Barbadian Runner draws post 2 in $150,000 Brown Advisory Maryland Million Classic
LAUREL, MD— Alani is among the Mid-Atlantic’s most reliable yet underrated sprinters. The multiple stakes-winning 5-year-old has finished in the exacta in 18 of her 24 starts and beat her six rivals in Sunday’s featured ninth race, a $56,000 allowance race for fillies and mares at six furlongs.
Ridden by Andy Hernandez for trainer Mike Moore, Alani never gave her rivals a chance. She broke right to the lead, flicked away her closest pace pursuer, Joyous Song, through fractions of 22.48 and 46.10 seconds, kicked clear in the upper stretch, and always had enough left to win by 3 ¾ lengths in 1:11.00 on the fast track.
“When Andy got her in front, you knew she was going to be tough from there,” Moore said. “He rode her like the best horse. She showed good speed, and they weren’t catching her today. She likes Laurel, too.”
Alani has won one-third of her races and is now 4 for 5 at Laurel, never finishing outside the top three when she is shipped here from her base at Parx.
Alani, a daughter of Competitive Edge, was bred in Kentucky by Patricia Ziefle. A $24,000 short yearling buyback, she was bought back again as a yearling for $19,000. The following year, Alani sold for $57,000 and went to trainer John Servis.
Alani started seven times for Servis, winning once, before Hardesty Stables and Michael Day claimed her for $75,000 following her third-place finish at Parx on December 18, 2024.
“She was a nicer young horse,” Moore explained. “She had run a number early on that I liked, and I thought that maybe she’d get better. And she got better.”
Alani won three of her first four starts for her new connections. In 2025, she emerged as a bona fide stakes competitor, winning Colonial’s Love Sign on July 26 and Parx’s Cornucopia on November 26. She also finished second in Laurel’s Alma North and Delaware’s Endine.
Not only did Alani prove talented and versatile – she won races at Parx, Laurel, and Colonial – but she also was hickory, racing 19 times without a layoff from August 24, 2024, to March 17, 2026.
“She needed a little break. She had a pretty tough campaign,” Moore admitted. He sent her out to rest and didn’t run her again until three weeks ago, when she finished third in a high-level allowance at Laurel.
“She definitely needed that last race,” Moore said. “She was dull that day.”
She was much sharper this afternoon, and Moore expects she’ll be back in stakes races soon.
*Barbadian Runner draws post 2 in $150,000 Brown Advisory Maryland Million Classic
Defending champion Barbadian Runner drew post 2 in the $150,000 Brown Advisory Maryland Million Classic for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles, the highlight event of Saturday’s 12-race Jim McKay Maryland Million extravaganza.
Trained by Henry Walters and ridden by Forest Boyce, Barbadian Runner recently became a millionaire by winning the $200,000 Battery Park Stakes at Delaware Park.
Bred by Shamrock Farm, Barbadian Runner, a 4-year-old gelding by Barbados, sold for $5,000 as a yearling and has compiled an enviable record of 26 starts, 10 wins, 8 seconds, and 4 thirds. Among his eight stakes victories was his gritty win in last year’s Maryland Million Classic, in which he denied the popular graded stakes winner Post Time by three-quarters of a length.
Maryland-bred horses that are not Maryland Million-eligible may enter a Maryland Million race only if fewer than eight Maryland Million-eligible horses are entered.
The Brown Advisory Maryland Million Classic drew eight entries, including three also-eligibles.
Madison Avenue Racing Stables and Morris Kernan Jr.’s Market Maven, second in the 2023 Maryland Million Classic after being disqualified from the win, drew the rail post for jockey Mychel Sanchez and trainer Jamie Ness. Market Maven recently earned an 86 Beyer Speed Figure by wiring $25,000 claimers at Parx on October 5. Ness saddled Ournationonparade to win the 2022 Maryland Million Classic.
Sacred Thunder, trained by Gary Capuano and ridden by Emanuel Rosario, will break from post 7. John Hazard’s 8-year-old gelding won the 2024 James F. Lewis III Stakes at Laurel.
Bonuccelli Racing’s Wickeddivine, third in this year’s Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel, will race beyond six furlongs for the first time. Trained by Kenny Cox, who won the 2023 Maryland Million Classic with Ain’t Da Beer Cold, Wickeddivine drew post 8. Jeiron Barbosa will ride.
Both the Brown Advisory Maryland Million Classic and the $125,000 Andor Farm Maryland Million Ladies were drawn at a special “Jim McKay Maryland Million Draw Party” held this afternoon at the Laurel Park Sportsbook. The remaining ten races will be drawn in the racing office today.
*Around the track:
Jockey Martin Chuan won two races on Sunday. He guided Tiz Candy ($10.40) to a pace-pressing victory in the second race for trainer Wayne Potts, then won the sixth aboard Jungle Glow ($6) for trainer Jamie Ness.
Trainer Ferris Allen also won two races. Armed N Dangerous ($7), entered Main Track Only in the fifth race, rallied from last under apprentice rider Leandro Briceno. Red Sea ($3.20) was very rank early in the finale, finally settled down late on the backstretch, took over on the second turn, and held sway under Horacio Karamanos.
Live racing resumes Friday with nine races. First post time is 12:00 pm, and two “Value Pick 5” wagers feature a LOW 12% takeout.
The free “Laurel Park Handicapping Guide” is available on every race day. It features picks, analysis, trainer stats, trip notes, horses to watch, track bias information, and more from The Maryland Jockey Club’s handicapping team. Friday’s guide is available Thursday night. Click here to view it.
Join us at Jimmy’s Seafood in Dundalk on Thursday, October 22, from 7 pm to 9 pm for a free Jim McKay Maryland Million Handicapping Party. Hosted by ESPN Louisville and the Horse Racing Happy Hour Podcast’s Louie Rabaut, the event will feature handicapping analysts sharing their picks for the twelve races.
The excitement continues on Friday, October 23, from 6:30 pm to 10:30 pm at the Jim McKay Maryland Million Kickoff Celebration at Citron Restaurant. Tickets are $83 each. Enjoy live music, great food, and plenty of opportunities to mingle. Tickets can be purchased here.
Laurel Park’s gates open at 10 am on Jim McKay Maryland Million Saturday. The first race starts at 11:15 am.
The Jim McKay Maryland Million is also about fun for the whole family. Meet and greet the Maryland Miniature Ponies at Horseland, watch exciting pony races featuring the next generation of Maryland jockeys, visit our face painters, and enjoy plenty of hands-on crafts and games.
Take part in the Maryland Million Handicapping Challenge, a one-day contest available both on-site and online. The event is held at Laurel Park or on Xpressbet, TVG/4NJBETS, HPIBET, and TwinSpires. The $800 buy-in includes a $400 entry fee and a $400 live bankroll. Cash prizes will be awarded, along with two seats to the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge and two NHC Prize Packs. With 120 entries, the total prize pool is $48,000. For registration and rules, visit here.
Never miss a second of the action on the Laurel Park YouTube channel. Click here to watch full pan and head-on replays.
Watch “Today at the Races,” the Maryland Jockey Club’s morning handicapping show every racing day at 11 am ET on the Maryland Jockey Club’s X account. Click here to watch.