Looks to Join Rare Company on ‘Maryland’s Day at the Races’ Oct. 19

LAUREL, MD – John and Cheryl Banner’s multiple stakes-winning mare My Sistersledge has the opportunity to become part of Maryland Million history when she goes after her third straight victory in the $125,000 Ladies Saturday at Laurel Park.

Scheduled for 1 1/8 miles over the Dahlia turf course, the Ladies for fillies and mares 3 and older is among seven stakes and four starter stakes worth $1.02 million in purses that help comprise the 34th Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program.

Led by the $150,000 Classic and named for the late Hall of Fame and 13-time Emmy Award-winning broadcaster who helped launch the groundbreaking concept in 1986, the 12-race Maryland Million card gets under way at noon.

A 5-year-old daughter of Etched out of the Miesque’s Son mare Blushing Bride, My Sistersledge last year became the first back-to-back winner of the Ladies since Hail Hillary in 2003-04. She can join Countus In (1989-91) and Mz. Zill Bear (1993-95) as the only three-time Ladies winners.

What’s more, a victory would make My Sistersledge just the seventh horse in Maryland Million history with three wins. The others are Ben’s Cat (2010-12), Countus In, Docent (2001-03), Eighttofasttocatch (2011, 2013-14), Mz. Zill Bear and Hall of Famer Safely Kept (1989-91).

“We’re hoping to be fortunate enough to do it … to show up on the day and be ready to go and run a good race and hopefully have some good luck. We’ll see what we can do,” trainer Mike Trombetta said. “Obviously, winning the Maryland Million or having a shot at it would be huge.”

My Sistersledge is the best horse ever campaigned by the Banners, with eight wins, two seconds, seven thirds and $404,182 in purse earnings from 25 lifetime starts. She is undefeated both at the distance and over the local course (3-0), and has finished in the top three 12 of 13 times at Laurel, with seven wins.

“They’re small breeders and they have a few horses to work with. She’s been, by far, the best one for them. She’s been very good,” Trombetta said. “She’s pretty genuine. It always takes a race or two to get rolling, and she’s been fortunate enough to get some things done.”

My Sistersledge sprung a mild upset for her first Ladies victory in 2017, driving up the rail to edge favored Great Soul by a nose. She was the popular choice last fall and ran to her backing, coming with a wide run to beat My Vixen by a neck.

This year, My Sistersledge opened her campaign running sixth by two lengths in the Miss Liberty Stakes May 26 at Monmouth Park, returning there to be fourth, beaten four lengths in the Eatontown (G3). Given a short break, she dropped out of stakes company and finished second by a head in a 1 1/8-mile optional claiming allowance at Laurel, but was promoted to the win following the disqualification of first-place finisher Goiaba for interference.

My Sistersledge followed with a half-length triumph in the 1 1/16-mile All Brandy Stakes Aug. 17. Her final Ladies prep came in the All Along Stakes Sept. 28, also 1 1/16 miles at Laurel, where she was blocked at the three-sixteenths pole and never got to running, finishing ninth behind gate-to-wire winner Notapradaprice, though beaten less than five lengths.

“She was definitely stuck in tight, and it was just one of those trips where it just wasn’t as good as it could have been,” Trombetta said. “She came out of the race in good order. She should be ready to go.”
Regular rider Julian Pimentel has the call from the rail at topweight of 121 pounds in a field of 10 that includes also-eligibles Zonda and Annie Boo Boo. Pimentel ranks fifth as one of only five jockeys in Million history with double digits in wins (13), while Trombetta is tied for third with eight Million wins.

Mary Slade’s homebred My Vixen returns hoping to reverse last year’s finish, when she was sent off at odds of 69-1. The 7-year-old daughter of 2002 Maryland Million Turf winner La Reine’s Terms is winless in five tries this year, running seventh in the Nellie Mae Cox Stakes Aug. 10 at Colonial Downs, beaten 3 ½ lengths.

J R Sanchez Racing Stable’s I Love You will be stepping up to stakes company for the first time in the Ladies. Claimed for $16,000 out of a third-place finish going one mile on the dirt March 31 at Laurel, she has raced three times for trainer Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon with two wins, both over older horses.

I Love You, just a 3-year-old, won first off the claim April 19 at Laurel in an off-the-turf waiver maiden event, then was injured finishing seventh in a conditioned allowance May 5, also rained off the main track.

“I claimed her in March and I ran her right back and she ran a hell of a race and won easy. Then I ran her right back again and she did something funny when she switched leads and I didn’t like that, so we took X-rays and we found a little chip,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “We did surgery on her and took the chip out and she came back awesome. The guys from Mid-Atlantic Equine did a fantastic job with her. She hasn’t taken a bad step since then.”

I Love You was triumphant in her return, winning by 1 ½ lengths in a 5 ½-furlong sprint Sept. 29 that also marked her turf debut. Sanchez-Salomon also pre-entered I Love You in the $100,000 Maryland Million Distaff going seven furlongs on the main track.

“First time she came back she ran her best race, I think,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “She’s by Seville and those horses can run either way, dirt or turf. She could run in the Sprint, as well, but I think she’s going to be a better horse on the turf and going long.”

Brian Pedroza will ride from Post 7 at 114 pounds, the low weight she shares with fellow 3-year-old Zonda.

“We’re looking for a big race from her,” Sanchez-Salomon said. “She’s doing awesome right now and we hope that she runs good. You never know, but you have to try.”

Fourth in last year’s Ladies and back for another try is Penitence, bred, owned and trained by Hall of Famer Jonathan Sheppard. The 5-year-old Redeemed mare is winless in five races this year, four on Presque Isle Downs’ synthetic surface, with three seconds and a third.

Another veteran of the 2018 Ladies, where she ran sixth, is Love’s Legend, trained and co-owned by Edward Maher. A 5-year-old daughter of the Maryland Million’s leading sire, Not For Love, Love’s Legend has finished in the money in 13 of 20 starts over the past two seasons with only one win.

Mens Grille Racing’s Ghouls Night Out will be making her fourth straight stakes start in the Ladies. Trained by Hamilton Smith, the 5-year-old daughter of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper won the 5 ½-furlong Jameela July 14, was second by a half-length to My Sistersledge in the All Brandy Aug. 17 and fifth, beaten 1 ½ lengths, in the All Along.

Sipping Champagne and Something Magical complete the field.