Dirtyfoot Tops Competitive Field of Maidens Saturday at Laurel; G1 Winner Yellow Agate Returns in $75,000 Alma North
Dirtyfoot Tops Competitive Field of Maidens Saturday at Laurel; G1 Winner Yellow Agate Returns in $75,000 Alma North
G1 Winner Yellow Agate Returns in $75,000 Alma North
Karamanos Wins Twice to Move With One of 2,000 Career Victories
Carryovers in Rainbow 6, Late Pick 5, Super Hi-5
LAUREL, MD – Marshall E. Dowell’s Dirtyfoot, second to subsequent stakes winner He Hate Me in his race debut last month, returns as the program favorite in a competitive $40,000 maiden special weight as part of a 10-race program Saturday at Laurel Park.
Saturday’s feature is the $75,000 Alma North for 3-year-old fillies in Race 9, marking the season debut of Grade 1 winner Yellow Agate. First race post time is 1:10 p.m.
Dirtyfoot, a son of Tiz Wonderful, will break from the far outside in a field of nine 2-year-olds under jockey Kevin Gomez in the five-furlong event. He was a decisive second in his unveiling May 26 at historic Pimlico Race Course, 1 ¾ lengths behind He Hate Me, winner of the Tremont June 10 at Belmont Park.
“I think he’s doing really well. He came out of the race well,” trainer Robbie Bailes said. “We’re adding blinkers for Saturday and I think that’s going to move him a little farther forward. We really liked him a lot going into his first race. We just caught a really tough there. Hopefully we’ll have a little bit better luck on Saturday.”
Trainer Cal Lynch will send out a promising prospect in Narrow Leaf Farm’s Cheese On. The first-time starter by Scipion shows a string of sharp works at Laurel and drew Post 2 with jockey Sheldon Russell at morning-line odds of 6-1.
“The horse has been doing well, he’s done everything right. [The owner] came out and watched him breeze last week and we were pleased with him. Sheldon worked him and they worked a nice half and galloped out five-eighths in 1:01 so we’re expecting him to run well,” Lynch said. “[Dirtyfoot] ran against a nice horse in He Hate Me that won the Tremont last weekend. Obviously I would expect him to be the favorite [with] having a race under him, a good race at that, but we’re going to be competitive.”
Xtra Wiseman is the only other horse in the field to have raced previously, most recently fourth in a maiden claiming event May 13 at Pimlico for trainer John Salzman Jr.
Lynch also has a pair of first-time starters in Race 3, a $40,000 maiden special weight going five furlongs for juvenile fillies. He will send out David and Meg Wimer’s Anna Strong, by Uncle Mo, and Equine Prep’s Theodosia, who will break side-by-side from Post 4 and 5, respectively, in the field of nine.
Theodosia is by Exchange Rate, the same sire that produced multiple graded stakes winner El Areeb and a one-time leading Triple Crown candidate El Areeb, also trained by Lynch.
“We’re a little partial to Exchange Rate this year after El Areeb, but this filly has been doing everything really well. She’s been quick from the gate and a couple of her works have been eye-catching,” Lynch said. “Equine Prep sent her to me from Ocala and she came in really well along. We just put a last few works in and we’re hoping she runs to her training, she’ll be very competitive.”
Sing Dixie Charge, making her fourth career start, is the lukewarm 7-2 program favorite in the race from the rail post for trainer Michael Catalano Jr.
Saturday’s card will also offer a $7,272.71 jackpot carryover in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 5-10), 50-cent Late Pick 5 carryover of $3,476.79 (Races 6-10), and a $1 Super Hi-5 carryover of $290.50 in the opener.
Tickets with four of six winners in the Rainbow 6 returned $46.14, while tickets with four of five winners in the Late Pick 5 were worth $579.45.
Notes: Jockey Horacio Karamanos moved within one victory of 2,000 for his career with a pair of winners Friday – Publishanditerate ($3.80) in the fourth race and Top Prospect ($7) in the fifth. He is named in seven of 10 races Saturday including Follow No One in the Alma North.
Top Prospect’s victory came in 1:33.99 over a firm turf course, tying the one-mile track record over the Bowl Game layout set April 16, 2016 by Seeking Treasure.
