Post Time 12:25 P.M. for Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Card

LAUREL, MD – Mopo Racing’s Jackie A faces seven rivals including stakes winners Jalen Journey, Shackled Love and Local Motive as he chases his sixth career win, fourth in five starts and second in a row in the Race 7 feature on Monday’s special Martin Luther King Jr. holiday program at Laurel Park.

Post time for the first of nine races is 12:25 p.m.

Jackie A will be making his 5-year-old debut in his first start for trainer Phillip Capuano, who took over the stable Jan. 1 following the retirement of his uncle, Dale Capuano. The Desert Party gelding rallied from far back to get up by a nose in a restricted seven-furlong allowance Dec. 18 at Laurel.

The winning time in that race was 1:24.34 over a fast main track. One race later stakes-winning stablemate Alwaysinahurry, also owned by Mopo Racing, captured an open allowance at the same distance in 1:24.83.

“Jackie A ran such a huge race last time out,” Capuano said. “Anybody that looks at his form can see he did run a faster time than Alwaysinahurry the same day they ran together. He’s been training good.”

With regular rider Carlos Lopez up, Jackie A will break from the rail in the open second-level optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up sprinting seven furlongs.

Jalen Journey was the promoted winner over Wondrwherecraigis of the 2021 Frank J. De Francis Memorial (G3) for Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen. He has won two of 14 subsequent starts including another stakes win via disqualification in last summer’s Chesapeake at Colonial Downs, the race after he was claimed for $50,000 by owner-trainer Norman ‘Lynn’ Cash.

ZWP Stable, Inc. and Non Stop Stable’s Shackled Love, trained by Capuano’s father Gary, is entered to make his first start in 17 months. The 5-year-old Shackleford gelding finished sixth in three consecutive stakes after winning the 2021 Private Terms, but won a restricted allowance over older horses in August 2021 at historic Pimlico Race Course in his most recent start.

Bird Mobberley’s Local Motive is seeking his first win since the Miracle Wood last February. The 4-year-old Divining Rod gelding drew outermost Post 8 under new rider Jaime Rodriguez. The narrow 3-1 program favorite is Euro Stable’s John the Bear, third or better in five of six starts including three wins since being claimed for $25,000 by trainer Claudio Gonzalez in November 2021.

Notes: Trainer Anthony Farrior sent out two winners Sunday, Miss Casey ($4.20) in Race 1 and My Flicker ($12) in Race 5 … Frank Sample’s Washington-bred Zabracadabra ($3.80) cruised to a popular front-running triumph, his second in a row, in Sunday’s Race 7 feature, winning the open allowance for 4-year-olds and up by 5 ¾ lengths over claimer-turned-multiple stakes winner Shake Em Loose, making his first start since last May. The winning time for about 1 1/16 miles was 1:45.42 over a fast main track … Built Wright Stables’ Treasure Trove ($11.20) powered through the stretch after rallying from last to win Race 3, a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up, by 8 ½ lengths in 1:53.65 for his 10th career victory … There will be a carryover of $595.22 in the $1 Super Hi-5 for Monday’s opener.