LAUREL, MD. 02-15-12---Only twenty-six trainers in North American history have saddled 3,000 winners. Laurel Park-based Dale Capuano moved to within one victory of that plateau after Angels Concerto ($4.60) and apprentice jockey Kevin Navarro battled back to take the seventh race.

“I really didn’t think about where we were at until we got to be 20 away,” said Capuano, who won his initial race with Who’s Lucky at Bowie Race Track in 1981. “The final few haven’t been easy. I’d like to get it over with as soon as possible with everyone watching and wondering when it is going to happen.”

Capuano will have four chances to reach the milestone Thursday at Laurel Park with Truc’s Love (2-1, race 4), Irish Idol (6-1, race 6), Tartan Sky (5-1, race 8) and Maple Leaf Racer (7-2, race 9) scheduled to run.

The 49-year-old has 31 training titles at the major Maryland tracks on his resume and has been the leading conditioner in the state eight times since 1991. His best year was 2001, when he ranked fourth in North America with 235 wins with a career-best $4.4 million in earnings. He has won more than 100 races in a year 15 times.

Among those in the 3,000 win-club are Maryland mainstays King Leatherbury (3rd-6,335), Scott Lake (6th-5,149), Buddy Delp (12th-3,674) and Dick Dutrow (13th-3,665).