Special Envoy Targets Second Straight Win in $75,000 Hansel
Special Envoy Targets Second Straight Win in $75,000 Hansel
Queen Caroline Seeks Winning Form in $75,000 William M. Backer
Connections Hope Ring Knocker Answers Bell in $75,000 Camptown
Two Notch Road Back for More in $75,000 Meadow Stable
Laurel’s World-Class Turf Course Hosting Virginia-Bred/Sired Stakes
LAUREL, MD – It took every inch of the one-mile Edward P. Evans for Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Firestone’s Special Envoy to earn some long-deserved black type. Six weeks later he returns to Laurel Park aiming for his second straight stakes victory in the $75,000 Hansel.
The 1 1/16-mile Hansel for 3-year-olds and up is one of four stakes restricted to Virginia-bred/sired horses to be contested over Laurel’s world-class turf course on an 11-race program that begins at 1:10 p.m. and includes the $75,000 William M. Backer at 1 1/16 miles and the $75,000 Camptown and $75,000 Meadow Stable, each at 5 ½ furlongs.
Special Envoy, trained by Fair Hill-based Arnaud Delacour, will benefit from both the added distance and the absence of recently retired multiple stakes winner Rose Brier, who the 6-year-old Stroll gelding edged by a nose in the June 24 Evans. It was a reverse of the 2016 finish, when Rose Brier got the best of his rival by a length.
“He’s always been very competitive. That showed that he’s still competitive at this level. Obviously Rose Brier is retired so that is one less tough customer to worry about,” Delacour said. “He’s an easy keeper. He’s kind of a chubby horse and we just have to keep him fit, but he’s doing well and we’re very happy with him.”
Special Envoy does his best running near or on the lead, and Delacour expects to see him in a similar spot in the Hansel, where he will be ridden by Daniel Centeno at topweight of 120 pounds from the rail in a field of seven.
“Everything depends on the pace. I didn’t think the last time the pace was too fast but I would say he likes to be right there,” Delacour said. “Depending on the pace scenario I’d like to see him close or in front.
“I always thought that his best distance was a mile and an eighth,” he added. “It worked out the last time going a mile but I don’t mind the added distance. I wouldn’t mind even if it was longer. I’m very comfortable with that.”
Also returning from the Edward Evans are Speed Gracer and Jump Ship, who ran third and fourth, respectively, separated by two lengths. Speed Gracer enters the Hansel without a race since while Jump Ship was third by two lengths in a 1 1/16-mile starter optional claimer July 9 at Laurel.
Dream of Peace, Mr. Magician, Titan Alexander and Virginia Royal are also entered.
Queen Caroline Seeks Winning Form in $75,000 William M. Backer
Amy Moore’s Queen Caroline returns to Laurel hoping to regain her winning form as the horse to beat in the $75,000 William M. Backer for fillies and mares 3 and up.
A 4-year-old daughter of Blame, Queen Caroline was a comfortable front-running winner of the one-mile Nellie Mae Cox June 24, her first victory since the second of back-to-back stakes triumphs last fall at Indiana Grand.
Back in against open company for her most recent start, Queen Caroline stalked the pace for a half-mile but failed to respond at the quarter pole and ran a flat fifth in the Indiana General Assembly Distaff, beaten 5 ½ lengths. She comes back on three weeks’ rest for the Backer.
“I don’t think it’ll be a concern, or we wouldn’t be doing it,” trainer Michael Matz said. “I don’t know what happened the last race. It wasn’t typically her. I don’t know if it was the ship out or the change of rider. Maybe she wasn’t good enough. This is probably a little easier spot and we’ll just see where she goes from there. Hopefully it’ll give her her confidence back.”
Queen Caroline, fourth by less than three lengths in the Gallorette (G3) May 20 at historic Pimlico Race Course, will have regular rider Alex Cintron back aboard from Post 4 at highweight of 122 pounds. Cintron has been up for each of Queen Caroline’s three career stakes wins.
“He fits her real well. He knows her and she knows him, so they’re a good match,” Matz said. “There wasn’t that much speed in the race the last time. She just kind of got to the lead on her own. It was just one of those things.”
Queen Caroline will meet a familiar cast in the Backer with seven other horses exiting the Nellie Mae Cox including runner-up Armoire, third-place finisher Complete St. and Secret Or Not, who ran fourth. Armoire and Well Blessed, a winner of her last two races at Delaware Park, are both Firestone homebreds trained by Delacour.
Sweet Sandy, Andrasta, Street Miz and Grace Is Ready, sixth through ninth, respectively, in the Nellie Mae Cox, complete the field. Since the stakes Street Miz came back to win a one-mile claiming event July 9 at Laurel and Sweet Sandy was second in an entry-level allowance July 10 at Delaware.
Connections Hoping Ring Knocker Answers Bell in $75,000 Camptown
Having come within a length of her first turf stakes victory last time out, Ring Knocker returns to the same course and distance in the $75,000 Camptown for fillies and mares 3 and older.
Ring Knocker, co-owned by Bob Petersons Stable, Frank Bellavia and New York-based trainer Gary Gullo, was third behind Do What I Say in the M. Tyson Gilpin June 24 at Laurel, also at 5 ½ furlongs.
It was just the third try on grass and first in 10 starts since last October at Belmont Park for Ring Knocker, a head behind Gilpin runner-up Sister Says, who also returns in the Camptown.
“She’s training great. She’s going to be going into this race really good,” Gullo said. “She’s been good right along. She’s not tailing off at all and every time she’s getting better and better. It’s a good thing to have. She’s very happy and she looks great.”
Gullo claimed Ring Knocker for $25,000 out of a runner-up finish last Dec. 1 at Aqueduct. The 5-year-old Birdstone mare has not finished worse than third in eight subsequent starts for her new connections, three of them wins, including the April 1 Xtra Heat on dirt, named for the 2015 Hall of Famer and one of Maryland’s most popular horses.
Ring Knocker will carry topweight of 124 pounds including Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado from Post 7 of nine.
“She looked like she was moving in the right direction. I think really that she’s just happy with everything we’re doing. I’ve been kind of picking the right spots for her and this spot looks good,” Gullo said. “I think Prado learned a little bit about her last time. I thought she ran very, very well. Prado was kind of happy the way she ran and she didn’t get beat far. I don’t know that 5 ½ furlongs is her distance, but it’s the competition that’s bringing me there.”
Tiz Our Time, gate-to-wire winner of the 5 ½-furlong White Oak Farm for Virginia-breds June 24 at Laurel; Why Not Be Queen, who missed finishing second in the Gilpin by three heads, and Awake the Day, another half-length back in sixth, are are cross-entered in the Camptown and $75,000 Meadow Stable against males.
Gilpin winner Do What I Say; fourth- and fifth-place finishers Northern Eclipse and Why Not Be Queen; Uphill Battle, a second-level allowance off-the-turf allowance winner June 30 at Parx and recent Laurel maiden winner Weekend are also entered.
Two Notch Road Back for More in $75,000 Meadow Stable
James Hackman and trainer Glenn Thompson’s multiple stakes winner Two Notch Road looks to snap his five-race losing streak in the $75,000 Meadow Stable for 3-year-olds and up, his 36th career start.
The 10-year-old Partner’s Hero gelding was most recently fifth in a second-level optional claiming allowance July 16 at Monmouth Park, where Thompson is based. He was fifth by 3 ¾ lengths in the White Oak Farm June 24 at Laurel, his first start since finishing third as two-time defending champ in the Punch Line last September.
Lawyer Dave and Lime House Louie ran 2-3 in the White Oak Farm, separated by a half-length. Lady Olivia Northcliff homebred Lawyer Dave has 10 wins from 58 lifetime races, while Wildcard Stable’s Lime House Louie is two-for-seven in his career, winning the Jamestown against state-breds last fall at Laurel.
Fly E Dubai, fourth in the White Oak Farm; Homespun Hero, running first off the claim for trainer Mark Shuman; and 3-year-old Albert the Great colt Trustifarian, 1 ¼-length winner of his career debut June 24 at Laurel round out the field with the cross-entered Awake the Day, Tiz Our Time and Why Not Be Queen.
