Laurel News & Notes; Veteran Behemoth Makes Quick Turnaround in $70,000 Jewel; Maryland-Bred Noteworthy Peach Looking for Second Straight Win
Laurel News & Notes; Veteran Behemoth Makes Quick Turnaround in $70,000 Jewel; Maryland-Bred Noteworthy Peach Looking for Second Straight Win
Veteran Behemoth Makes Quick Turnaround in $70,000 Jewel
Maryland-Bred Noteworthy Peach Looking for Second Straight Win
LAUREL, MD – MCA Racing Stable’s Behemoth will make his 46th career start off an eight-day turnaround in the $70,000 Jewel on Claiming Crown Preview Day Sunday at Laurel Park.
The 1 1/8-mile Jewel is the eighth of nine preview races that comprise Sunday’s card. All winners will earn an automatic berth and free shipping to the Claiming Crown on Opening Day of Gulfstream Park’s Championship Meet, Saturday Dec. 5.
A 6-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway, Behemoth was most recently fourth in a one-mile optional claiming allowance Oct. 24 at Laurel for trainer Claudio Gonzalez. Sixth in the seven-furlong Claiming Crown Rapid Transit last December at Gulfstream, Behemoth was second by a neck to Page McKenney in the 1 1/8-mile John B. Campbell Feb. 14 at Laurel, a race he won in 2014.
“He came back good, he came back fresh, and that’s why I decided to run right back,” Gonzalez said. “I believe the distance, the 1 1/8 miles, he loves it. He won at this distance last year in [the Campbell], and was second this year. That’s why I want to run him; he loves this distance.”
Behemoth, who has seven wins, eight seconds and 10 thirds with purse earnings of $354,349 in his career, will break from outside post 8 with jockey Sheldon Russell aboard.
Maryland-Bred Noteworthy Peach Looking for Second Straight Win
A winner in his return from a 5 ½-month layoff, Non Stop Stable’s Noteworthy Peach looks to keep his momentum going in the Jewel for trainer Gary Capuano.
First or second in six of seven career starts including three wins, all at Laurel Park, the gelded 3-year-old Maryland-bred son of Read the Footnotes came from off the pace to be a 1 ¼-length winner in an optional claiming allowance Oct. 3, a race where Behemoth was third.
Originally carded from the turf, the one-mile race was run over a sloppy, sealed main track.
“I was very impressed; it wasn’t an easy race,” Capuano said. “He actually kind of relishes the flat mile, but he ran a super race.”
Noteworthy Peach’s victory was his first start since finishing second by 1 ½ lengths in the Federico Tesio April 18 at Pimlico Race Course. The 1 1/16-mile race is Old Hilltop’s traditional local prep for the Preakness Stakes (G1).
“He’s training good and he came out of the last race really good, so we’ll give it a whirl and see what happens,” Capuano said. “We’re expecting another decent effort out of him, that’s for sure. It sounds like a solid field. It should be a pretty good race, I’d imagine.”
Jockey Jevian Toledo, aboard for the most recent victory, gets a return call from post 6.
