4YO Ghostzapper Filly Stretches Out for Second Career Stakes Win
Taco Supream Topples Cautious Giant in $55,000 Johnny Unitas Sprint
Triple Carryovers for Return of Live Racing Thursday, Feb. 21

LAUREL, MD – Mens Grille Racing’s Enchanted Ghost, headed at the top of the stretch by Indy’s Lady, scared up a rally along the inside and edged clear through the lane to spring a half-length upset of the $100,000 Maryland Racing Media Stakes on a special Presidents Day holiday program Monday at Laurel Park.

Trained by Hamilton Smith and ridden by Jevian Toledo for his third victory of the afternoon, Enchanted Ghost ($15.60) ran about 1 1/16 miles in 1:44.84 over a muddy and sealed main track for her fourth career win and first since the Maryland-bred 4-year-old daughter of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper captured the Wide Country Stakes last February at Laurel.

Toledo, Maryland’s leading rider in 2015 and 2017, was aboard Enchanted Ghost for the first time in her 13th career start. Breaking from Post 2, they were able to set comfortable fractions of 24.80 seconds for the opening quarter-mile and 49.19 for the half, pressed to her outside by Indy’s Lady, a two-time New York-bred stakes winner as a 2-year-old, as Saint Main Event saved ground along the rail and 6-5 favorite Timeless Curls raced in the clear three wide.

Saint Main Event dropped back as Indy’s Lady moved up alongside Enchanted Ghost and Timeless Curls began to launch her bid around the turn, going six furlongs in 1:13.72. Indy’s Lady and jockey Angel Suarez forged a short lead as the top two straightened for home, but Enchanted Ghost found another gear under Toledo’s urging and was able to turn back the challenge.

“Hammy told me, ‘Try to go to the lead,’ and that’s what I did. When I asked her in the stretch, she gave me everything she had,” Toledo said. “He passed me by a head, but as soon as she saw it she was coming back. She didn’t want to let him go by again.”

It was the second win in as many tries over an off track for Enchanted Ghost, the other coming in the Wide Country, which was followed by an eight-month break between races. She was winless in five starts since, the most recent coming in a third-level optional claimer going 5 ½ furlongs Jan. 10 at Laurel.

“She handled it pretty good,” Toledo said. “She relaxed really nice on the lead, she put her ears up and I felt like I had a ton of horse. When I asked her in the stretch, she just kept going and kept going.”

Indy’s Lady was a clear second, 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Nellie Morse Stakes winner Timeless Curls, who had a four-race win streak snapped. They were followed by Thirty Eight Go Go Stakes winner Isotope, Blue Union Rags, Sweet Maggie Mae, Mzima Springs and Saint Main Event.

Founded in 1937, the Maryland Racing Media Association is the oldest state-level racing media organization in the country. It created and maintains a valuable scholarship program aiding members of the racing industry and furthering their educations, and was co-founder of the Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Fame.

Taco Supream Topples Cautious Giant in $55,000 Johnny Unitas Sprint

Pressing long shot pacesetter Tale of E Dubai from the outset, Big Bertha Stable’s Taco Supream ($8) emerged from a tight pack with the lead at the top of the stretch and held off late bids from Two Putt and multiple stakes-winning favorite Cautious Giant to win the six-furlong Johnny Unitas Sprint Starter Handicap.

The Unitas Sprint was the last of four $55,000 starter handicaps for older horses, two at six furlongs and two at 1 1/8 miles, that supported the Maryland Racing Media Stakes on the nine-race program. Ridden by Horacio Karamanos for trainer Damon Dilodovico, Taco Supream covered the distance in 1:10.73.

Caonabo Stable’s Whirlin Curlin, a multiple stakes winner at 2, posted a $31.20 upset of the Ray Lewis Starter Handicap, hitting the wire in 1:52.38 for his fifth career victory and first since being claimed for $12,500 three starts back by trainer Rodolfo Sanchez-Solomon.

Robert D. Bone’s Miss Jak ($5.60), beaten in back-to-back starts after winning three in a row for leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez, got back on track with a 1 ¼-length triumph under Victor Carrasco in the My Sweetheart Sprint. The winning time was 1:10.37.

Steven Walfish’s Sarah’s Treasure ($12), a 6-year-old Eskendereya mare trained by Robin Graham was a front-running winner of the My Lady Love, coasting to the wire  6 ½ lengths in front in a time of 1:52.75 for her third victory in four races.

Notes: Jockey Angel Cruz posted a riding triple, winning aboard Grecian Prince ($6.40) in Race 1, Whirlin Curlin ($31.20) in Race 6 and We Made It ($11.80) in Race 9. Whirlin Curlin and We Made It are trained by Rodolfo Sanchez-Solomon.

There will be carryovers in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 ($8,312.13), 50-cent Late Pick 5 ($6,281.67) and $1 Super Hi-5 ($1,135.83) when live racing returns to Laurel Park with an eight-race program Thursday, Feb. 21 that begins at 12:30 p.m. On Monday, tickets with four of six winners in the Rainbow 6 returned $48.84, while tickets with four of five winners in the Late Pick 5 were worth $418.75.