Four-Time Maryland Champion Named in Two of Three Stakes
Studlydoright Returns to Saratoga for Saturday’s G3 Sanford
Jeiron Barbosa Rides Five Winners on Friday’s Program

LAUREL, MD – Journeyman Jevian Toledo, Maryland’s four-time annual wins leader that has been out of action since April 21 recovering from a collarbone injury, received medical clearance Friday and will make his long-awaited return to riding Sunday at Laurel Park.

Toledo, 29, is named in two of the three stakes worth $250,000 in purses on Sunday’s nine-race program – the $75,000 Ben’s Cat aboard defending champion Witty and $75,000 Jameela on Bay Street. Both scheduled six-furlong turf sprints are for Maryland-bred/sired horses.

A Puerto Rico native, Toledo had initially been named to ride Donald Reuwer Jr.’s Big Wanda for trainer Katy Voss in Race 2 Saturday, a claiming sprint for maiden fillies and mares ages 3, 4 and 5, when entries came out last weekend. The 3-year-old Maryland-bred is now being ridden by Jeiron Barbosa.

Sunday will mark the first races for Toledo since being hurt in a spill at Laurel Park when he was unseated after his mount, Jackie A, tripped over fellow rider J.G. Torrealba and Bourbon and Ice, who stumbled and fell while in tight quarters at the top of the stretch.

The riders were taken to University of Maryland Capital Region Medical Center. Then a five-pound apprentice, Torrealba was released and returned the next racing day, finishing as the spring meet’s leading jockey. Toledo, tied for second in the standings at the time of the spill, was subsequently sent to R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore.

Since his collarbone was dislocated on the inside rather than outside, Toledo underwent a minor surgery to repair the issue. A month later he was having physical therapy two times a week and began swimming before getting back on horses. Toledo got the official green light to return during a doctor’s appointment Friday.

“Everything is good. I’m feeling great,” Toledo said. “I got X-rayed today and the X-ray was perfect. I’m going to ride Sunday and hopefully everything goes well.”

Represented by agent Marty Leonard, Toledo patiently followed his medical advice and is gradually getting himself back into the swing of things, starting in the mornings.

“They didn’t want me to fall, so I started swimming and getting fitter. I was getting on the Equicizer and getting on a couple horses in the morning at a farm and was feeling good,” Toledo said. “I’m going to work a couple horses tomorrow at Fair Hill and then Sunday morning work a few at Laurel, as well.”

Toledo, who turns 30 Aug. 20, led all Maryland riders in wins at Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course in 2015, 2017, 2021 and 2022. The 10-time meet champion rode 130 winners in the state last year, finishing third behind Jaime Rodriguez (166) and Barbosa (137), and earned a career-high $8.19 million in purses overall.

Greycross Stable homebred Bay Street is stakes-placed on dirt, having run third in Laurel’s March 16 Conniver under Toledo. The 4-year-old daughter of Mosler trained by Voss made her first three starts on the grass, graduating with Toledo aboard in a one-mile waiver maiden claimer last fall at Laurel.

Toledo has ridden Qatar Racing, Marc Detampel and Elizabeth Merryman’s Witty, a Grade 2-placed six-time stakes winner, five times with four wins and one second. Three of those victories have come in stakes – the 2023 Ben’s Cat and Maryland Million Turf Sprint and April 20 King T. Leatherbury.

“He’s a really nice horse. Hopefully everything goes well,” Toledo said. “I’m excited.”

So, too, is Merryman, who bred and trains the half-brother to retired multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire mare Caravel. They drew the outermost post in an overflow field of 12 that includes main-track-only entrant Arden’sluckytobe and Witty’s sibling and stablemate, Mission Man.

“It’s great. Nobody knows Witty like him. Whenever he’d run I’d say, ‘I wish the rider had had a ride on him and knew him better,’” Merryman said. “It’s very exciting to have Jevian back in action. I’m very happy for him that he’s healed and ready for a return to the races.”

One shy of his 1,600th career win, Toledo has banked more than $55 million in purse earnings and owns four graded-stakes victories including his first Grade 1 in the 2023 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct for Laurel-based trainer Brittany Russell.

Studlydoright Returns to Saratoga for Saturday’s G3 Sanford

David Hughes’ undefeated 2-year-old colt Studlydoright, based at Laurel Park with trainer John ‘Jerry’ Robb, will go after a second straight stakes victory in Saturday’s $175,000 Sanford (G3) at Saratoga.

Bred in Bel Air, Md. by Glenangus Farm, Studlydoright returns to the site of his impressive 13-1 upset victory in the 5 ½-furlong Tremont June 6, when he overcame both a rail draw and a stumbled start and trailed by as many as 11 lengths before rallying for a 1 ¾-length score.

“He overcame a lot last time,” Robb said. “I’m looking forward to seeing how he runs against these horses.”

A son and grandson of champions Nyquist and Curlin, respectively, Studlydoright fetched $110,0000 during Fasig-Tipton’s Midlantic fall yearling sale at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium last fall. He debuted May 5 at Laurel, again coming from far back to win by 1 ½ lengths in a 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight.

“Definitely, the longer the better. The way he’s been running, he has no speed and has been coming late,” Robb said. “He ran the last sixteenth in 5.39 [seconds] last week.”

Studlydoright has breezed twice at Laurel since the Tremont, five-furlong moves in 1:03.20 June 22 and 1:01 July 6, the latter ranking fourth of 14 horses. Stable rider Xavier Perez has the call in the Sanford from Post 6 in a field of eight.

At 7-2, Studlydoright is rated second on the morning line behind 6-5 favorite Mentee, a determined front-running nose winner of his lone start, a five-furlong maiden special weight June 15 at Aqueduct for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

“The race came up a little tougher than the last one, which we thought it would,” Robb said. “That horse, Mentee, they don’t come any faster than him. I just hope he can’t go that far.”

Sitting at 2,291 career wins entering the weekend, Robb owns nine graded-stakes victories, five of them between 1987 and 1989 with Maryland Thoroughbred Hall of Famer Little Bold John. Robb’s most recent came courtesy of Debt Ceiling in the 2013 Bashford Manor (G3).

Jeiron Barbosa Rides Five Winners on Friday’s Program

Jockey Jeiron Barbosa thrust himself into the race for leading rider at Laurel Park’s summer meet with a five-win performance Friday.

A 21-year-old native of Puerto Rico, Barbosa began his big day with back-to-back winners in Race 4 aboard Bourbon Wildcat ($11.20) and Race 5 with Bermuda Run ($15.80).

Barbosa capped the nine-race card with a natural hat trick that included a sweep of the day’s co-featured allowances with Odinson ($13.40) in Race 7 and Freeze the Fire ($6.80) in Race 8 before a come-from-behind triumph on Daily Planet ($10.40) in the finale.

“I’m very excited because I work hard every day to have this happen,” Barbosa said. “I have to thank my agent and all the connections involved. I’m very happy today.”

Represented by Tom Stift, Barbosa jumped to second in the summer meet standings with 14 wins, six behind Jaime Rodriguez, who won Race 5 Friday with This Is Good ($5.40). Barbosa is named in seven races Saturday and four races Sunday at Laurel.

Of his Friday quintet, Barbosa was particularly pleased with the effort of Aspire Equine’s 4-year-old Maryland-bred gelding Odinson, a gate-to-wire winner of the open 5 ½-furlong allowance for 3-year-olds and up originally scheduled for the grass and moved to the main track.

Odinson, trained by Madison Meyers, had only raced once previously on dirt, finishing a head behind stakes-winning runner-up Take a Hint in an open allowance against older horses last November at Laurel.

“I thought I had a [big] shot because when he ran on the dirt the first time he finished third to Take a Hint and Take a Hint is a good horse,” Barbosa said. “I’m very excited for every opportunity.”

Barbosa was an Eclipse Award finalist for champion apprentice jockey of 2022, when he won titles at Laurel’s spring and fall meets as well as historic Pimlico Race Course’s boutique fall stand, defending his Pimlico fall crown in 2023 when he ranked second overall in wins in Maryland with 137, trailing only Rodriguez (166).

Laurel’s single-day record for wins is seven, shared by Rodriguez (March 17, 2023), Horacio Karamanos (Oct. 26, 2022) and Chuck Baltazar (Dec. 15, 1969). Bill Hartack, Kent Desormeaux and Mario Pino have all registered six-win days.

Notes: There will be a carryover of $1,434.13 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 4-9) for Saturday’s nine-race card that begins at 12:25 p.m. Tickets with five six winners in Friday’s sequence each returned $965.12.