Nine on Tap as Live Racing Returns to Laurel Park Friday

LAUREL, MD – Timothy Hopkins’ Rominski, riding a three-race win streak, chases a fourth straight victory while stepping up into stakes company for the first time in the $75,000 Not For Love Saturday at Laurel Park.

The six-furlong Not For Love for 4-year-olds and up is the first of three stakes worth $250,000 in purses on a 10-race program and one of two restricted to Maryland-bred/sired horses, along with the $75,000 Conniver for fillies and mares 4 and older.

Anchoring the stakes action is the $100,000 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial for 4-year-olds and up going one mile that drew a field of seven including graded-stakes winners Double Crown and Magic Michael as well as stakes winners Nimitz Class, Dollarization and It’s Sizzling Time.

Rominski drew Post 3 in a field of seven that includes multiple stakes winners Kenny Had a Notion, Coffeewithchris and Exculpatory. His last three wins have come sprinting six furlongs at Laurel, twice in December and most recently Feb. 11, by 14 combined lengths.

“There’s no better time to try it than right now,” trainer Kieron Magee said. “It’ll be fun. I’d love to see Tim Hopkins do something. This is for Tim. He’s been with me a long time.”

Magee claimed Rominski for $16,000 after the now 5-year-old gelding ran second as the favorite last March. He was eased in a six-furlong allowance 20 days later and went to the sidelines, returning to be third in an optional claimer in November at Delaware Park.

“We gave him the time off, which he needed,” Magee said. “We gave him the one race at Delaware, which he wasn’t ready to run. He was not quite fit and with Delaware being as deep as it is, he got exhausted. He got that race under his belt and then he just took off.”

Rominski hasn’t lost since, scoring 28 days apart in December including one over Not For Love rival Take a Hint. All three wins have come under jockey Horacio Karamanos, who gets the return call.

“We’re the speed, so we’ll see what happens. They’ll be running to catch him. He’s pretty quick,” Magee said. “If you go back on his form you’ll see every time he gets a break, he comes back strong. So we gave him a break, and it’s been a fun ride.”

This is actually the second time Magee has had Rominski. He claimed the son of Great Notion for $16,000 out of a December 2022 win at Laurel and in his first start back last February, lost him for a $12,500 tag. Magee wasted no time getting him back, claiming him three weeks later.

“He’s a cool horse,” Magee said. “I even said to Tim when I took the horse back, ‘This horse will probably need time,’ and he said, ‘That’s fine.’ It worked out.”

Nine on Tap as Live Racing Returns to Laurel Park Friday

Rominski and Exculpatory are cross-entered in a third-level optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs that highlights a nine-race program as Laurel’s winter Heritage Meet resumes Friday.

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

In Race 6, trainer Brittany Russell entered the pair of 5-year-old Murray, favored on the morning line at 5-2, and 6-year-old Swill, winner of the six-furlong Challedon last fall at Pimlico that is rated at 6-1. Murray had two wins and two seconds in his first four starts after joining Russell before running seventh in the seven-furlong Toboggan (G3) Feb. 3 at Aqueduct.

Also prominent are multiple stakes winners No Cents, exiting a fifth in the seven-furlong General George (G3) Feb. 17, Ournationonparade and Threes Over Deuces; 2020 Maryland Million Sprint winner Karan’s Notion and Bump N Run, riding a two-race win streak at Parx.

Jolly by Golly goes for a third straight win as he steps up in Race 8, an open 1 1/16-mile allowance for 4-year-olds and up, facing six foes including Under the Radar who sports a record of four wins, three seconds and 16 thirds from 35 career starts.

Race 5 is a maiden special weight for fillies and mares ages 4 and 5 going seven furlongs led by 9-5 program favorite Lute Warm, a 4-year-old daughter of Midnight Lute making her first start, and stablemate Riley G making her third start for Russell after three with Hall of Famer Bob Baffert. Trainer Graham Motion unveils Dynamism, a 4-year-old homebred by champion Uncle Mo.

There will be carryovers of $2,725.07 in the $1 Jackpot Super High Five (Race 6) and $2,155.63 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 4-9) wagers.