Connections ‘Tickled’ with Laurel Feature Victory Saturday
Connections ‘Tickled’ with Laurel Feature Victory Saturday
Jockey Russell Notches Four-Win Afternoon
The Hardest Way Makes it Look Easy in Maiden Triumph
Events Raise Funds, Awareness on PDJF Day Across America
Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Sunday’s 10-Race Program
LAUREL, MD – Back on dirt after facing older grass horses in her last start, Daylight Farms and Rebecca Galbraith’s Tickled Pink returned to the winner’s circle for the first time since her February debut in Saturday’s featured ninth race.
Tickled Pink ($7.80), under jockey Feargal Lynch, broke sharply from Post 8 but was outrun for the lead by Miss Nosy, who led through a quarter-mile in 23.27 seconds with Tickled Pink tracking in the clear to her outside. Lynch ranged up to the pacesetter midway through the far turn following a half in 46.67, straightened for home with the advantage and powered down the stretch to win by 1 ½ lengths in 1:24.61 over a muddy, sealed main track.
Multiple graded stakes placed Lucky in Malibu provided the lone late challenge and was a clear second, 4 ¾ lengths ahead of If I Was a Boy, half of the favored 2-1 entry with Perennial, who wound up seventh.
Tickled Pink broke her maiden at first asking going a mile Feb. 19 at Laurel then was third in the Caesar’s Wish March 18 under Lynch. She was put on turf by trainer Graham Motion for her most recent effort, finishing fourth by 1 ½ lengths June 30.
“We’ve always thought a lot of her. She’s a nice filly. She broke her maiden easily first time and then she ran in a stake second time. She ran a little bit green and needed the experience,” Lynch said. “She’s a filly with a lot of speed and hopefully now this can be a good platform for her to go forward. She’s big and she travels well. She does everything nice and she always has done from an early age. Hopefully this will put her on the right track.”
Jockey Russell Notches Four-Win Afternoon
Journeyman Sheldon Russell moved into second in the jockey standings with a four-win afternoon Saturday to give him 22 at the summer meet, six behind Victor Carrasco and one ahead of Jevian Toledo and Horacio Karamanos.
Russell took the second race with The Hardest Way ($3.20), was a back-to-back winner with Follow the Petals ($5.20) in the fourth and Sir Orinoco ($15.40) in the fifth, and rallied Clubman ($7.60) to victory in the seventh.
“I knew coming into the day that we had some live horses to run but you know how it goes. We dream of big days like this,” Russell said. “It’s lots of hard work in the mornings and I’m just glad it paid off today. To get four wins was fantastic.”
Russell was the 2-1 program favorite in the inflatable rody pony charity event to benefit the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund between the fourth and fifth races but lost his footing early in the 100-yard dash and fell face-first in the muddy main track.
“I felt like I was in front in the rody race and I went for too much of a big jump and obviously the horse never landed properly and we tumbled off,” Russell said. “It was nice to come back and win the next race.”
The Hardest Way Makes It Look Easy in Maiden Triumph
Five Hellion Farm and S. William Peel III’s The Hardest Way took the shortest way around in his third career start, leading from gate to wire from the rail post to break his maiden impressively in Saturday’s second race.
A Triple Crown-nominated son of leading sire Uncle Mo favored at 1-5 in a field of six, The Hardest Way ($3.20) ran six furlongs in 1:10.81 over a sealed main track rated good in the $40,000 maiden special weight for 3-year-olds and up.
The Hardest Way, trained by James Kirk, was a well-beaten fifth in his Jan. 4 debut at Gulfstream Park behind Malagacy, who went on to win his next two starts including the Rebel (G2). He went unraced until a July 1 maiden event on the grass at Laurel, finishing second by a neck after leading into deep stretch and bumping late with the winner.
Jockey Sheldon Russell sent The Hardest Way to the front at the break, leading through fractions of 23.09, 46.67 and 58.32 seconds before opening up in the stretch when challenged by Bestkindoftrouble. They hit the wire 5 ½ lengths in front despite Russell wrapping up inside the sixteenth pole.
Cedartown, sold as a 2-year-old in training last March for $620,000, rallied late on the outside to edge Bestkindoftrouble by a nose for second.
“Mr. Kirk and the owners have always liked this horse. He probably should have won the last time I rode him on the turf,” Russell said. “He has a tendency to drift when he’s tired and he drifted again today. He was very impressive his last two races and it was nice to get the win for the owners and Mr. Kirk today.”
Events Raise Funds, Awareness on PDJF Day Across America
The Maryland Jockey Club and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association each made $1,000 donations to the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund Saturday as part of the PDJF Day Across America.
Laurel was among more than 30 racetracks to take part in the fourth annual event to raise funds and awareness for the PDJF, a 501(c)(3) public charity providing financial assistance to some 60 former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries. Since 2006, the fund has disbursed over $7 million to their care.
A total of $3,237.02 was raised to benefit the PDJF on Saturday, included a donation table for signed and unsigned caps, t-shirts and goggles, and nine members of Laurel’s jockey colony competing aboard inflatable rody ponies between the fourth and fifth races on the main track.
Angel Cruz, wearing No. 3, won the 100-foot dash aboard Man o’Rody over No. 9 Jevian Toledo and Deputed Testarody on the far outside. Also competing were Russell, Lane Luzzi, Katie Davis, J D Acosta, Steve Hamilton, Lauralea Glaser and Kevin Gomez.
Notes: Jockey Feargal Lynch had back-to-back winners Saturday with Expressly ($2.10) in the eighth and Tickled Pink ($7.80) in the ninth. Trainer Jonathan Maldonado won with Clubman ($7.60) in the seventh and Put It Forward ($16.20) in the 10th.
Rainbow 6 Carryover: $8,258.30
Super Hi-5 Carryover: $1,008.95
