Live 10-Race Card Scheduled to Begin at 12:10 P.M.

LAUREL, MD – Live racing is scheduled to return to Laurel Park Thursday with first-time starters from trainers Brittany Russell, Michael Merryman, Jose Corrales and two from Dale Bennett squaring off in the featured maiden special weight.

Post time for the first of 10 races is 12:10 p.m.

NK Racing’s Knot Anymore, a $170,000 daughter of Goldencents, is entered to make her career debut for Russell in Race 3, breaking from Post 2 in the 5 ½-furlong sprint for fillies 3 and 4 years old. Knot Anymore, 4, has been training steadily for her debut at both Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course and is 2-1 on the morning line.

The 8-5 program favorite is Commonwealth New Era Racing’s Maggie’s Bid, a 4-year-old daughter of Quality Road that ran second three times in four starts last year for trainer Todd Beattie, the last three at Laurel. She last raced Nov. 11, beaten a nose facing older horses going six furlongs.

Merryman will send out the pair of debut runner Killy Start, by Upstart, from the rail and Determined Honor, making her first start since last February when she was trained by Merryman’s aunt, Katy Voss. Bennett counters with the duo of Haleigh B and Dixieland Dancer, who have been working at the Fair Hill Training Center for their unveiling. Breaking from the far outside is Hold Me Back’s daughter Micheleintheoffice, trained and co-owned by Corrales.

Friday’s 10-race card is highlighted by Race 7, a third-level optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs led by Corrales owned-and-trained Air Token, winner of the 2021 Maryland Million Sprint three starts back. Air Token ended the year running third by a neck in the Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial and fourth by 1 ¼ lengths in the Dave’s Friend, also at Laurel.

Also in the field are Borracho, third in the 2019 Woody Stephens (G1) making his second start since being purchased by Morris Kernan Jr. and trainer Jamie Ness last month; Whiskey and You, fourth in the Maryland Million Sprint and fifth in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3); Redeem Eddie, first or second in nine of 12 career starts; and 2020 Say Florida Sandy winner Arthur’s Hope, owner of 13 career victories.