Pool Winner Takes Streak into Sunday Feature
Pool Winner Takes Streak into Sunday Feature
Faces Stakes Winner Bold Thunder in Five-Furlong Turf Allowance
11-Year-Old No Brakes Makes 21st Visit to Winner’s Circle Saturday
New York Shipper Soluble Captures Saturday Feature
Late Pick 5 Returns $10,776, Multiple Carryovers Sunday
Brunch, Kids Zone Highlight Weekly Sunday Funday
LAUREL, MD – Colts Neck Stables homebred Pool Winner puts his three-race win streak on the line in a $55,000 open allowance that serves as the co-feature on Sunday’s nine-race program at Laurel Park that begins at 1:25 p.m.
The 5 ½-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up on the All Along Turf Course also drew stakes winners Bold Thunder, looking for his first victory in more than a year, and Jack’s in the Deck as well as stakes-placed Made Bail, Rockinn On Bye, A P Elvis and Negrito, entered for main track only; and Triple Burner, four-for-nine lifetime at Laurel with one second and one third.
A 4-year-old Broken Vow gelding trained by Alan Goldberg, Pool Winner is the 7-5 program favorite in a field of eight. Scratched from the Parx Derby (G3) last weekend, he has finished first or second in 10 of 13 career starts including four wins, two of them at 5 ½ furlongs over the Laurel turf.
Pool Winner began his streak with a seven-length allowance triumph over older horses Nov. 6 at Laurel under Jevian Toldeo, who returns to ride Sunday from post 3. He returned to the races with an optional claiming allowance victory by a head over Triple Burner May 8 at Laurel, and most recently led from start to finish in a half-length third-level allowance win June 13 at Parx.
Andrew Sulley’s Bold Thunder owns seven wins, two of them in stakes, from 29 starts but has gone winless in his last eight races since beating Maryland-bred multiple stakes-winning multimillionaire Ben’s Cat in a Pimlico allowance last April.
The 6-year-old gelding, withdrawn from the Wolf Hill Stakes at his Monmouth Park base last weekend, was fourth in his most recent effort March 27 at Gulfstream Park. He will break from post 7 under Trevor McCarthy at 120 pounds, four fewer than co-highweights Pool Winner and Triple Burner, who comes 14 days off a neck victory going 5 ½ furlongs at Laurel.
Jack’s in the Deck won the Maryland Million Sprint Handicap on dirt last October and is winless in six tries on the grass. Rockinn On Bye has finished third in his last two starts, both in stakes, including the Maryland Sprint Handicap (G3) May 21 on the Preakness Stakes (G1) undercard.
Made Bail was fourth by 1 ½ lengths in the White Oak Farm Stakes on Maryland-Virginia Breeders’ Day June 25 at Pimlico. A P Elvis is making his first start since finishing fifth as the favorite, beaten 2 ½ lengths, in an open 5 ½-furlong turf allowance last November at Laurel. He was third in both the Maryland Million Turf and Laurel Dash last fall.
11-Year-Old No Brakes Makes 21st Visit to Winner’s Circle Saturday
Making his 104th start in a career that began in the summer of 2008, 11-year-old Maryland-bred gelding No Brakes came with a steady drive down the center of the stretch to earn his 21st lifetime victory in Saturday’s fourth race.
Owned by T D C B E Stable and trainer Wayne Potts, No Brakes ($13.80) ran one mile in 1:37.64 over a fast main track to win the $25,000 starter allowance by 5 ½ lengths over Right Squall with Jevian Toledo aboard. It was the second win from nine starts this year for No Brakes, pushing his career earnings to $405,583.
“It was probably the best he’s ever run for me and I’ve had this horse for a couple years, on an off. This horse seems to keep getting better,” Potts said. “I told Toledo the speed was probably going to get away from him today. He had a three-eighths of a mile run, so just tap him on the shoulder and make him swap leads. He lays in a little bit, don’t get yourself in trouble and don’t get around any other horses where you can get taken down. He lugged in on me before and we got disqualified.”
No Brakes has earned at least one win in eight of his nine racing seasons. The lone exception came in 2013 when he had five seconds and a third in 13 tries. He is by Parker’s Storm Cat, also the sire of Maryland-bred legend Ben’s Cat.
In 2011, No Brakes captured the Deputed Testamony Starter Handicap by a neck for his lone stakes victory. He is 10-10-8 from 47 lifetime starts at Laurel.
“Eleven years old and this horse is the best he’s ever been right now,” Potts said. “He’s the man. The horse means a lot to me.”
New York Shipper Soluble Captures Saturday Feature
Making his third U.S. start and first outside of New York, Marc Keller’s Soluble was a sharp front-running winner of Saturday’s eighth race feature for trainer Robert Ribaudo.
Cutting back to 1 1/16 miles off two distance races this spring at Belmont Park, Soluble ($6.20) was favored at 2-1 in a field of nine for the $42,000 allowance over the All Along Turf Course. The winning time on firm ground was 1:40.81.
A gelded 4-year-old German-bred son of Galileo that had made his first six starts in England, Soluble took the field through an opening quarter-mile in 24.13 seconds, a half in 48.06 and six furlongs in 1:11.85 trailed by Daniel Le Deux and All Alone. Asked by jockey Angel Cruz in mid-stretch, Soluble sprinted clear late to win by 2 ½ lengths over Dothat Dance.
Late Pick 5 Returns $10,776, Multiple Carryovers Sunday
Bolstered by a two-day carryover, the 50-cent Late Pick 5 was solved Saturday for a return of $10,776.25.
A total of $33,099 was wagered into the Late Pick 5, which offers an industry-low 12 percent takeout, to go along with a carryover of $13,977. The winning combination was 2-3-10-1-8.
No one had all six winners in the 20-cent Rainbow 6, growing the carryover jackpot to $2,194.15 for Sunday. Tickets with four of six winners returned $48.10.
The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 60 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 40 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.
Sunday’s Rainbow 6 covers Races 4-9 and includes a $42,000 allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up at 1 1/16 miles on the grass. Northern Smile, third in the All Brandy Stakes June 25 at Pimlico, Broken Bridle and multiple New York-bred stakes winner Freudie Anne are all entered.
There will be a carryover of $589.72 in the Super Hi-5 for Sunday’s opener.
Every Sunday during its 24-day summer meet Laurel serves up brunch as well as a Kids Zone with pony rides, crafts, a petting zoo and guest speaker. Brunch is $22 for adults, $11 for kids under 12 and free for children under 6, with bottomless Mimosas and Bloody Marys available for another $12.
Notes: Jockey Jevian Toledo posted a riding triple aboard No Brakes ($13.80) in the fourth race, Stormy Mistress ($10.20) in the fifth and Adira ($6.60) in the ninth. Angel Cruz visited the winner’s circle twice with Super Chunky ($41.80) in the sixth and Soluble ($6.20) in the eighth.
Apprentice rider Wallynette Rodriguez escaped injury after being thrown to the track when her mount, 3-year-old filly So Striking, stumbled approaching the eighth pole in the seventh race. It was the only mount of the day for Rodriguez, who walked back to the jockeys’ room on her own.
