump leaving the gate and dropped 8 ½ lengths off the leader at the pace call. Owner Michael Golden of Golden Lion Racing was a bit concerned.

“I don’t think she’s ever been behind horses like that,” Golden said in the winner’s circle after Complexity Jane professionally rallied to beat Passage East by 3 ¼ lengths in 1:14.34.

“If they’re class, they’re class,” winning trainer Brittany Russell replied. “If they want to do it, they’ll do it. That’s what I’m starting to learn. If they’re good, they do it.”

Complexity Jane was good.

After the troubled beginning, jockey Sheldon Russell allowed Complexity Jane to settle into her rhythm. At the seven-sixteenths pole, Complexity Jane professionally moved to the rail to pass Cynthia Gail, then eased outside to rocket by a tiring Baby Lady.

At the quarter pole, Sheldon Russell had to decide whether to go to the rail or to swing wide. He chose the former, altering course inside Mo Hype before drawing off under a solid drive.

Complexity Jane completed the distance in 1:14.34 over a track that produced slow times for the first two days of the racing week and returned $4.20 to win.

“That’s how you want one to debut, especially on a day when you’re watching races, and it looks like you got to go to the front to get anything accomplished,” Brittany Russell said. “I thought I had her tight, she’s been working really good, but she’s a big filly. I actually think she’ll step forward from her run. Always showed talent, big filly, needed some time. It was that simple.”

A chestnut by Complexity bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones, Complexity Jane sold for $100,000 as a yearling before being purchased for $170,000 last March at OBS.

“We went down to OBS looking for a nice horse,” Brittany Russell continued. “David Wade and I were down there looking, and she was one of the top fillies on the list that we liked, and we got her. I couldn’t believe it, honestly. I was pumped. Out of all of them, she was the one I wanted.”

Complexity Jane is a half-sister to stakes-placed Roman Giant. Their dam, the Ghostzapper mare Bestinthebusiness, is a half to Grade 3 winner Do Share, multiple stakes-placed Dalton, and stakes-placed Andyoushallreceive. Her second dam was the Grade 2-placed You Asked from the family of Grade 1 winner Private Terms.

Brittany and Sheldon Russell combine for three maiden winners

Complexity Jane wasn’t the only impressive winner trained by Brittany Russell and ridden by Sheldon Russell, as they bookended the card with two other maiden graduates.

Lifting, a 3-year-old first-time starter by Curlin out of stakes-winner Super Humor, ran away from the field by 15 ¼ lengths in the opener. Owned by Repole Stable, the gelding was claimed for $20,000 by trainer Kieron Magee.

Derz Smart, a third-time starter by Violence, pressed and pounced to capture the nightcap by 11 ½ lengths. A $400,000 yearling owned by Spendthrift Farm, Big Easy Racing, Titletown Racing Stables, Winner’s Win, Michael Dubb, Gandharvi, Golconda Stable, Ali Goodrich, and Mark Parkinson, Derz Smart is a half-brother to Grade 3 winner Clearly Unhinged.

Their second dam, Win McCool, captured Belmont’s Grade 3 Floral Park Stakes. Derz Smart hails from the family of Grade 1 winner Harmony Lodge and Arkansas Derby hero Graeme Hall.

Jaime Rodriguez wins four races

Jockey Jaime Rodriguez, Maryland’s leading rider the last two seasons, booted home four winners on the program, three for trainer Jamie Ness.

Rodriguez was mainly a passenger aboard Golden Philly in the second race as the Unified filly scored by 14 ¼ lengths for Ness. The potent trainer-jockey combination then took the fourth race with Grade 1-placed 9-year-old Borracho, who also won in gate-to-wire fashion.

“J-Rod” teamed up with trainer Antonio Machado for El de Larry’s 9 1/4-length victory in the seventh race, and he then went back-to-back with the Ness-trained Supreme Law.