Stakes winners clash in competitive Conniver

LAUREL, MD – Speedyness cuts back three-eighths of a mile for Saturday's $75,000 Not For Love Stakes for state-bred or -sired older horses racing six furlongs at Laurel Park.

Considering Speedyness' good early zip, trainer Jamie Ness seemed only mildly concerned about the distance change when contacted on Tuesday morning.

"Listen, this horse can go 22, 44. The distance is not ideal, but it's a Maryland-bred race, so we'll cut him back," Ness said. "I think he's a little better going long, but he can do both."

Ness bred the 4-year-old Great Notion gelding under the Jagger Inc. banner and owns Speedyness in partnership with Morris Kernan Jr. A winner in 7 of 17 starts, Speedyness has shown the versatility to win at distances ranging from 4 ½ furlongs to 1 1/8 miles.

He captured the Miracle Wood last year at a one-turn mile and, after a series of close-but-no-cigar finishes in stakes competition, wired six others in Laurel's John B. Campbell over muddy going on Feb. 15.

Jockey Jaime Rodriguez retains the mount on Speedyness, who breaks from post six on Saturday. Rodriguez was pleased with Speedyness' John B. Campbell tally, although he did mention one of the gelding's quirks.

"Every time the horses got close to him, he never gave up," Rodriguez said in the John B. Campbell winner's circle. "When you put him in cruise control, he did everything himself. I waited, made [Speedyness] change his leads, and tipped out a little to keep him moving. Once he was one or two lengths in front, he pricked his ears and started looking around. He got me a little bit worried."

Despite being a temperamental problem child as a younger horse, DeSales 85's Circle P scored the restricted Maryland Juvenile Stakes as a 2-year-old. He's more mature as a 4-year-old and enters the Not For Love following a sixth-place finish against tough open competition in the General George Stakes on Feb. 15.

"He just got back a little too far," said trainer Flint Stites, who felt the muddy track worked against Circle P in the General George. "He doesn't have a lot of early speed, so he has to rely on a quick pace. The track bias that day was front-end runners."

Stites doesn't mind turning back Circle P from seven to six furlongs and was impressed with Circle P's breeze last Saturday.

"He has a fairly quick turn of foot," Stites continued. “[The work] went really well. He changed leads good. He was right down on the rail and galloped out strong."

J R Sanchez Racing Stable's Hittheroadjak earned stakes-placings in his last three starts, but all those races came at one mile or longer. Trainer Rudy Sanchez-Salomon said Tuesday that he is on the fence regarding Hittheroadjak's participation in the Not For Love.

The Cottonwood Stable's Seven's Eleven finished second in the Grade 3 General George in 2024 behind Maryland-bred champion Post Time but has only won one race from nine subsequent starts. The multiple stakes-winner finished fourth when entered for the $55,000 claiming option over muddy going on Feb. 9.

S S Sinatra was claimed for $24,000 in 2023 by trainer Kerry Hohlbein for 3 Reasons Racing. The Desert Party gelding has been successful on both turf and dirt but hit the board in his last five dirt starts, including a game half-length victory over restricted allowance company on Feb. 7.

Feeling Woozy finished only 1 ½ lengths behind Speedyness when second in a high-level allowance at 1 1/16 miles on Nov. 15. He finished sixth in his most recent start, the restricted Jennings Stakes contested at a one-turn mile on Jan. 18. Hamilton Smith owns and trains Feeling Woozy.

Freeze the Fire, second in the open Fire Plug Stakes two starts back, his most recent race on fast footing, completes the field for trainer Jose Magana and owners Pepe Stable and J L M Jacona Stable.

Six stakes winners clash in competitive Conniver

Looking for a classy runner in Saturday's co-featured $75,000 Conniver Stakes for state-bred or -sired fillies and mares at seven furlongs?

Take your pick.

Call Another Play, Spencerian, Bourbon Bon Bay, Gold Digging Broad, and Malibu Moonshine have already succeeded against stakes competition.

Call Another Play, a homebred owned by The Estate of R. Larry Johnson, earned a complimentary berth into last year's Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes after taking the "Win and You're In" Weber City Miss Stakes. She finished a good third in the Black-Eyed Susan and then ran a better-than-it-looks fourth in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks.

After three subpar running lines, Trombetta had considered retirement for Call Another Play. The filly changed those plans after she upset the restricted Geisha Stakes here around a one-turn mile in her seasonal debut.

Although Call Another Play hasn't sprinted in over a year, she did win her maiden at six furlongs at Colonial in 2023.

"The way she ran last time at a mile, I think she can handle it, and so does [jockey Mychel] Sanchez," so we're going to give it a try," Trombetta said about the one-furlong turnback in distance.

Trainer Hugh McMahon claimed Spencerian for $16,000 in 2023, and the 5-year-old Irish War Cry mare has rewarded that faith by winning half of her ten subsequent starts for owner Larry Rabold.

A gritty winner of the restricted Politely on Dec. 21, Spencerian finished third in the open What A Summer Stakes at six furlongs on Jan. 18.

“She was a reasonable horse to claim because she had conditions and is a Maryland-bred," McMahon said after the Politely. "We didn't know [at the time], but she was compromised behind. We sent her away just for rest, and she got good. We didn't do any real diagnostics, but we thought it was a fractured hip."

After only starting six times between 2021 and 2024, Erin Hlubik's 8-year-old mare Bourbon Bon Bay has enjoyed a career renaissance for trainer Ned Allard. She's raced four consecutive times since Oct. 24 without a layoff and earned stakes-placings in both the Willa On the Move and restricted Politely.

Bourbon Bon Bay finished fifth behind Call Another Play in the Geisha and drew the far outside in the Conniver.

"I was hoping for an outside post because most of the time, she doesn't show any speed and then makes a good run," Allard said. "She's doing super."

Allard believes the mile distance in the Geisha might have been a bit too far for Bourbon Bon Bay, who took Parx's Cornucopia Stakes at 6 ½ furlongs in 2022.

Jean Mahoney's Gold Digging Broad was placed first by disqualification in the restricted All Brandy Stakes on turf in 2023. She finished seventh in the Geisha.

Malibu Moonshine won the restricted Maryland Juvenile Filly Stakes and open Gin Talking Stakes before being named Maryland-bred champion 2-year-old filly of 2022. She prevailed in the 2024 Geisha but seeks her first victory since being claimed for $25,000 by Ronald Harris Parker and trainer Todd Beattie out of a winning effort at Saratoga last summer.

Spencer Tiara makes her stakes debut in the Conniver. A homebred owned and trained by Elizabeth Merryman, Spencer Tiara finished second in a state-sired allowance on Feb. 22.

"She's always been an easily intimidated type filly," said Merryman, who added blinkers three starts back and was rewarded with a win and two second-place finishes. "Being close to the pace in her races in New York suited her. We had made some changes at home, and it seems she's coming around."

John Williamson's Stickwiththecolors steps up into stakes company in search of her third consecutive victory. The 4-year-old filly by Divining Rod nosed out her competition in an open first-level allowance on Jan. 17.

Copper Penny Stables' Angel Art enters following a third-place finish at 46-1 against an open second-level allowance group over course and distance on Jan. 24.

"She ran great," said trainer Mark Shuman. "She got a little bit tired there at the end. I think we weren't as tight as we probably could have been, but it was such a good race. How do you fault it?"

Shuman likes the inside post position for Angel Art.

"She loves the inside," Shuman admitted. "If I had to pay you 200 bucks to be on the rail, I'd be there."

Shuman feels that Angel Art needs to time her run just right. "Don't move until the quarter-pole. First or last, that's the instructions."

Steeplechase Farm's Royal Whisper, second in last year's Conniver, completes the field.

Trainer Gary Capuano said Wednesday that Intrepid Dream will scratch.