Ghost Bay Goes Last to First in Laurel Feature Sunday
Ghost Bay Goes Last to First in Laurel Feature Sunday
Juvenile Fillies Nauti Buoy, Madame X. Impress in Maiden Wins
Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Return of Live Racing Friday
LAUREL, MD – Marshall E Dowell’s Ghost Bay, winless in four starts since his 5-year-old debut in January, closed stoutly on the far outside to wrest the lead from even-money favorite Conquest See Ya in mid-stretch and capture Sunday’s featured eighth race at Laurel Park.
Ghost Bay ($11.40), a son of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper ridden by Jevian Toledo for trainer Robbie Bailes, won the $45,000 second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up by a half-length in 1:42.17 for 1 1/16 miles over a firm All Along Turf Course.
Bred in Maryland by Howard Bender, Ghost Bay, a former Maryland juvenile champion, raced last in the field of five for a half mile as Conquest See Ya led through fractions of 24.08 seconds and 48.65 pressed all the way by Daniel Le Deux.
Toledo, aboard for the last start where Ghost Bay ran seventh by 1 ¼ lengths in a similar spot June 11, swung the dark bay or brown gelding five wide approaching the stretch and gained steadily on the leaders. Conquest See Ya gave fight on the inside but was second-best, a length in front of Daniel Le Deux.
“I really liked him,” Bailes said. “We had a lot of trouble in the last race. It wasn’t Toledo’s fault, it was just bad racing luck. I just really loved him today and he performed.”
Juvenile Fillies Nauti Buoy, Madame X. Impress in Maiden Wins
Kerri Szegi’s homebred Nauti Buoy was a determined winner of his career debut in Sunday’s fourth race, moving up from a stalking position to put steady pressure on Da Da Da Dude through the stretch and surging past the pacesetting favorite near the wire to get up by a neck in the $40,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds.
Sent off at 29-1 in a field of nine, Nauti Buoy ($61.20) ran 5 ½ furlongs over the Dahlia Turf Course in 1:03.07. Da Da Da Dude, fourth in his June 17 unveiling for owner-breeder Sagamore Farm, was 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Street Copper in third.
“We were high on him. He’s done everything right all along,” winning trainer Erin McClellan said. “I’ve trained other babies for [Szegi] and they’re always top notch and come to me with tons of class. He really trained spectacularly. We kind of kept him under wraps most mornings which is why he kind of surprised the betting public today, but we thought we had it in him. We were pretty sure.”
His performance may have earned Nauti Buoy, a gelded son of multiple graded stakes winner Mizzen Mast, an upcoming date with stakes company, McClellan said.
“We’ll have to quiet down from this one and decide. I’ll talk to Kerri,” she said. “We certainly think he has the ability to win stakes races as a 2-year-old so we’ll see how he comes out of it and think about it and try to make a good next choice.”
Quest Realty’s Madame X. ($26.80) had no anxious moments in her debut to open Sunday’s card, going gate to wire to romp by 9 ¼ lengths in 1:03.97 over the All Along layout. The daughter of Exchange Rate, trained by Susan Cooney, posted fractions of 22.91, 46.40 and 57.86 seconds and rolled down the lane under a hand ride from jockey Sheldon Russell. Encinitas, the heavy favorite, was never in contention and wound up sixth of seven.
Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Return of Live Racing Friday
Friday’s return of live racing will feature carryovers in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 and $1 Super Hi-5 wagers. Post time for the first of 10 races is 1:10 p.m.
Even-money favorite Via Frattina was the only horse live to take down the Rainbow 6 jackpot entering Sunday’s ninth-race finale but was caught near the wire by Chamberlin Road to grow the carryover to $3,679.21. Tickets with five of six winners returned $348.20.
The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out only when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 60 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 30 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.
Friday’s Rainbow 6 spans Races 5-10 and includes the card’s two features, a $45,000 second-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up in Race 7 and a $42,000 entry-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up, both going six furlongs on the main track.
There will be a Super Hi-5 carryover of $1,891.68 in the Super Hi-5 for Friday’s opener, a 1 1/16-mile claiming event over the Bowl Game Turf Course.
Notes: Jockeys Sheldon Russell and Jomar Torres each had a riding double Sunday. Russell won with Madame X. ($26.80) in the first race and Proud Maid Marian ($4.60) in the fifth, and Torres was first aboard Notable Game ($7.80) in the seventh and Chamberlin Road ($8.20) in the ninth.
