Connections Hoping to Live the ‘Dream’ in $100,000 Heavenly Cause
Preakness (G1) ‘Win and In’ Federico Tesio for 3YOs Tops 11-Race Card

LAUREL, MD – Winchell Thoroughbreds and Willis Horton Racing’s well-traveled millionaire Bankit will seek his first win of the year and eighth career stakes victory when he returns to Maryland for the first time in two years for Saturday’s $100,000 Frank Y. Whiteley at Laurel Park.

The 11th running of the seven-furlong Whiteley for 3-year-olds and up and 21st renewal of the $100,000 Heavenly Cause for fillies and mares 3 and older going one mile serve as supporting stakes on an 11-race program headlined by the $125,000 Federico Tesio for 3-year-olds and $125,000 Weber City Miss for 3-year-old fillies.

First race post time is 12:25 p.m.

It is the first of back-to-back Spring Stakes Spectacular Saturdays at Laurel, followed by an April 22 program featuring five $100,000 stakes including the first three of the season scheduled for Laurel’s world-class turf course. The Tesio is a ‘Win and In’ qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 148th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 20, while the Weber City Miss earns the winner an automatic berth in the 99th Black-Eyed Susan (G2) May 19.

Seven of Bankit’s eight lifetime wins have come in stakes at distances ranging from seven furlongs to 1 1/8 miles. Six of those stakes wins were against fellow state-breds in New York, where he was named champion older male of 2021.

Bankit’s lone open stakes win came during his championship season, when he rallied from an 8 ½-length deficit to win the 1 1/16-mile John B. Campbell by 1 ¾ lengths in February 2021, his lone prior trip to Maryland. The earner of nearly $1.3 million in purses, part of Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen’s Belmont Park string, has also raced in Arkansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, Oklahoma, West Virginia and Dubai.

“He doesn’t seem to care where he runs. He’ll run a good race no matter where he goes, so we’ve never been shy about taking him anywhere,” Winchell’s racing manager David Fiske said. “He’s kind of been all over the place, and he’s awfully consistent.”

Now 7, Bankit has been third or better in 26 of 38 lifetime starts with at least one stakes win in each of his first five seasons of racing dating back to the 2018 Sleepy Hollow at Belmont, six months after the son of Central Banker was purchased for $260,000 as a 2-year-old in training.

“Originally when we bought him we hoped he was going to be good, but they’re pretty fragile commodities. The longevity that he’s displayed, you hope for them to be good for a long time but that almost never happens,” Fiske said. “He’s exceeded our expectations.”

Bankit has also placed in 15 other stakes including back-to-back efforts at Aqueduct to open this season, beaten less than a length combined. Second in the 2020 Razorback Handicap (G2) at Oaklawn Park, he will be facing open company for the first time since running sixth in the Godolphin Mile (G2) last March at Meydan Racecourse.

“He’s a professional. He likes his job,” Fiske said. “Different tracks, different distances, you could probably run him daytime, nighttime, uphill, downhill, wherever you want to run him. He almost always shows up.

“He seems to always try when he goes out there,” he added. “He’s always close, and he always brings home a check. He’s just very consistent.”

Sheldon Russell, aboard in the 2021 Campbell, rides back from Post 7 in a field of 10.

Among the solid field assembled to oppose Bankit are Grade 3 winners Eastern Bay and Informative and fellow multiple stakes winners Alwaysinahurry, Factor It In, Kenny Had a Notion and Witty. Mopo Racing’s Alwaysinahurry won the 2021 Concern and 2022 Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial at Laurel, placed in three other stakes and exits a late-running third in an open six-furlong allowance March 19.

Built Right Stables’ millionaire Eastern Bay followed up his first graded-stakes victory in the seven-furlong General George (G3) running fourth by two lengths in the Tom Fool (G3) March 4 at Aqueduct and third by 1 ½ lengths in the March 18 Not For Love at Laurel, both sprinting six furlongs. Of his 19 lifetime wins, 15 have come at Laurel.

Third by a half-length and a neck, respectively, in the Bold Ruler (G3) and Fall Highweight (G3) last fall at Aqueduct, Laurel-based Factor It In won the Dave’s Friend and Fire Plug in succession before running fourth as the favorite in the General George Feb. 18. The Michael Scheffres colorbearer returned to the winner’s circle last out in a six-furlong allowance March 19 over his home track.

Trin-Brook Stables, Inc.’s Informative captured the 1 1/16-mile Philip Iselin (G3) last summer at Monmouth Park and has gone unraced since running last of four in the 1 1/8-mile Woodward (G1) in October at Aqueduct. The 6-year-old son of Bodemeister is cutting back to a sprint for the first time since finishing fifth in a 6 ½-furlong allowance in March 2021 at Parx.

Arkofa Farm’s Kenny Had a Notion is coming off a second at odds of 41-1 in the Not For Love at Laurel, where he won the 2020 Jamestown and Maryland Million Nursery and 2021 Spectacular Bid. Elizabeth Merryman’s homebred Witty won the seven-furlong Spectacular Bid in 2022 and returned from 166 days between starts to win a six-furlong optional claiming allowance March 8 at Parx.

Brittany Russell won the Whiteley in 2020 with Whereshetoldmetogo, and the newly minted Grade 1-winning trainer returns this year with George Sharp’s Hello Hot Rod. The 5-year-old gelding was sold at auction after his victory in the 2021 Jimmy Winkfield sprinting seven furlongs at Aqueduct for Russell, who had the horse sent back to her earlier this year.

In two starts since his return, each at one mile, Hello Hot Rod ran third in an open allowance over a sealed muddy track Feb. 12 and seventh after setting the pace in the Harrison E. Johnson Memorial March 18. The Whiteley will be his first time sprinting since October at Remington Park.

“I blew him out [Tuesday] morning and he went really well,” Russell said. “I think last time was a terrible race. Two races back was a pretty good effort. Last time I don’t know, honestly. We never really found an excuse. I think he likes to run pretty close to the lead. He likes to be on the lead [but] I doubt he’ll have the lead in this race so that’s a little bit of a question mark. He’s done well since and I think the seven-eighths is something he enjoys, so it’ll be nice to get him back to seven furlongs and see where we are with him.”

Jevian Toledo rides Hello Hot Rod from outermost Post 10.

Multiple stakes-placed Al Loves Josie, a winner of back-to-back six-furlong sprints at Laurel Feb. 11 and 25, and Yodel E. A. Who, third in three straight races including the Fire Plug and General George, complete the field.

The Whiteley honors the Centreville, Md. native best known as of the trainer of Ruffian, ranked among the greatest fillies of all time, as well as fellow superstars Damascus and Forego and 1965 Preakness winner Tom Rolfe. Whiteley joined Ruffian and Damascus in racing’s Hall of Fame in 1978 and was followed by Forego in 1979. He retired in 1984 after a career spanning six decades and died in Camden, S.C. in 2008 at age 93.

Connections Hoping to Live the ‘Dream’ in $100,000 Heavenly Cause

James and Virginia Gamble’s Beth’s Dream, twice stakes placed, will go after her first stakes win in the $100,000 Heavenly Cause, a race her connections hope propels her to graded glory later this year.

Based with trainer Victor Barboza Jr. at Gulfstream Park in South Florida, Beth’s Dream has been settling in at Laurel for what will be her fourth stakes attempt. Previously, the 5-year-old Jess’s Dream mare was second by a head in the Lady’s Secret last summer at Monmouth Park and third as the favorite in the Wayward Lass Jan. 14 at Tampa Bay Downs. Both races were contested at 1 1/16 miles.

“We sent her up early over the weekend and it went very well, no problem,” Barboza said. “She’s been training very good.”

Beth’s Dream won her first two tries going one mile last winter and spring at Gulfstream, each in front-running fashion, by 20 ¼ combined lengths. She remained perfect at the distance in her most recent start, a March 17 optional claiming allowance at Gulfstream where she took a 10-length lead into the stretch and won by eight.

“She’s a filly that loves the one mile. She’s won her three races [at the distance] and this race, the one-turn mile, is perfect for her. She’s doing great right now,” Barboza said. “She is a very fast mare. Last year, [in] her two races at Monmouth around two turns, one was good and one was no good. We put her back at one turn and she ran great four weeks ago. We are looking forward to the race.”

Barboza said the long-term goal is to get Beth’s Dream to the Princess Rooney (G2), a ‘Win and You’re In’ qualifier for the Breeders’ Cup Filly & Mare Sprint (G1). Customarily run in early July, the Princess Rooney was pushed back to Sept. 30 this year. Barboza finished second in the Princess Rooney with Rich Mommy in 2018 and Distinta in 2017.

“If she runs a good race I think she’s going to come back to Gulfstream. My purpose for the mare is to try for the Breeders’ Cup in the Princess Rooney,” he said. “It’s going to be a tough race but I think she’s going to run good.”

Jaime Rodriguez, leading rider at Laurel’s calendar year-opening winter meet, will ride from outermost Post 9.

In order to break through, Beth’s Dream will have to get by The Elkstone Group’s Hybrid Eclipse, five-for-seven lifetime at Laurel with stakes wins in the 2022 Caesar’s Wish and Thirty Eight Go Go and Feb. 18 Nellie Morse, her most recent race.

“She’s like our little warrior woman,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “She’s a filly that trains well and handles the time in between really well. I think it’s a good thing. I think she’s doing really well, she’s worked well and she’s going into this race as good as she can be.”

The Heavenly Cause will be the eighth straight stakes start for Hybrid Eclipse, a stretch that includes running third to eventual champion 3-year-old filly Nest in last fall’s Beldame (G3) at Aqueduct. She has won three of her four tries going one mile, including the Caesar’s Wish last July.

“I think locally she’s quite tough and she looks like one of the top older fillies around here,” Russell said. “Hopefully she can land herself in a better spot later in the year if she wants to keep improving. She trains really well.

“She found her way to be graded-stakes placed up in New York against Nest so if we got lucky to where we could get her in a spot to take another swing at a graded-stakes, we may,” she added. “For now the goal is to keep her winning. This should be a fun summer at least locally with her.”

Russell’s husband, jockey Sheldon Russell, gets the call from Post 2.

Returning to Laurel looking for her stakes breakthrough is R.A. Hill Stable, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Rock Ridge Racing, BlackRidge Stable and James Brown’s Grade 1-placed Pass the Champagne, fourth as the favorite in the seven-furlong Barbara Fritchie (G3) Feb. 18, just her second start in 12 months. Unraced at 2, she ran second by a head to champion Malathaat in the 2021 Ashland (G1), just her third start and first in a stakes, and went to the sidelines after finishing off the board in the Kentucky Oaks (G1). The 5-year-old mare raced once in 2022, winning an optional claiming allowance last February at Gulfstream Park.

Also entered are Flint Stites-trained stablemates Deco Strong, winner of the 2022 Penn Ladies Dash at Penn National, and Moma Tiger, twice stakes-placed including a third in last year’s Heavenly Cause; Jump Into the Fire, a winner of five of eight career starts but unraced since finishing second in a 1 1/16-mile starter last June at Churchill Downs; Mavilus, last out winner of the seven-furlong Conniver over fellow Maryland-bred/sired horses March 18 at Laurel; and Jan. 21 Geisha winner Award Wanted, second to Hybrid Eclipse in the Nellie Morse and third in the Conniver.

Named for the Maryland-bred mare trained by Hall of Famer Woody Stephens whose eight career stakes wins included the 1981 Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Acorn (G1) and 1980 Frizette (G1) and Selima (G1), the latter at Laurel, the Heavenly Cause returned to the stakes calendar last year for the first time since 2003.