Ms Locust Point Sharp for $100,000 Primonetta

LAUREL, MD– Linda L. Zang’s Lewisfield and Hillside Equestrian Meadow’s Laki are scheduled to renew their hotly contested and popular rivalry in Saturday’s $100,000 Frank Whiteley Jr. Stakes at Laurel Park.
 
The Whiteley, a six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up, is one of seven stakes worth $750,000 in purses on an 11-race Spring Stakes Spectacular program, highlighted by the $125,000 Xpressbet Federico Tesio, which serves as a ‘Win and In’ event for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 144thPreakness Stakes (G1) May 18 at legendary Pimlico Race Course.
 
The Jeff Runco-trained Lewisfield has been installed as the 5-2 morning-line favorite, having dominated his fellow Maryland-bred rival in their most recent clash in the March 16 Not For Love Stakes at Laurel.
 
“I thought it was a knockout race. You can tell by the way he ran. Everything went right last time. He broke good; he went out there and did everything perfect and ran super,” Runco said. “I’m hoping he can come back and do the same thing Saturday.”
 
Lewisfield came off a three-month layoff to make his 2019 debut in the six-furlong Not for Love, in which the 5-year-old gelding broke alertly and registered a 3 ¼-length front-running victory in a swift 1:08.68.
 
“The 5-year-old year can be one of their best years. I’m hoping that will be the case with him,” Runco said. “He had a good 4-year-old year. He’s grown; he’s matured. I think his 5-year-old year can be very good.”
 
Lewisfield has won six of 10 starts at Laurel, including a victory in the 2018 Maryland Million Sprint, and back-to-back wins in the Not For Love. The homebred son of Great Notion has earned just shy of $390,000 while finishing on the board in 14 of 16 career starts.
            
“You never know they’re going to be this kind of horse because this kind of horse are hard to come by,” Runco said. “We knew he was special. We knew he was good, but you never know how good until you get them going. “
 
Jevian Toledo, who was aboard Lewisfield for his victory in the Maryland Million Sprint, has the mount Saturday.
 
Laki, who is rated second in the morning line at 7-2, raced evenly to finish third behind the streaking Lewisfield in the Not for Love, but the homebred son of Cuba has gotten the better of the Runco trainee on three straight occasions last year.  The Damon Dilodovico-trained gelding came up a nose shy of winning the Polynesian after a stretch-long battle, only to be placed first through the disqualification of Lewisfield  who drifted out in the stretch run. Laki came in second behind Switzerland in the Frank De Francis Memorial Dash, in which Lewisfield finished fifth, before winning the Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial, in which his archrival finished third in his final race of the year.
 
“It’s been a little back and forth,” Dilodovico said, “but he put it on us last time for sure after the little break. Jeffrey did a great job getting him ready.”
 
Laki started his career in a $20,000 claiming race on turf, but quickly developed into a stakes winner on dirt, capturing the 2017 Not For Love at Laurel to cap a four-race winning streak. The 6-year-old gelding has been a reliable stakes performer ever since.
 
“It probably has to do with the groom keeping him happy more than what we do. His groom is actually my wife [Christine]. I don’t know if there is a better caretaker for a horse in the state, maybe in the game,” said Dilodovico, who also credited the patience of Laki’s owners for the gelding becoming a force in the Maryland sprint division.
 
Regular rider Horacio Karamanos has the return mount.
 
The Whiteley is hardly a two-horse race, having also attracted Joseph Besecker’s Mr. Brix, who captured the Caixa Eletronica at Aqueduct last time out; Sugar C Racing Inc.’s Rockinn On Bye, who finished second behind Lewisfield in the Not for Love before checking in third in the Caixa Eletronica; and Jeff Drown’s Home Run Maker, who captured the Fire Plug at Laurel two starts back.
 
Killybegs Captain, It’s the Journey and Tradfest round out the field.
 
Ms Locust Point Sharp for $100,000 Primonetta
 
Cash is King LLC and Jim Reichenberg’s Ms Locust Point will seek a return to her winning ways at Laurel Park in Saturday’s $100,000 Primonetta Stakes.
 
In her most recent start at Laurel, the John Servis-trained 5-year-old mare finished fourth in the Feb. 16 Barbara Fritchie (G3), which she won in a 4 ½-length romp the year before.
 
Ms Locust Point, who had won her first four races at Laurel before finishing second in the Willa On the Move last fall, tuned up for the Primonetta with a 7 ¾-length score in a March 26 Parx allowance race.
 
Rated as the 2-1 morning-line favorite in a field of 10 fillies and mare, Ms Locust Point will be ridden in the six-furlong Primonetta by Jorge Vargas Jr.
 
Lady Sheila Stable and Iris Smith Stable’s Startwithsilver is scheduled to make her Laurel debut Saturday after capturing the six-furlong Correction at Aqueduct in her most recent start. Trained by Linda Rice, the New York-bred daughter of Jump Start finished second in the Skipat on the undercard of last year’s Preakness Stakes (G1) at Pimlico.
 
Junior Alvarado has been named to ride the 6-year-old mare, who is rated second at 3-1 in the morning line.
 
Heider Family Stables LLc and Madaket Stables LLC and Michael Kisber’s Cairenn will drop from graded-stakes company Saturday for the Primonetta, in which she finished second last year.
 
The Graham Motion-trained 5-year-old mare raced evenly while finishing sixth in the Inside Information (G2) at Gulfstream, beaten 4 ¾ lengths by victorious Americas Tale.
 
“We threw her in the deep end a little bit in the graded race at Gulfstream. She actually wasn’t beaten very far,” Motion said. “Hopefully, this is a better spot for her. She’s run well at Laurel before, so that’s a positive.”
 
In addition to finishing second at Laurel in last year’s Primonetta, the daughter of First Dude won the Shine Again at Laurel in her last start of 2018.
 
“I think she’s always been a very consistent filly, but when I run her in the Group 1s and Group 2s, it’s just a bit of a stretch for her,” Motion said. “ She’s a very nice filly to be around, she’s doing well and she’s got a start under her belt, so I certainly feel good about running her.”
 
Jorge A Vargas has the mount aboard Cairenn, who is third in the morning line at 4-1.
 
Hillwood Stable LLC’s Shimmering Aspen, a multiple-stakes winner at Laurel who has won seven of 14 career starts, will seek to rebound from a sixth-place finish in the Barbara Fritchie.
 
“I wouldn’t say she’s on top of her game so far this year,” trainer Rodney Jenkins said.  “She’ll run OK Saturday. She came back from the race pretty good and she’s training good so we’ll see. She’s one that seems to get better as the year goes on.”
 
Rounding out the Primonetta field are Angel At War, Adios Annie, S W Briar Rose, D J’s Favorite, Last True Love and Majestic Won.