Hello Beautiful Romps in $100,000 Juvenile Filly Championship
Jockey Russell, Sire Golden Lad Sweep 2-Year-Old Stakes

LAUREL, MD – Joseph Besecker’s Laddie Liam broke running and never looked back, turning away a bid by Stone Courageous in the stretch and continuing on for a 4 ½-length triumph in Saturday’s $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Futurity at Laurel Park.

The Futurity for 2-year-olds and $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship, each at seven furlongs, were among four stakes restricted to Maryland-bred/sired horses worth $350,000 in purses on a nine-race Maryland Spectacular Day program.

His victory gave jockey Sheldon Russell, breeder Ellen Charles of Hillwood Stable and sire Golden Lad a sweep of the day’s 2-year-old stakes after Hello Beautiful’s victory in the Juvenile Filly Championship.

“Our whole barn is like a big family, so it’s awesome for us,” assistant trainer Alex Horn said. “He’s a little full of himself, but he’s just great to be around because he can run like that.”

Laddie Liam had not shown speed in any of his previous four starts, two of them wins, including a one-mile optional claimer Nov. 14 at Laurel in his previous start. He found himself in front a few strides out of the gate, going comfortably through a quarter-mile in 23.01 seconds and a half in 46.44.

Russell and Laddie Liam maintained their advantage at the top of the stretch as Stone Courageous – second in the Maryland Million Nursery Oct. 19, 3 ¾ lengths ahead of Laddie Liam – launched a bid on the outside but was repelled as the winner pulled clear.

Stone Courageous held second, a half-length ahead of Tommy Shelby in third. It was three-quarters of a length back to Mine Not Mine, followed by Sir Back in Black and 2-1 favorite Raging Whiskey. Program favorite Monday Morning Qb, Literally and The Quantico Kid were scratched.

“The horse came into the race doing really well,” Russell said. “To be fair, it wasn’t my intention to go to the lead but … the horse was very sharp. He put in a bullet workout with his exercise rider aboard, and he said he was going to be a lot more forward today. He broke so sharp, I had no choice but to just let him roll along today.”

Hello Beautiful Romps in $100,000 Juvenile Filly Championship

Maxis Stable, Albert Frasetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables and Magic City Stables’ Hello Beautiful, stretched out another furlong after her first career stakes triumph, proved the distance to be no obstacle with an 11 ¾-length romp in the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship.

Ridden by Sheldon Russell for his wife, trainer Brittany Russell, Hello Beautiful ($5) crossed the wire in 1:22.43 as the 3-2 favorite in a field of eight. Turf stakes winner Miss J McKay, second choice at 8-5, was a distant second, two lengths ahead of 60-1 long shot Naughty Thoughts.

“She’s really straightforward. We really didn’t have to do any extra training,” Brittany Russell said. “She’s easy. She does everything herself. We just stay out of her way.”

Hello Beautiful, by two-time Grade 3 winner Golden Lad, was coming off a 3 ¾-length triumph in her stakes debut, the Maryland Million Lassie Oct. 19 at Laurel. She hadn’t raced beyond its six furlongs in any of her first five starts, two over Laurel’s world-class turf course.

“Coming out of that last race, she couldn’t have come out any better,” Sheldon Russell said. “I know today we were going an extra furlong, but Brittany and Hello Beautiful’s exercise rider, Jen, were teaching her to relax and to keep her speed for the end. She came out of that race great and she showed up today. We’re very, very happy.”

Breaking from outside all but one horse, 40-1 long shot Hufflepuff, Hello Beautiful went straight for the lead and coasted through fractions of 22.49 and 45.34 seconds chased by Lassie runner-up Stickingtogether and Miss J McKay.

“She sort of did that on her own,” Brittany Russell said. “It was up to Sheldon, and he made the right call.”

Once they reached the top of the stretch, Hello Beautiful bid goodbye to her rivals and opened up through the lane. She improved to 3-0 lifetime over Laurel’s main track, and may have earned herself some time off.

“We’re going to give her a vacation, I think,” Brittany Russell said. “Next year as a 3-year-old, we’ll make some plans from there.”