Six Stakes Worth $550,000 in Purses Saturday, Dec. 30
Six Stakes Worth $550,000 in Purses Saturday, Dec. 30
Christmastide Day Stakes Attract 161 Nominations
Grade 1 Winner Takaful, Multiple Graded Winners El Areeb, Actress Among Nominees
LAUREL, MD – A total of 161 nominations were made to six stakes worth $550,000 in purses on Christmastide Stakes Day progam, Saturday Dec. 30 at Laurel Park.
Due to the upcoming Christmas holiday, entries for all six stakes will be taken Saturday, Dec. 23. Laurel will host live racing Friday and Saturday, Dec. 22 and 23, and finish the 2017 calendar year with programs Tuesday, Dec. 26 and Friday through Sunday, Dec. 29-31.
Juveniles will take center stage in the $100,000 Heft for 2-year-olds and the $100,000 Gin Talking for 2-year-old fillies, both at seven furlongs, joining the $100,000 Dave’s Friend at six furlongs and the $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go for fillies and mares at one mile, both for 3-year-olds and up.
Maryland-bred/sired horses will be featured in the $75,000 Jennings for 3-year-olds and up at one mile and the $75,000 Politely for fillies and mares 3 and older at six furlongs.
John Salzman Jr., Fred Wasserloos and George Greenwalt’s filly Limited View, an impressive winner of three straight including the Maryland Million Lassie and Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship, the latter on Dec. 9, is nominated to both the Heft and the Gin Talking.
The Heft, won last year by eventual multiple graded-stakes winner Irish War Cry when it was run as the Marylander, attracted 32 nominees including James F. Lewis III winner A Different Style, Maryland Million Nursery winner Clever Mind, undefeated Midnight Poker, and Whirlin Curlin, upset winner of back-to-back stakes in the Christopher Elser Memorial and Maryland Juvenile Futurity.
Also among the Gin Talking nominees are Bound to Windsor, a winner of three straight stakes at Charles Town; Oldfashioned Style, most recently second in the Tempted (G3) Nov. 3 at Aqueduct; Jamestown Stakes winner Yes to the Dress; stakes-placed Another Level, B’s Wild Cork, Sweet Candy Dance, Vente to Go, Vertrazzo and Wall of Compassion.
The Dave’s Friend drew 31 nominations including Vosburgh (G1) winner Takaful; multiple Grade 3 winner El Areeb; Grade 2 winners Favorite Tale and Ready for Rye; Grade 3 winners Classy Class and millionaire Stallwalkin’ Dude; multiple stakes winners Afleet Willy, Awesome Banner, Celtic Chaos, Even Thunder, Never Gone South, Recruiting Ready, Sonny Inspired and Struth.
Most popular among horsemen was the Thirty Eight Go Go with 42 nominations, led by Actress, whose multiple graded-stakes wins include the Black-Eyed Susan (G2); Grade 2 and 3 winner Mrs McDougal; Go For Wand (G3) winner Indulgent; Grade 3 winner Tin Type Gal; Angel At War, undefeated through six starts, the last two at Laurel; multiple stakes winners My Magician, Power of Snunner and Winter; Safely Kept winner Berned; Grade 1-placed Line of Best Fit and Prioress (G2) runner-up Dawn the Destroyer.
Multiple stakes winners Flash McCaul, John Jones, Sonny Inspired and Talk Show Man head 15 nominees to the Jennings, while the Politely’s 14 nominations include 2016 Maryland Million Lassie winner Item, 2017 Maryland Million Distaff winner Miss Nosy; and My Magician.
