Showalter Hits Home Run in Laurel Saturday Feature; Multiple Carryovers for Sunday’s Nine-Race Program
Showalter Hits Home Run in Laurel Saturday Feature; Multiple Carryovers for Sunday’s Nine-Race Program
El Areeb Impresses in Maiden Triumph
Multiple Carryovers for Sunday’s Nine-Race Program
Week 6 Qualifier in MJC Players’ Challenge Contest Sunday
Premier Parlay Wager Offered on NFL Sundays
LAUREL, MD – Making his second start in two weeks off a 10-month layoff, Maryland homebred Showalter swept to the lead at the top of the stretch and kept going for a decisive victory in Saturday’s featured ninth race at Laurel Park.
Bred in Maryland by Peter Angelos’ Marathon Farms Inc. and named by the Baltimore Orioles majority owner for his baseball manager, Buck Showalter, the gelded 3-year-old son of Quality Road ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1:03.48 over a fast main track.
Showalter ($6.20) was the beaten favorite in his seasonal debut, a similar 5 ½-furlong entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up run over a sloppy, sealed track Oct. 1 at Laurel. It marked his first race since being moved to trainer Gary Capuano following two starts at 2 including his debut victory in late November.
“He ran big today,” Capuano said. “I was a little worried it might be a little close back for him but he has training good and came out of his last race good, so what the heck. It was a salty race. It was pretty competitive, so I was happy with that.”
Rolin With Olin rocketed to the lead and ran a quarter-mile in 22.47 seconds with Showalter and jockey Jevian Toledo poised to pounce on his right flank. They cruised to the front around the far turn after a half in 45.68 and straightened for home in command, pulling away down the stretch to win by 4 ¾ lengths.
Sir Navigator came on for second with Sir Orinoco third and Rider On the Storm and narrow 2-1 favorite Daily News in a dead heat for fourth.
“[The rail] post position got us last time, but he ran huge and then came back and won today pretty impressively,” Capuano said. “Mr. Angelos will be happy. He’s always happy when they win. They’ve been in it for a long time and Mr. Angelos is great for the game. He deserves a decent horse. So far, he’s moving in the right direction so we’ll see what he can do.”
El Areeb Impresses in Maiden Triumph
M M G Stables LLC’s El Areeb took the lead from the gate and never looked back, graduating from the maiden ranks with an impressive 8 ¾-length victory in Saturday’s fifth race, a $40,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds on the main track.
Sent to the lead from Post 6 by jockey Trevor McCarthy, the juvenile son of Exchange Rate, purchased for $340,000 at Ocala’s 2-year-old-in-training sale in March, was never challenged in the six-furlong sprint, opening up daylight with each stride down the stretch to hit the wire in 1:10.30 and return $6.20 as the 2-1 favorite.
“He got a little unlucky when he bucked shins in his first start at Philadelphia. He came back here the last time and was drawn in the 13 hole. It came off the turf, he missed the break, circled the field and still got up for second,” winning trainer Cal Lynch said. “We were impressed. We knew he was talented and he’s been working really well. It was no secret. Today he just showed up and put it all together, thank God.”
Unhurried racing next-to-last in a field of 10, Quest Realty’s Virginia homebred Speed Gracer ($19.40) came flying on the outside and got up to win by a length in the fifth race, a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight turf sprint for 2-year-olds. Sixth in the Jamestown Stakes Sept. 24 at Laurel in his career debut, the Lemon Drop Kid gelding won in 1:03.45 over a firm Bowl Game Turf Course.
In Saturday’s opener, a $40,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies on the Bowl Game layout, Heider Family Stables LLC’s Contributing ($17.40) got her nose down on the wire to edge Stormin Babe under Feargal Lynch.
Multiple Carryovers for Sunday’s Nine-Race Program
There will be carryovers in the 20-cent Rainbow 6, 50-cent Late Pick 5 and $1 Super Hi-5 wagers for Sunday’s nine-race program that kicks off at 12:30 p.m.
The Late Pick 5, which covers Races 5-9 Sunday, will have a carryover of $4,857.12 after no one selected all five winners on Saturday. Tickets with four of five winners paid $404.75.
No one had all six winners in the Rainbow 6, growing the jackpot carryover to $2,237.56. Tickets with four of six winners Saturday returned $585.04.
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 spans Races 4-9. Included in the sequence is a $40,000 maiden event for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles on the Bowl Game Turf Course in Race 5 and a $40,000 maiden special weight for 2-year-olds on the Exceller Turf Course, also at 1 1/16 miles, in Race 9.
In all, six races are scheduled to be run over Laurel’s world-class turf course, drawing a total of 67 entries, an average of 11.1 starters per race.
A Super Hi-5 carryover of $1,881.04 will be available for Sunday’s opener.
In addition to live racing, Laurel will play host to the sixth of seven weekly qualifiers in the Maryland Jockey Club Players’ Challenge leading up to the Oct. 30 championship round, where 13 players have earned a total of 20 entries through the first five weeks. Entry fee is $30 and limited to members of the MJC Premier Players Club. For more information, click here.
Every Sunday during the NFL season, Laurel is offering a Premier Parlay for club members. For more information, click here.
Notes: Jockey Forest Boyce posted a natural hat trick with three straight victories aboard Shifra Magician ($27.40) in the sixth race, Speed Gracer ($19.40) in the seventh and Moral High Ground ($20.60) in the eighth. Jevian Toledo had a pair of winners with I.C. Lightning ($21.80) in the fourth and Showalter ($6.20) in the ninth. Both Showalter and Jeezum Jim ($12.20) in the second race are trained by Gary Capuano.
