Preakness winner Smarty Jones a 2025 Hall of Fame inductee

LAUREL, MD – Haileysfirstnotion looks like a Maryland-bred sprinter to follow after winning his second consecutive start in Saturday’s featured ninth race at Laurel Park, a second-level allowance with a $40,000 claiming option at six furlongs.

Trained by Gary Capuano, Haileysfirstnotion ($3.20) went off at odds-on and ran like it. Despite breaking a beat slow under jockey Jean Briceno, Haileysfirstnotion soon ranged into contention, setting a three-ply pace between horses through an opening quarter in 22.79 seconds.

Haileysfirstnotion soon grabbed the lead and the rail, put away primary pace pursuers Squire Creek and Retained, and braced for a three-wide challenge from stakes-winner Play Harder, who returned from a 272-day layoff reinvigorated as a new gelding.

Play Harder confronted Haileysfirstnotion after a half-mile split in 46.56, tried his best, but couldn’t pass Haileysfirstnotion, who scooted clear to prevail by 5 ¼ lengths in 1:11.09 over a sealed track that was downgraded to sloppy midway through the afternoon.

Multiple stakes-winner Factor It In finished third, 1 ½ lengths behind Play Harder. Then came War Master, Don’t Wait Up, Squire Creek, Brother Conway, and Retained.

“He’s an amazing dude,” Capuano said in the winner’s circle. “He usually breaks better. I was worried that [Briceno] rushed him up, but once he got to running, he took hold of him. Once he turned for home, he switched leads. He just took off. He’s got a lot of talent. He’s a big, strong horse. Other than that one little blemish, he’s been tough.”

The poor effort that Capuano referenced came in last year’s restricted Star de Naskra Stakes, a race that Play Harder won by disqualification. Hailey’sfirstnotion entered that spot after two wins to begin his career, showed good early speed, but tired badly to finish seventh of eight.

Capuano gave the gelding the rest of the year off, and Haileysfirstnotion returned with a fitness-building third-place finish in a state-sired allowance at Laurel on Feb. 22. The following month, he speed-popped another state-sired allowance event, winning off by 6 ¼ lengths and receiving a career-best 89 Beyer Speed Figure.

A 4-year-old homebred owned by Daniel Crowley and Non Stop Stable, Haileysfirstnotion is by Great Notion, Maryland’s perennial leading sire. His second dam was a stakes-winning sprinter.

Haileysfirstnotion has won four of six races for earnings of $133,350. Capuano mentioned the various options for his charge’s summer and fall campaigns.

“We’re going through the progression right now,” Capuano said. “He’s pretty special. He’s Delaware-certified, so he has some options there. He’s Maryland-bred.”

Capuano said that a third-level allowance might be the next short-term goal.

“You got to crawl before you walk.”

*Preakness winner Smarty Jones a 2025 Hall of Fame inductee

Smarty Jones took his connections and legions of fans on a “Smarty Party” in 2004 as he became the first undefeated Kentucky Derby winner since Seattle Slew in 1977.

Two weeks after capturing the “Run for the Roses,” Smarty Jones dominated the Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course, scoring by a record 11 ½ lengths and earning a whopping 118 Beyer Speed Figure for trainer John Servis and jockey Stewart Elliott.

The Pennsylvania-bred son of Elusive Quality was a rock star, and he drew a record house of 120,139 as he attempted a Triple Crown sweep in the Belmont Stakes. Although Smarty Jones came up a length short in what turned out to be his final start, he earned the Eclipse Award as Champion 3-year-old Male.

Earlier this week, Smarty Jones received racing’s ultimate honor with induction into the National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame at Saratoga Springs, New York. He will be honored on August 1 at a ceremony at the Fasig-Tipton Sales Pavilion in Saratoga.

A homebred owned by Roy and Pat Chapman’s Someday Farm, Smarty Jones is a stallion at Equistar Training and Breeding in Pennsylvania.

*Around the track:

Jockey Forest Boyce won her first race after being hospitalized following a frightening incident on April 6 when a loose horse flipped on top of her before the first race. Boyce, who was airlifted to a local hospital that afternoon, was fortunate to escape serious injury. “She was really sore,” said jockey agent Jay Burtis. Boyce slipped up the inside aboard Tuck Check ($11.80) in the tenth race.…Mychel Sanchez rode three winners (Coringa - $10 – Race 5; Enduring Gold - $4.40 – Race 6; Sister Supream - $8.20 – Race 7) on the Saturday card… New King, a $700,000 yearling purchase by champion sire Into Mischief, breezed a half-mile in 50.20 seconds at Laurel Park on Saturday morning. New King finished second in the Frank Whiteley Stakes on April 12 in his first start for trainer Brittany Russell…At Fair Hill on Saturday, multiple Grade 2 winner Arzak breezed a half-mile in 49.60 seconds for trainer Michael Trombetta. Arzak finished seventh in his seasonal debut, Keeneland’s Grade 2 Shakertown, on April 8…Trombetta also exercised multiple stakes-winner Call Another Play with the 4-year-old filly completing a half-mile in a bullet 48.80 over the All Weather Training Track…Other Trombetta-trained stakes horses that worked this morning were Forever Souper (4F – 49 flat breezing over the All Weather), Sky’s Not Falling (5F – 1:02 flat breezing over the All Weather), Hollywood Walk (5F – bullet 1:02.40 breezing over the All Weather), and Crystal Quest (5F – 1:00.80 breezing over the All Weather)…Live racing resumes Sunday with a ten-race program. The first post is at 12:10 ET with two low-takeout (12%) “Value Pick 5” wagers…Watch and Wager on the Kentucky Derby with our “Kentucky Derby Day Party” at Laurel Park. Elevate your Derby Day experience with our exclusive buffet featuring Kentucky classics and Maryland favorites. A general ticket purchase includes general admission, access to the Terrace Dining area, complete buffet service, non-alcoholic beverages, and an official racing program. For ticket information and more details, click here.