Maryland Stakes Winners Among Breeders’ Cup Pre-Entries
Maryland Stakes Winners Among Breeders’ Cup Pre-Entries
Record 221 Pre-Entrants for 35th Breeders’ Cup Nov. 2 and 3
LAUREL, MD – Happy Like a Fool, Chalon and Order and Law, all stakes winners in Maryland this year, were among a record 221 horses pre-entered for the 35th Breeders’ Cup Nov. 2 and 3 at Churchill Downs.
Wednesday’s announcement also included Bravazo, runner-up to Triple Crown champion Justify in the Preakness Stakes (G1) May 19 at Pimlico Race Course, pre-entered in both the $6 million Classic (G1) and $1 million Dirt Mile (G1); and Grade 1 winners Glorious Empire and Divisidero, based at the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md.
Happy Like a Fool, a 3-year-old daughter of Distorted Humor, was a front-running 6 ½-length winner of the Adena Springs Miss Preakness (G3) May 18 at Pimlico. She raced just once since, running fifth in the Thoroughbred Club of America (G2) Oct. 6 at Keeneland, and was pre-entered in the $2 million Sprint (G1) and $1 million Filly & Mare Sprint (G1), with first preference in the Sprint.
Also pre-entered in the Filly & Mare Sprint was Chalon, a 4-year-old Dialed In filly that kicked off her campaign with a popular one-length victory in the six-furlong Primonetta Stakes April 21 at Laurel Park. Based at Fair Hill with trainer Arnaud Delacour, she was second by a head in the TCA.
Bran Jam Stable and David Clark’s Order and Law was pre-entered in the 5 ½-furlong, $1 million Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1) and one-mile, $1 million Juvenile Turf (G1). The 2-year-old Violence colt has made three lifetime starts, most recently rallying to win the six-furlong Laurel Futurity by a nose over Laurel’s world-class turf course Sept. 22. Order and Law has first preference in the Juvenile Turf.
Blue Prize, Fuhriously Kissed and Verve’s Tale, second, third and fifth, respectively, in the Allaire DuPont Distaff (G3) May 18 at Pimlico, were pre-entered in the 1 1/8-mile $2 million Distaff (G1) on dirt. Fuhriously Kissed was also pre-entered and has first preference in the $1 3/8-mile, $2 million Filly & Mare Turf (G1).
Prominent among Sprint pre-entrants were millionaire Grade 1 winner Imperial Hint, whose first open stakes victory and graded-stakes triumph came in the 2017 Fire Plug and General George (G3) in 2017; 2016 Maryland Sprint (G3) winner Always Sunshine, most recently off the board in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) Sept. 22; and 2017 Maryland Sprint winner Whitmore.
Lone Sailor, fifth in the Preakness, was pre-entered in both the Classic and the Dirt Mile, with first preference in the Classic. Whitmore was also pre-entered in the Dirt Mile, with first preference in the Sprint.
Pre-entered in the $1 million Turf Sprint was Chanteline, a winner of three of her four starts including the Buffalo Trace Franklin County (G3) Oct. 12 at Keeneland since finishing fourth in the five-furlong The Very One May 19 at Pimlico.
Glorious Empire opened his 7-year-old season running sixth in the Henry S. Clark Stakes April 21 at Laurel, his first start for trainer James ‘Chuck’ Lawrence II, and hasn’t lost since including back-to-back graded triumphs in the Bowling Green (G2) and Sword Dancer (G1) at Saratoga, a ‘Win and You’re In’ qualifier for the $4 million Turf (G1).
Divisidero, a multiple Grade 1 winner, was pre-entered in the $2 million Mile (G1). The 6-year-old son of Kitten’s Joy, moved to Fair Hill-based trainer Kelly Rubley for the 2018 season, has raced exclusively in graded company this year, winning the Arlington Handicap (G3), finishing second in the Monmouth (G2) and third in the Fourstardave (G1).
