Greatbullsoffire Puts Streak on Line in $75,000 Laurel Futurity
Greatbullsoffire Puts Streak on Line in $75,000 Laurel Futurity
Connections Hoping to ‘Fly’ Again in $75,000 Selima
Field of Nine to Gather for $75,000 Shine Again
LAUREL, MD – Kathleen Willier’s stakes winner Greatbullsoffire, unbeaten through his first two starts, will likely be favored to keep his perfect record intact in Saturday’s $75,000 Laurel Futurity at Laurel Park.
The 90th running of the Laurel Futurity for 2-year-olds going 5 ½ furlongs on the Fort Marcy Turf Course, is one of six stakes worth $575,000 on the 11-race Turf Festival program that includes the $75,000 Selima for 2-year-old fillies and the $75,000 Shine Again for females 3 and up at seven furlongs on the main track.
A graded event from 1973 to 2004 won by such stars as Citation, Riva Ridge, Secretariat, Affirmed, Spectacular Bid, Tapit and Barbaro, the Futurity has been run on the grass since 2005.
Unraced at two, Greatbullsoffire broke his maiden by a neck in front-running fashion July 17 at Laurel going 5 ½ furlongs on the turf, then came from a stalking spot to win the Strike Your Colors Stakes Aug. 4 at Delaware Park by 2 ½ lengths, run at the same distance on dirt.
Bred in Maryland by Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds, he is a son of Bullsbay, whose graded stakes wins include the 2009 Whitney (G1) at Saratoga for trainer Graham Motion.
“His first start was carded on the dirt but it didn’t fill so they wrote an extra on the grass and I brought him back in there and he won that particular race. I brought him up to the stake at Delaware Park and he won that pretty easy. This will be a pretty good chance to see what he's made of,” trainer Hamilton Smith said. “I’m hopeful he can carry himself a little further. Being by that stud, he should. Some of his horses can go a route of ground and I had a filly by him that won a stakes going long. He’s been good so far.”
Greatbullsoffire has had two works since his stakes win and figures to be forwardly placed again under jockey Jevian Toledo from post 7 in a field of eight at 120 pounds.
“The first time he ran he broke awfully sharp and got out there his own way. The second time he was just right off the lead and almost on the lead and when the kid asked him to finish up he went on about his business,” Smith said. “The race at Delaware wasn’t a tough race but he’ll get tested here pretty good I think. We’ll find out what we’ve got then.”
Among the challengers is M M G Stables’ Undulated, a gutsy winner of his lone start Aug. 7 at Laurel where he overcame traffic early and late and split horses near the wire to prevail by a half-length.
“We didn’t think he’d have that much trouble but he overcame quite a bit there and showed he’s game,” trainer Cal Lynch said. “He came out of it well. I know that Greatbullsoffire won the stake at Delaware and he’ll be tough. He’s trained well and run well. He’s got some experience on us.”
Undulated will carry jockey Trevor McCarthy and 120 pounds from post 6.
Caribou Club; El Gato Felix B; recent eight-length Delaware maiden winner Galaxy Express; Hembree, a neck winner of his debut Aug. 24 at Saratoga; Lime House Louie and filly White Tights are also entered.
Connections Hoping to ‘Fly’ Again in $75,000 Selima
A professional winner of her debut last month, juvenile filly Fly will look for similar results when she takes on stakes company for the first time in Saturday’s $75,000 Selima on the All Along Turf Course.
Trained by Phil Schoenthal for a partnership that paid $80,000 as a yearling for the daughter of Brilliant Speed out of the Storm Cat mare Desert Stormer – all Grade 1 winners – Fly captured her unveiling by a half-length Aug. 5 over the same course and distance as the Selima.
“She came out of the race great. We were over the moon because we paid $80,000 for her, which is the most we’ve ever spent on a yearling,” he said. “Of course when you pay that much money for the horse you’re going to have some expectations for them; at least you have the hope. To see her put it all together first time out and run professional and fast and look like a good horse doing it was extremely exciting for us.”
Fly drew the rail in a 10-horse field for her career opener but was able to secure a stalking spot under Jevian Toledo before shifting outside for the stretch drive. She has worked twice over Laurel’s turf since the win including a bullet five-furlong move Aug. 24.
Fly will break from post 8 of nine under Jevian Toledo at 119 pounds.
“She came out of the race great and has been breezing great,” Schoenthal said. “We’re excited to see her run.”
Schoenthal also entered Everest Stables, Inc.’s Brassy Lassie, a front-running maiden winner in her second career start Aug. 20 at Laurel. The Selima would be her first start beyond five furlongs and first try on turf. Forest Boyce is named to ride from post 2 at 119 pounds.
“She was very professional her second time out. She bled a little bit in that first race and didn’t run her race. We gave her some time off on the farm to let her lungs heal, brought her back and gave her an easy half-mile and put her in and she broke to the front and ran like we expected her to run the first time,” he said. “She certainly has room to improve off of that race and she’s going to have to improve to be competitive I think.”
Rounding out the field are Colts Neck Stables homebred Balayage, a front-running Parx maiden winner Aug. 8; Happy Mesa, who broke her maiden going 5 ½ furlongs on dirt Aug 14 at Laurel for trainer Hamilton Smith; Harland’s Thunder, third in the Schuylerville (G3) July 22 at Saratoga; White Tights, cross-entered in the $75,000 Laurel Futurity; Consulting, She’s Jiggy and Zero Zee, a Saratoga maiden winner Aug. 12.
Field of Nine to Gather for $75,000 Shine Again
Fox Hill Farms’ Southern Girl, a winner of three of four lifetime starts including her only try at Laurel, steps up into stakes company to lead a field of nine in the $75,000 Shine Again.
Trained by Larry Jones, Southern Girl returned from a nine-month absence between races to capture a first-level allowance going six furlongs by three lengths over her elders July 24 at Laurel.
The 3-year-old Tapit filly returned to beat older horses again in a third-level allowance Aug. 17 at Delaware. She will have the services of jockey Trevor McCarthy from post 6 at 114 pounds, getting four pounds from each of her rivals.
Boheme de Lavi, Camille Claudel, Curlish Figure, Four Inch Heels, La Madrina, Likeusasafriend, Settle ‘n Speight and Theophilia are also entered.
