Crabcakes Serves Up Comeback Win Thursday at Laurel; Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Friday Program
Crabcakes Serves Up Comeback Win Thursday at Laurel; Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Friday Program
Outruns Shimmering Aspen in Battle of Multiple Stakes Winners
Barry Lee, Old Time Revival Bring Maryland Flavor to Saratoga
Laurel Hosting PDJF Day Fundraiser, Crab Feast Saturday, July 28
Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Friday Program
LAUREL, MD – Morgans Ford Farm’s Crabcakes made a triumphant return to the races Thursday, outrunning fellow multiple stakes winning-filly Shimmering Aspen for a 1 ¾-length victory in the featured eighth race at Laurel Park.
Making her first start in eight months with regular rider Forest Boyce aboard, Crabcakes ($4.20) ran six furlongs in 1:08.84 over a fast main track in the $45,000 third-level optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up.
It was the sixth career win at Laurel and seventh overall for Crabcakes, a 4-year-old daughter of Great Notion bred in Maryland and previously owned by the late Binnie Houghton’s Buckingham Farm and trained by her nephew, Parx-based Bernie Houghton.
“I’m driving now, but I pulled off the side of the rode and watched the race,” Houghton, who was unable to be at Laurel Thursday, said by cell phone. “Man, that filly can really run.”
Shimmering Aspen, also exiting a layoff of more than six months, broke running and went straight to the lead, sailing through a quarter-mile in 22.97 seconds tracked intently to her outside by Crabcakes. Boyce moved Crabcakes to even terms around the far turn, stuck a head in front after a half in 45.55, straightened for home in command and steadily edged clear.
Shimmering Aspen, based at Laurel with trainer Rodney Jenkins and the slight even-money favorite over Crabcakes, began to tire in mid-stretch. Unable to hold off a late run from Hailey’s Flip, she wound up 1 ¼ lengths behind the runner-up with Moon Virginia completing the order of finish.
“I was thinking down the backside that Forest was in a perfect spot. I sent down specific instructions to take a hold of her a little bit and save her just in case she is a little tired her first race back,” Houghton said. “When she made the move around the turn I thought she might have moved to soon, but you could see Rodney’s horse was getting a little tired and Forest said she could have turned her loose any time she wanted to.”
Crabcakes was represented Thursday by several members of the Houghton family as well as Wayne and Susie Chatfield-Taylor of Morgans Ford Farm in Virginia. Binnie Houghton willed Crabcakes to Chatfield-Taylor upon her death last August.
“I’m so glad we waited and took our time with giving her a good break and coming back and looking like she ran last year,” Wayne Taylor said. “It was a beautiful ride, it was beautifully done, and she looks terrific. We’re so blessed that she’s here. This is a wonderful moment for us all.”
Crabcakes’ three career stakes wins have all come at Laurel – the 2016 Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship and the 2017 Miss Disco and Maryland Million Distaff. All 11 of her races have been on dirt, but Bernie Houghton said he is considering the $75,000 Jameela for fillies and mares 3 and up going six furlongs over Laurel’s world-class turf course Saturday, Aug. 18 on closing weekend of the summer meet.
“I know my aunt always wanted to run her on the grass and I saw where a Great Notion won a big stake up at Saratoga the other day, so I might give her a shot at it. I think it could be a good time to give her a shot,” Houghton said. “I don’t think she’ll care [about the surface]. It looks like a good spot and the timing is good.”
Barry Lee, Old Time Revival Bring Maryland Flavor to Saratoga
Barry Lee and Old Time Revival, a pair of Grade 3-placed colts who kicked off their careers last summer at Laurel Park, will meet for the second time and first in a stakes in the 6 ½-furlong Amsterdam (G3) for 3-year-olds Saturday, July 28 at Saratoga.
Sagamore Farm and Papason Stables’ Barry Lee beat Old Time Revival in a July 2017 maiden special weight at Laurel, and went on to win the Arlington-Washington Futurity, run second in the Futurity (G3) at Belmont Park and third in Laurel’s James F. Lewis III Stakes in November to cap his juvenile campaign.
This year, the Horacio DePaz trainee has run in a pair of optional claiming allowances at Churchill Downs, most recently finishing third against older horses in a seven-furlong affair June 23. Listed at 10-1 on the morning line, he drew Post 1 in a field of seven with jockey Joel Rosario.
Jacks or Better Farm homebred Old Time Revival set the pace before grudgingly giving way and settling for second in the seven-furlong Concern Stakes July 7 at Laurel, where he debuted last June before running behind Barry Lee in his second career start. He didn’t run again until breaking his maiden last December at Laurel.
Old Time Revival, trained by Ken Decker, is winless in eight starts this year with three seconds, two of them coming in the Feb. 17 Miracle Wood at Laurel and March 3 Gotham (G3) at Aqueduct. He returned to sprinting after finishing eighth in the 1 1/8-mile Wood Memorial (G2), and was third against older horses in a six-furlong allowance April 27 at Laurel. Rosario Montanez will ride from Post 4 at 15-1.
Also in the field are 8-5 program favorite Engage, second to Laurel-based Still Having Fun in the Woody Stephens (G2) June 9; Promises Fulfilled, winner of February’s Fountain of Youth (G2) at Gulfstream Park and third in the Woody Stephens; Swale (G3) winner and Fountain of Youth runner-up Strike Power; stakes winner World of Trouble, fourth as the favorite in the Woody Stephens; and Grade 3-placed Soutache, a multiple juvenile stakes winner at Gulfstream.
Laurel Hosting PDJF Day Fundraiser, Crab Feast Saturday, July 28
Laurel Park will join racetracks from around the country in helping to raise money and awareness as part of the Permanently Disabled Jockeys Fund Day Across America Saturday, July 28.
PDJF hats and T-shirts will be available for a $15 donation. The fourth race, a $45,000 optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the Fort Marcy turf course, has been named for the PDJF.
Following the race, officials from the Maryland Jockey Club and the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association will each present a check for $1,000 to the PDJF.
Also after the fourth, members of Laurel’s jockey colony will race approximately 50 yards over the main track on inflatable rody ponies. Fans who make a minimum $5 pre-race donation on the winning jockey will be entered into a drawing with a chance to win an Apple watch, a Sonos home sound system and a $100 MJC dining gift card.
The PDJF is a 501(c)(3) public charity providing financial assistance to 60 former jockeys who have suffered catastrophic on-track injuries. Since its founding in 2006, the fund has disbursed over $9 million to permanently disabled jockeys, most of whom have sustained paralysis or brain injuries.
Saturday will also mark the return of Laurel’s annual Crab Feast from 1-5 p.m. on the grandstand apron with a DJ and various food and drink options.
Tickets for the feast, sponsored by Jailbreak Brewing Company, are $71 per person. To purchase tickets, call 877-206-8042 or visit www.laurelpark.com/events/2018-07-28/crab-feast
The 11-race live program begins at 1:10 p.m. Saturday and features the 36th running of the $75,000 Twixt Stakes in Race 5.
Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Friday Program
There will be carryovers in both the 20-cent Rainbow 6 and $1 Super Hi-5 for Friday’s nine-race program that begins at 1:10 p.m.
No single bettor solved the Rainbow 6 on Thursday, growing the jackpot carryover to $16,923.27 for Friday’s sequence which spans Races 5-9. Multiple tickets with all six winners were worth $2,088.
Friday’s opener, a maiden claiming event for 3-year-olds and up scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the Kelso turf course, will offer a carryover of $1,293.46.
Notes: Apprentice rider Wes Hamilton enjoyed a three-win day Thursday aboard Glory Hound ($4.40) in the fourth race, Stormy Sue ($15.80) in the seventh and Quickhatch ($18.80) in the ninth. Sing Praises ($5.40) in the sixth gave jockey Angel Serpa his first win from 13 mounts since returning June 29 from a six-month absence due to injury. He last won on Brancato Dec. 16, 2017 at Laurel.
