Crabcakes Serves Notice for Maryland Million in Laurel Friday Feature; Saturday’s Fall Festival of Racing Features Seven Stakes Worth $900,000
Crabcakes Serves Notice for Maryland Million in Laurel Friday Feature; Saturday’s Fall Festival of Racing Features Seven Stakes Worth $900,000
Cordmaker Impressive Maiden Winner in Second Career Start
Mounts for Injured Jockey Carrasco Win Five Races Friday
Saturday’s Fall Festival of Racing Features Seven Stakes Worth $900,000
LAUREL, MD – Morgan’s Ford Farm’s multiple stakes winner Crabcakes tuned up for the 32nd Jim McKay Maryland Million Oct. 21 with a 5 ¾-length romp over her seven rivals in Friday’s featured 10th race at Laurel Park.
Bred in Maryland by the late Elizabeth ‘Binnie’ Houghton’s Buckingham Farm and trained by her nephew, Bernie Houghton, Crabcakes ($2.80) ran six furlongs in 1:09.63 over a fast main track.
It was the second straight win for the 3-year-old daughter of Great Notion following her emotional 1 ¼-length triumph in the Miss Disco Aug. 19 at Laurel, which came just 12 days after Binnie Houghton passed away from a respiratory illness.
“I was pretty impressed with her today, I have to admit. I thought she’d run good but that even impressed me,” Bernie Houghton said. “She broke good today where she doesn’t break very good out of the gate sometimes. But she was out of there and the whole time she was going good.”
Jockey Forest Boyce settled Crabcakes in the clear after breaking from the far outside post and tracked pacesetting Liz’s Cable Girl through a snappy opening quarter-mile in 22.11 seconds. Crabcakes moved up to challenge after going a half in 45.15, straightened for home with the lead and powered down the lane for her fifth win from nine career starts.
Swing and Sway finished second, with 40-1 long shot If I Was a Boy third.
“She came in good. She likes to have a little time between her races. I was concerned that maybe I didn’t give her enough time but I wanted to run here so she could have plenty of time for her next race,” Houghton said. “That was good. I just wanted a prep. I didn’t really want to have to work her if I could help it, and the timing of this race just came up perfect for the Maryland Million. That’s where we’re headed.”
Hillwood Stable’s Cordmaker ($6.20) emerged from a crowd at the top of the stretch, reeled in front-running Start With Yes and went on to a 1 ½-length victory in Friday’s eighth race, a $40,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds.
Favored at 2-1 in the field of eight, Cordmaker ran six furlongs on the main track in 1:11.63. Start With Yes finished second but was disqualified to fourth for interference on the far turn with Arrivederci, who was placed third.
It was the second start for Rodney Jenkins-trained Cordmaker, a gelded son of Hall of Famer Curlin selected and purchased for $150,000 by Hillwood’s Ellen Charles out of last fall’s Timonium yearling sale. He finished third as the favorite in his debut, a five-furlong sprint Aug. 19 at Laurel where he was beaten less than a length.
“I just had to run him first time, he was going out of his skin. And, you can’t rush him. He’s got that stride from here to there and he has to get going,” Jenkins said. “I knew he’d run good. He’s nice. He can run, and the longer the better. I’m very excited about him.”
Cordmaker, with Steve ‘Cowboy’ Hamilton up, was one of five horses originally set to be ridden by injured jockey Victor Carrasco that won Friday, a day after Carrasco broke his leg in two places in a five-horse spill at Delaware Park.
Other riders that won in place of Carrasco were Angel Cruz on Enduring Warrior ($6) in the second race, Kevin Gomez with Lucky in Malibu ($6) in the fourth, J.D. Acosta aboard Bronx Sandman ($9) in the fifth, and Alex Cintron on Kitty’s Right ($5.60) in the sixth.
Stuart Janney III homebred In the Lee, 4-5 top choice among nine fillies and mares 3 and up, stayed unbeaten on the turf with a 3 ½-length victory in the ninth race, a $42,000 entry-level allowance that served as one of two co-features.
Ridden by Forest Boyce for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, In the Lee ($3.80) ran 1 1/8 miles in 1:48.17 over a firm Fort Marcy Turf Course. It was just the third career start for the chestnut daughter of Tapit, who debuted with a neck victory June 30 and was beaten 8 ¼ lengths in an off-the-turf allowance Aug. 13, both at Laurel.
Keith Crupper and Team Gaudet’s Dynamic Asset ($15.80) ran six furlongs in 1:11.32 to improve to 2-0 with a 1 ¾-length triumph in Race 7, a $42,000 entry-level optional claiming allowance for 2-year-olds, while ZWP Stable and Non Stop Stable’s multiple stakes placed Lucky in Malibu snapped a three-race losing streak with a three-quarter length victory in Race 4, an entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up. The 3-year-old filly ran six furlongs in 1:10.65.
Saturday’s Fall Festival of Racing Features Seven Stakes Worth $900,000
Laurel Park serves up a 12-race Fall Festival of Racing program Saturday featuring seven stakes, six over its world-class turf course, worth $900,000 in purses highlighted by the 26th running of the $250,000 Xpressbet Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3).
The six-furlong De Francis for 3-year-olds and up is carded as the ninth race with a post time of 5:10 p.m. It is part of both the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 7-12) and 50-cent Late Pick 5 (Races 8-12), offering an industry-low 12 percent takeout.
Also on Saturday’s stakes-filled program are the $100,000 Selima (Race 3), $100,000 Fidelity First and Blackwell Real Estate Laurel Dash (Race 5), $150,000 All Along (Race 6), $100,000 Sensible Lady Turf Dash (Race 7), $100,000 Laurel Turf Cup (Race 8) and $100,000 Laurel Futurity (Race 10).
First race post time is 1:10 p.m.
Fans who purchase a live racing program will also have an opportunity to spin a prize wheel and win wagers, event tickets, Laurel Park swag bags and more. The wheel is located on the first floor clubhouse.
Notes: Jockeys Alex Cintron and Forest Boyce each had a riding double Friday. Cintron was first aboard Kitty’s Right ($5.60) in the sixth race and Dynamic Asset ($15.80) in the seventh, while Boyce won on In the Lee ($3.80) in the ninth and Crabcakes ($2.80) in the 10th. Trainer Gary Capuano saddled back-to-back winners with Lucky in Malibu ($6) in the fourth and Bronx Sandman ($9) in the fifth.
Rainbow 6 Carryover: $3,097.09
Super Hi-5 Carryover: $718.64
