Stakes Winner Majestic Reason May Try Open Company Next Out
Wonderful Light, My Sistersledge Earn Friday Feature Victories
Rainbow 6 Carryover Reaches $16,313 for Saturday

LAUREL, MD – Alex G. Campbell Jr.’s homebred King of Egypt is likely headed to stakes company for his next start after the juvenile son of 2015 Triple Crown champion American Pharoah’s professional debut victory at Laurel Park.

A half-brother to Ultra Brat, a multiple graded-stakes winner on the grass also trained by Graham Motion, King of Egypt graduated with a 1 ¼-length triumph Thursday in 1:03.21 for 5 ½ furlongs over Laurel’s world-class turf course.

Motion said Friday at Saratoga Race Course that King of Egypt was feeling good the morning after his career-opening win, which came over a wide-open field of well-regarded juveniles.

“He seemed good this morning. I checked in this morning and they were happy with him,” Motion said. “I think he ran a big race. I thought it was a pretty competitive group and I’m excited about him. He’s a lovely type of horse, a really classy individual.”

Rather than look for a first-level allowance or similar spot, Motion hinted he’ll step King of Egypt up and look for more distance next time out.

“I’d be more inclined to kind of wait for a stake probably and stretch him out. I think that’s what he’s going to want to do,” Motion said. “Obviously, he was pretty quick the other day but I won’t be in a big hurry to run him back. It’s going to be more about the timing than anything. I’d like to give him three weeks, maybe four or five even, because I thought he ran hard yesterday.”

Motion was also pleased with Hillwood Stable and Richard Golden’s Maryland-bred stakes winner Majestic Warrior, who improved to 2-0 this year with an optional claiming allowance victory July 26 at Laurel.

Winner of the Miss Disco Stakes for state-bred 3-year-old fillies last summer at Laurel, Majestic Reason could make her next start in the $75,000 Timonium Distaff for Maryland-bred/sired females 3 and up going about 6 ½ furlongs Aug. 31 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds.

“She seems great. The logical spot is to go to Timonium for the Maryland-bred race unless we go for bigger fish in an open race,” Motion said. “Right now, I’d sort of lean toward the Maryland race, but we’ll see how it goes here in the next few weeks.”

Majestic Reason, by Majestic Warrior, was second in the All Brandy and third in the Safely Kept, the latter in November, to cap her sophomore campaign. She didn’t get started until winning an open allowance May 17 at Pimlico Race Course on the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) undercard.

“After that race she grabbed a quarter in training and it kind of set me back. It was nasty. She tore off a piece of her heel and that’s why it took me so long to get her back to another race,” Motion said. “I was really proud of her the other day. I thought it was a big effort. This filly has not done much wrong. She’s a pretty nice filly and I think she’s capable of running in open company. That’s going to be where the decision is going to have to be made.”

Wonderful Light, My Sistersledge Earn Friday Feature Victories

Jay Em Ess’ homebred Wonderful Light, racing for the second time at Laurel Park, kept his perfect local record intact with a 1 ¼-length victory over multiple stakes winner Colonel Sharp in Friday’s co-featured seventh race.

Ridden by Victor Carrasco for New York-based trainer Michelle Nevin, Wonderful Light ($4.80) ran six furlongs in 1:10.43 over a fast main track in the $47,000 third-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up. Multiple stakes winner Sonny Inspired finished third.

Carrasco kept Wonderful Light in the clear three wide as Struth, another multiple stakes winner in the field of five, led through fractions of 22.51 and 45.26 seconds. Wonderful Light ranged up on the leader midway on the turn, drew to even terms at the top of the stretch and edged past with plenty left to turn back Colonel Sharp.

“I called my brother-in-law, Manny Franco, before the race to ask him a little bit about the horse, since he won on the horse a few times,” Carrasco said. “I think I had a perfect trip. He broke out of there running, and that was my plan. I wanted to be as close as possible. I stayed like three wide, making sure nobody could come on my outside early, but as soon as we came to the quarter pole, when I asked him he just took off and got it done.”

John and Cheryl Banner’s My Sistersledge, back-to-back winner of the Maryland Million Ladies in 2017 and 2018, was awarded her first victory since last October’s title defense in Friday’s sixth race, a $47,000 third-level optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up.

Favored at 6-5 in a field of seven, My Sistersledge ($4.60) finished second by a half-length to Bonne Chance Farm’s Goiaba but was promoted to the win when Goiaba was disqualified and placed fifth for interference in mid-stretch. The winning time was 1:49.38 over a firm Exceller turf course.

Beautiful Memory set a deliberate pace of 25.36 and 50.26 seconds tracked by My Sistersledge, while Goiaba and jockey Trevor McCarthy settled along the rail. My Sistersledge assumed the lead once straightened for home but was unable to hold off Goiaba, who was tipped to the center of the track in mid-stretch and set down for the drive. Following an inquiry and objection from jockey Victor Carrasco aboard Quick Witted, who appeared to check when McCarthy made the winning move, Goiaba was taken down.

Rainbow 6 Carryover Reaches $16,313 for Saturday

The 20-cent Rainbow 6 went unsolved Friday at Laurel Park, pushing the carryover jackpot to $16,313.30 for Saturday’s eight-race card.

First-race post time is 1:10 p.m.

Two horses were live to take down the jackpot heading into the 10th-race finale, won by 11-1 long shot Bandito ($25.40). A total of $8,773 was bet into the popular multi-race wager on top of a $13,508.22 carryover from Thursday’s program. Multiple tickets with all six winners returned $1,129.88

The Rainbow 6 jackpot is paid out only when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 60 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 40 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.

Saturday’s Rainbow 6 spans Races 3-8 and includes the featured Race 6, a $47,000 third-level optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 3 and older set for 5 ½ furlongs on the Bowl Game turf course layout, which attracted a field of nine.
There will also be a carryover of $2,422.21 in the $1 Super Hi-5 for Saturday’s fourth race.

Notes: Jockeys Horacio Karamanos and Victor Carrasco each registered two wins Friday. Karamanos was first on Bobby G ($4) in Race 2 and Secret or Not ($10.40) in Race 4, while Carrasco was a back-to-back winner aboard Wonderful Light ($4.80) in Race 7 and Zitarrosa ($7.40) in Race 8.