Completed Pass, Papal Law Capture Laurel Saturday Features
Live Racing Returns with Nine-Race Program Thursday, July 23

LAUREL, MD – Jockey Rosario Montanez, an Eclipse Award finalist as the top apprentice of 2011, is recovering from successful back surgery Saturday to repair what agent Joe Rocco Sr. said were several fractures following a spill in Friday’s first race at Laurel Park.

Montanez, a 28-year-old San Diego native, was unseated when his mount, 4-year-old filly Hendaya, clipped heels and fell leaving the backstretch of a 5 ½-furlong turf sprint for filly and mare claimers 3 and up. Jockey Angel Cruz, aboard Annie Boo Boo, jumped to avoid the fallen horse and rider before ultimately easing his horse, while Hendaya was able to get up and jog off the turf course.

Surgery was performed Saturday morning at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore. Rocco, a former jockey who won more than 3,700 races from 1979-2011, visited the hospital and was also getting updates from Montanez’s sister-in-law, Laurel-based apprentice rider Rebecca Grace LaBarre.

“She said the surgery went well,” Rocco said. “He’s out of surgery. They said he had like six broken bones in his back. They didn’t give me the specifics, but they said he also broke his neck somewhere but they think it will heal on its own. I feel so bad for the boy.”

A career winner of 609 races and more than $18.8 million in purse earnings since 2010, Montanez missed 20 months after suffering a concussion, fractured rib and pelvis, and head lacerations that required a plate to be surgically inserted in his face after a July 2014 spill at Saratoga, returning to the irons in March 2016.

Riding primarily in Maryland, Montanez had seven wins from 77 mounts in 2020. A multiple stakes-winning jockey, he was aboard Happy Lantern for Hall of Fame trainer King Leatherbury’s 6,500th career victory Sept. 22, 2018 at Laurel.

Rocco praised Montanez’s talent and work ethic, particularly during Maryland’s pause in live racing from mid-March to May 30 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

“I love him,” Rocco said. “I love him. I was a jockey for 40 years. He’s probably one of the most determined kids I ever met, and I was very determined. He worked every day during the virus. Every day. It’s unreal. I feel terrible.”

Completed Pass, Papal Law Capture Laurel Saturday Features

Robert D. Bone’s turf stakes winner Completed Pass, fifth behind some accomplished dirt sprinters earlier this month, made a successful return to the grass with a front-running 2 ½- length triumph in Saturday’s featured third race at Laurel Park.

Trained by summer meet leader Claudio Gonzalez and ridden by Angel Cruz, Completed Pass ($9.20) ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1:01.38 over a firm Bowl Game layout of Laurel’s world-class turf course in the third-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up.

It was the first win for the 6-year-old gelding Completed Pass since the Jim McKay Turf Sprint last May at Pimlico Race Course, which was sandwiched by a pair of neck losses when second in turf sprint stakes at Laurel and Penn National.

Most recently, Completed Pass was fifth behind Threes Over Deuces, Onemoregreattime, Taco Supream and Lewisfield, beaten just three lengths, in a third-level optional claiming allowance going six furlongs on the dirt July 4 at Laurel.

“He needed the last race,” assistant trainer Troy Singh said. Singh saddled Completed Pass for Gonzalez, who was in New Jersey with multiple stakes-winning 3-year-old Lebda for the Haskell (G1) at Monmouth Park.

“Coming into the last race he had worked and the work was a little slower than Claudio wanted, so he got something out of the last race. The biggest problem for him has always been getting out of the gate. I don’t know, he’s just got it in his head. Thank God today he broke good. As long as he breaks, he runs,” he added. “He’s very fast. He’s got natural speed. That’s his biggest deal with him. He needs to break.”

Completed Pass was away quickly from Post 4 and intent on the lead, going a quarter-mile in 24.07 seconds and a half in 47.05 flanked by fellow turf stakes winner Oldies But Goodies on his outside, tracked by Love You Much on the rail and Jammer in fourth. The top two maintained their positions after straightening for home when Completed Pass began to edge clear, drifting slightly in mid-stretch but drawing away. A claim of foul from jockey Julian Pimentel aboard Oldies But Goodies against the winner was disallowed.

Love You Much made a late run to get up for second, with 2-1 favorite Tricks to Doo rallying up the rail for third. They were followed by Oldies But Goodies, Clever Triad, Stroll Smokin, Jammer and Dontmesawithme.

“Claudio told me, ‘If you don’t break just sit patiently and make a run in the stretch,’ but everything went perfect for him,” Cruz said. “I had a perfect trip. He broke sharp today and I put him on the lead, and I had an easy lead. He’s a big horse and I felt like he just relaxed for me. At the top of the lane I asked him and he just kicked. When he’s in front, he’s a lion, man. Claudio had him ready today.”

In Saturday’s ninth race, Gama Racing Stable’s Papal Law ($7) put away Hard Fought after six furlongs and opened up through the stretch for a gate-to-wire triumph in the second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up.

The winning time was 1:46.37 for 1 1/8 miles over a firm Exceller turf course.

Jockey Katie Davis got Papal Law to relax on the lead through fractions of 23.38 and 47.34 seconds, chased by Hard Fought through three-quarters in 1:11.27. The 7-year-old gelding found his best stride after making the turn for home, pulling clear as Artemus Bridge and Mr. d’Angelo – racing for the first time since his upset victory in the Maryland Million Turf last October – passed Hard Fought in deep stretch.

“He was excellent. Coming out of the gate, everybody was sending and I was like, ‘C’mon, get out of the gate. Let’s get the lead,’” Davis said. “He took the lead very nicely and we just kind of went on cruise control. When I wanted him he was there and when I didn’t want him, he came back to me. He timed it perfectly for us. He’s a very smart, game horse and I’m proud of him.”

Trained by Robert Wolfe Jr. and saddled Saturday by his wife and assistant, Marcia, Papal Law gave way late after setting the pace and finished second by less than a length in a similar spot going one mile June 27 at Laurel, his first race since last September.

“He ran a great race today,” she said. “Katie rode it absolutely perfectly. She judged it and clocked it just right, and he finished up strong. I couldn’t be happier.”

Notes: Jockey Charlie Marquez, the 16-year-old apprentice who rides with a seven-pound weight allowance, won twice Saturday aboard Tenderness ($2.60) in Race 2 and Instinctive ($15.40) in Race 10 … The 20-cent Rainbow 6 was solved by one lucky bettor Saturday for a jackpot payout of $12,858.58. The winning combination was 12-6-10-4-4-8 … Live racing returns to Laurel with a nine-race program Thursday, July 23 to start a three-day schedule (Thursday-Saturday) through the end of the summer meet Saturday, Aug. 22.