9 Live Races, Food & Drink Specials on Military Appreciation Day
Maryland Stakes Winners Among Challengers in Claiming Crown Jewel
Nominations for Thanksgiving Weekend Stakes Close Friday, Saturday

LAUREL, MD – A pair of allowance races, a five-figure jackpot carryover in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 and a salute to military families highlight Friday’s return of live racing at Laurel Park.

Last solved for a $12,582.58 payout Oct. 16, the Rainbow 6 jackpot has gone uncashed for 16 consecutive racing days. The carryover swelled to $23,676.96 following the last live program Nov. 6 and heading into Friday’s nine-race card.

First race post time is 12:15 p.m.

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.

Friday’s Rainbow 6 begins in Race 4, a starter optional claimer for 3-year-old and up going one mile on the main track. Race 6 is an allowance for Maryland-bred/sired fillies and mares 3 and up scheduled for 5 ½ furlongs on the All Along turf course that drew an overflow field of 13 including stakes-placed Sparkle Sprinkle and She’sarollingstone for main track only.

Favored at 5-2 on the morning line is Mary Slade’s Maryland homebred Island Philo, most recently eighth in the Maryland Million Turf Sprint Oct. 22. The 4-year-old Barbados filly has run third in two 5 ½-furlong grass stakes this year, beaten a half-length in the July 30 Jameela at Laurel and 1 ½ lengths in Sept. 7 Camptown at Colonial Downs.

The feature comes in Race 8, a second-level optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up sprinting six furlongs on the main track. The narrow 7-2 program favorite from the rail in a field of 10 is Robert James McGee’s Moody Woman, unraced since finishing third in the Sept. 24 Weather Vane at historic Pimlico Race Course. The 3-year-old daughter of Gormley has finished third or better in 13 of 15 career starts with four wins, and has a record of 3-3-2 from nine starts at Laurel.

Among the challengers are No Guts No Glory Farm’s Maryland homebred Bandits Warrior, a half-sister to retired multiple stakes winner Anna’s Bandit that exits a front-running 9 ¼-length restricted allowance victory going six furlongs Oct. 21 at Laurel; and Spicy Margarita, 3-for-5 lifetime at the distance with one second and one third.

There will also be a carryover of $986.93 in the $1 Super Hi-5 wager for Friday’s opener, a maiden claimer for 2-year-olds sprinting 5 ½ furlongs on the main track.

Friday is Military Appreciation Day at Laurel, saluting our military families and featuring free admission, $2 domestics, $3 hot dogs, $5 hamburgers and a Maryland Jockey Club tumbler giveaway to the first 250 guests. Doors open at 11 a.m.

On Saturday, Laurel will host a 10-race card beginning at 11:45 a.m. and featuring three main track stakes – the $100,000 Smart Halo for 2-year-old fillies and $100,000 James F. Lewis III for 2-year-olds, both sprinting six furlongs, and the $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go for fillies and mares 3 and up going 1 1/16 miles.

Maryland Stakes Winners Among Challengers in Claiming Crown Jewel

Ournationonparade and Benevengo, each exiting stakes victories in Maryland, are among the top challengers in the $175,000 Claiming Crown Jewel being held Saturday for the first time at Churchill Downs.

The 1 1/8-mile Jewel for 3-year-olds and up which have started for a claiming price of $35,000 or less in 2021-22 is the richest of eight Claiming Crown stakes on the 11-race program.

Happy Got Lucky Stable, Inc’s Ournationonparade won the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic Oct. 22 at Laurel in his most recent start, the first since being claimed for $50,000 by trainer Jamie Ness out of a victory going the same distance Sept. 28 at Churchill. The Cal Nation gelding also won the Maryland Million Nursery as a 2-year-old in 2019.

Bred in Maryland, Ournationonparade’s first win this year came Feb. 25 at Fair Grounds when he was entered for a $30,000 tag by owners Angel Wings and Thomas Sherman and trainer Juan Cano. He drew outermost Post 10 and is third choice on the morning line at 9-2.

Wasabi Ventures Stables’ Benevengo drew the rail and was installed as the 7-2 second choice, not having raced since his front-running 7 ½-length triumph in the 1 1/16-mile Polynesian Sept. 24 at historic Pimlico Race Course. Trainer Jesse Cruz claimed the 3-year-old Gormley colt for $25,000 out of a maiden claiming debut victory Feb. 16 at Tampa Bay Downs.

Favored at 5-2 for the Jewel is 6-year-old gelding Intrepid Heart, an eight-time career winner trained by Joe Sharp that has run second in five consecutive races and was third in the 2019 Peter Pan (G3) for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher.

Nominations for Thanksgiving Weekend Stakes Close Friday, Saturday

Free nominations to a total of five stakes worth $450,000 in purses to be contested over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend close Friday, Nov. 11 and Saturday, Nov. 12.

Closing on Friday are nominations to the $75,000 Howard & Sondra Bender Memorial for 3-year-olds and up and $75,000 Politely for fillies and mares 3 and older, both restricted to Maryland-bred/sired horses. To be run Friday, Nov. 25, the Bender is contested at seven furlongs and the Politely at six furlongs.

The Saturday, Nov. 26 program will feature three $100,000 stakes – the Richard W. Small for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles, City of Laurel for 3-year-olds and Safely Kept for 3-year-old fillies, both sprinting seven furlongs. Nominations for all three races close Saturday.

Nominations can be made by calling the Laurel Park racing office at 800-638-1859 or by emailing stakes coordinator Eleanor Albert at Eleanor.Albert@marylandracing.com.

Laurel will also host its traditional Thanksgiving Day holiday program Thursday, Nov. 24, starting at 11:25 a.m.