Multiple Stakes Winner Shimmering Aspen Nearing Comeback
Multiple Stakes Winner Shimmering Aspen Nearing Comeback
Stablemates Phlash Phelps, Top of Mind Also on Friday Work Tab
Our Braintrust Breezes Five Furlongs at Laurel for Graded Debut
Magical, Misericordia Capture Friday Features
$100,000 Stormy Blues, $75,000 Concern Highlight Saturday Card
LAUREL, MD – Hillwood Stable’s multiple stakes-winning filly Shimmering Aspen put in her latest work Friday morning at Laurel Park as she continues to progress toward her highly anticipated 4-year-old debut.
In her third work since mid-June, the gray or roan daughter of Malibu Moon breezed a half-mile in 49.60 seconds over a fast main track for trainer Rodney Jenkins.
A $200,000 yearling purchase in October 2015, Shimmering Aspen won one of two starts at 2, breaking her maiden in September 2016 at Laurel. Last year, she won four of seven starts including the Alma North and Twixt Stakes while finishing off the board in a pair of graded-stakes tries.
In her most recent race, Shimmering Aspen ran third as the favorite behind multiple graded-stakes placed Berned in the Safely Kept Stakes Nov. 11 at Laurel.
“Shimmering Aspen is coming back wonderful,” Jenkins said. “It’s too bad we had to wait so long, but she came back from the farm not 100 percent. Now she’s doing great. She’s had [some] good works. I’ll run her here probably at the end of the month.”
Jenkins also had two of his turf stars out over the main track Friday in five-time winner Top of Mind, second by a half-length in the 2016 Commonwealth Cup (G2), and two-time Maryland-bred grass champion Phlash Phelps. Both are also owned by Ellen Charles of Hillwood.
Top of Mind, now 6, went in 59.60 seconds for five furlongs, the fastest of six horses, while 7-year-old Phlash Phelps was timed in 1:12.40 in the only six-furlong work of the day. It was the sixth work for Top of Mind since May 11 and the fifth since May 22 for Phlash Phelps.
A four-time stakes winner, including back-to-back editions of the Maryland Million Turf in 2015 and 2016, Phlash Phelps has raced once this year, finishing third in the Henry S. Clark Stakes April 21 at Laurel. Top of Mind has been unraced since finishing ninth in the Cape Henlopen Stakes last July 8 at Delaware Park.
“Top of Mind is doing real good. He did real well this morning,” Jenkins said. “Phlash worked in :59 this morning and galloped out in 1:12. It was his best work all year. I’ve entered him three or four times and the races haven’t gone, but he’s doing great.”
Also on Laurel’s work tab Friday morning was undefeated 2-year-old Our Braintrust, co-owned by trainer Cal Lynch and his longtime client, Bo Smith. Winner of the Tremont Stakes June 8 at Belmont Park, the Maryland-bred son of Freud went five furlongs in 1:00 and is being pointed to a start in the Sanford Stakes (G3) July 21 at Saratoga.
Magical, Misericordia Capture Friday Features
Peter Blum Thoroughbreds homebred filly Magical ranged up on pacesetter Keep Your Distance in the final furlong and edged clear approaching the wire to capture Friday’s featured ninth race.
It was the second consecutive win and third from five starts, all this year, for Magical ($5.60), a 4-year-old daughter of Tapit ridden by Sheldon Russell for his fiancée, trainer Brittany Trimble, in the $45,000 second-level optional claiming allowance for females 3 and up.
The winning time was 1:36.32 for one mile over a fast main track. Keep Your Distance held second ahead of late-running Victory Rally.
In the co-featured seventh race, a $42,000 entry-level allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up, Colts Neck Stables’ Misericordia ($6) came with a steady drive to catch front-running Amapola on the line and win in 1:02.14 for 5 ½ furlongs over a firm Kelso turf course.
Highlighting Saturday’s 11-race card are the $100,000 Stormy Blues, the richest stakes of Laurel’s summer meet to be run over its world-class turf course, in Race 10, and the $75,000 Concern Stakes in Race 8.
There will be a carryover of $1,031.92 in the $1 Super Hi-5 for Saturday’s opener. First race post time is 1:10 p.m.
Notes: Jockey Horacio Karamanos posted a riding triple Friday aboard Speed Game ($29.40) in the first race, Double Whammy ($4.40) in the fourth and Misericordia ($6) in the seventh.
