Elusive Knight, Excellerator End Layoffs in Thursday Feature
Nominations Close Saturday for Five $100,000 Stakes April 23

LAUREL, MD – His name may suggest otherwise, but the connections of Mopo Racing’s Alwaysinahurry are taking their time bringing the now 4-year-old stakes winner back to the races.

Owned in a partnership led by Maury Povich, recently retired as the longest-running talk show host in television history with the final original episodes of his daytime program airing in September, Alwaysinahurry made his return to the work tab late last month.

The gelded bay son of six-time defending champion Maryland stallion Great Notion breezed three furlongs in 36.60 seconds March 27 at Laurel, the fastest of 14 horses. He followed up with a 36.40 move at the same distance April 3, ranking first of 22 horses.

“So far he’s coming along just fine. He’s in good shape,” trainer Dale Capuano said. “He had a nice rest and he’s just starting out with a couple three-eighths works, so we’ve got a little ways to go yet before he’s ready. Probably sometime at the end of May, first of June. I don’t know what kind of races will be available for him then, but so far so good.”

Alwaysinahurry took five tries to break his maiden, that coming in September 2020 at Delaware Park. He raced three more times at 2, running second to stablemate Kenny Had a Notion in the Maryland Million Nursery and fifth behind Maryland-bred champion 2- and 3-year-old Jaxon Traveler in the Maryland Juvenile.

As a 3-year-old Alwaysinahurry raced three times, running fourth in a June 9 starter allowance at Delaware to launch his sophomore campaign. He defeated Chick Lang (G3) winner Mighty Mischief by 4 ¾ lengths in the Concern July 4 – Mopo’s first stakes winner – and was second to Jaxon Traveler in the Star de Naskra Aug. 21, both sprinting six furlongs at historic Pimlico Race Course.

Alwaysinahurry had one more work following the Star de Naskra before being put away for the winter with sights set on 2022.

“We rested a lot of them during the winter. They’re coming back now, so hopefully it pays off,” Capuano said. “That was pretty much what our thinking was. He’s a 4-year-old now, so hopefully he’s going to have a good year. We’re looking forward to him having a nice year.”

Not only was Alwaysmining the first stakes winner for Povich, who launched Mopo in 2019, but the horse was part of the first crop of yearlings that he purchased, costing $70,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s Midlantic Eastern Fall Sale in October 2019 at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium.

“That turned out pretty good,” Capuano said. “He’s very patient. You won’t come across a client any better than him, that’s for sure.”

Elusive Knight, Excellerator End Layoffs in Thursday Feature

Elusive Knight and Excellorator, both stakes-placed and coming off extended layoffs, will be side by side in the starting gate when they make their return Thursday as live racing resumes at Laurel Park.

Stronach Stables’ homebred Elusive Knight and Larry Rabold’s Maryland-bred Excellorator respectively drew Posts 6 and 5 in Thursday’s Race 7 feature, an entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up going a one-turn mile on the main track.

Elusive Knight is an Ontario-bred son of Hall of Famer Ghostzapper racing for the first time in 601 days, since finishing fifth in the 1 1/8-mile Plate Trial Aug. 15, 2020 at Woodbine. Each of the 5-year-old gelding’s prior starts have come over the Canadian track’s all-weather surface, for previous trainer Sid Attard.

Now with trainer Jose Corrales, Elusive Knight has been working steadily since mid-February at Laurel for his return. He owns one win from six career races with four seconds, including the 2019 Display at Woodbine behind Vanzzy, a multiple stakes winner of more than $340,000. He is second choice on the morning line at 4-1, with J.D. Acosta named to ride.

Excellorator, a 4-year-old son of 2013 Florida Derby (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Orb, was last seen finishing first in the 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio last April before being disqualified to second for drifting out in the stretch. It was his second start since being claimed by trainer Hugh McMahon for $62,500 in February 2021, finishing third behind stakes winners Shackled Love and Maythehorsebwithu first time for the new connections.

Five-pound apprentice Jean Alvelo has the call on Excellorator, the narrow 3-1 program favorite who returned to the work tab in early December at Laurel and has finished worse than third just once in nine lifetime races, with three wins.

Post time for the first of eight races Thursday is 12:40 p.m.

Nominations Close Saturday for Five $100,000 Stakes April 23

Nominations close Saturday, April 9 for five $100,000 stakes to be run Saturday, April 23 at Laurel Park, including the first three stakes scheduled for its world-class turf course.

The Henry S. Clark for 3-year-olds and up and Dahlia for fillies and mares 3 and older, each going one mile, and the King T. Leatherbury sprinting 5 ½ furlongs are all set to be run on the turf. The first grass races of the season in Laurel’s spring meet condition book are Thursday, April 21.

Also on the April 23 stakes schedule are the Native Dancer for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles and the six-furlong Primonetta for fillies and mares 3 and older, both on the main track.

Laurel will host the Spring Stakes Spectacular Saturday, Aug. 16 featuring four stakes worth $450,000 in purses led by the $125,000 Federico Tesio for 3-year-olds and $125,000 Weber City Miss for 3-year-old fillies.

The 1 1/8-mile Tesio is a ‘Win and In’ qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 147th Preakness Stakes (G1) Saturday, May 21 at historic Pimlico Race Course. The Weber City Miss, at about 1 1/16 miles, offers the winner an automatic berth to the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) on Preakness Eve.