Candidate Graduates Sunday with Gate-to-Wire Maiden Victory
Post Time Moves to 12:15 P.M. Starting with Thursday’s Live Card

LAUREL, MD – Journeymen Victor Carrasco and Kevin Gomez will each miss time following a spill in the first race on Friday’s Maryland Million eve program at Laurel Park.

Carrasco, 30, suffered a dislocated thumb according to his agent, Scotty Silver. He was hurt when his horse, 3-year-old colt Hooky Player, fell approaching the wire while rallying into second in the 1 1/8-mile turf claimer.

“He got very lucky. It was nothing tragic. We don’t have a timetable yet or anything like that,” Silver said. “We’ll know more on Tuesday when he goes to the specialist.”

A winner of nearly 1,200 career races who was voted the 2013 Eclipse Award as champion apprentice, Carrasco was named in seven of the eight stakes and four starter stakes that comprised Saturday’s 37th Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program.

One of his mounts, R. Larry Johnson and RDM Racing Stable’s Sky’s Not Falling, captured the $100,000 Turf Sprint with jockey Paco Lopez aboard. Carrasco is the fifth-leading rider with 61 wins in Maryland this year.

“He’s as good as he can be. It’s tough to get hurt the day before Maryland Million Day,” Silver said. “It’s not catastrophic but he’ll be out for a little bit. We’ll see.”

Agent Frank Douglas said the 28-year-old Gomez was injured after being unseated when his horse, 4-year-old gelding Casamo, tripped over the fallen Hooky Player.

“He fractured his collarbone, so they’re talking about six to eight weeks,” Douglas said.

Gomez, a finalist for the 2016 Eclipse Award as champion apprentice, and Carrasco were at Laurel Park for Maryland Million Day. Gomez was replaced on his eight mounts including NRS Stable, James Chambers and Avalon Farm’s Coconut Cake, winner of the $125,000 Ladies under Sheldon Russell.

After the race, Russell pledged to give 50 percent of his share of the winner’s $68,750 purse to Gomez.

“He’s good. He’s very positive,” Douglas said of Gomez. “He was walking around and he brought some family with him. He had a good time. He goes to the doctor next week and we’ll see what happens.”

Candidate Graduates Sunday with Gate-to-Wire Maiden Victory

Mark Grier’s Candidate, a $150,000 2-year-old son of 2016 Preakness Stakes (G1) and Haskell (G1) winner Exaggerator, put away Here’s Liam at the top of the stretch and drew clear for a front-running 2 ¼-length maiden special weight victory in Sunday’s opener at Laurel Park.

Ridden by Jorge Ruiz, who won the Nursery with Johnyz From Albany and Distaff Starter Handicap with Mavilus and was second aboard Vance Scholars in the $150,000 Classic on Saturday’s 37th Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program, Candidate ($16) ran 1 1/16 miles in 1:46.54 over a firm All Along turf course.

It was the second start for Candidate, out of the Pure Prize mare Navy Ribbon, following an off-the-board finish after setting the pace in an Oct. 2 maiden special weight at Laurel that was rained off the turf and run at 1 1/8 miles over a sloppy track, also with Ruiz up.

Sunday’s race saw Candidate break sharply from Post 7 in a field of 10 and lead it through a quarter-mile in 24.47 seconds pressed by Here’s Liam. Jockey Denis Araujo and Here’s Liam moved up alongside Candidate after the half went in 51.87 and they were still on even terms turning for home until Candidate kicked in and sprinted clear as Prowling Tiger and 2-1 favorite Harbor Moon came on late to pass a tiring Here’s Liam.

Based at Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md., Candidate fetched $20,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s fall yearling sale last October before being sold for six figures during its Midlantic 2-year-olds in training sale in May at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

Ruiz and trainer Arnaud Delacour teamed up again to win Sunday’s seventh race, an entry-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles on the Dahlia turf course, with Rhianon Farms, Inc.’s Barberini ($8.60).

Sunday’s feature came in Race 9, an open 5 ½-furlong turf sprint featuring five stakes winners in the field of eight. R. Larry Johnson’s Can’t Buy Love ($10.60), ridden by Horacio Karamanos, reeled in pacesetting Dontletsweetfoolya inside the sixteenth pole and held off fellow stakes-winning Mike Trombetta-trained stablemate Spun Glass for her fifth career win and first since April 22.

The 4-year-old daughter of Twirling Candy rated in fourth as Dontletsweetfoolya, a multiple stakes winner on dirt, rolled through a quarter-mile in 23.07 seconds and a half in 45.60 chased by Whiskey and Rye. The top two remained engaged into mid-stretch when Can’t Buy Love came rolling three wide with Spun Glass on her outside, and was determined to the wire.

Can’t Buy Love earned her lone stakes win in the 2021 Star Shoot over the all-weather surface at Woodbine. She has placed in three other stakes, including back-to-back thirds in the Sept. 24 Sensible Lady at Laurel and Oct. 16 Floral Park at Aqueduct in her two prior starts.

Notes: Starting with Thursday’s nine-race card, post time moves from 12:40 p.m. to 12:15 p.m. for the duration of the calendar-year ending fall meet … Laurel will offer live Monday racing Nov. 7, 14 and 21 … Jockey Horacio Karamanos registered a hat trick Sunday with Consultant ($11.20) in Race 3, Patriotic Party ($19) in Race 6 and Can’t Buy Love ($10.60) in Race 9 … Jockey Johan Rosado doubled aboard David Bernsen’s Watch Your Tone ($8.60) in Race 4 and R. Larry Johnson homebred Hollywood Walk ($16.80) in Race 5, a third-level optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting 5 ½ furlongs on the All Along turf course. The winning time was 1:03.13 … Both Can’t Buy Love and Hollywood Walk are trained by Mike Trombetta.