12:25 P.M. Post Time for First of Nine Races to Close Weekend

LAUREL. MD – Built Wright Stables’ veteran 6-year-old Plot the Dots, who became a stakes winner in dominant fashion last time out, returns as the horse to beat in Sunday’s featured eighth race at Laurel Park.

Plot the Dots, a gelded son of champion Uncle Mo, is the 9-5 program favorite from outermost Post 7 in the open third-level optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up going one mile. Jevian Toledo is named to ride.

Toledo was also aboard Jan. 21 at Laurel when Plot the Dots rallied from well back to register a five-length victory in the one-mile Jennings against Maryland-bred/sired horses. The stakes win came in his 33rd start and fifth since being claimed by owner-trainer Norman ‘Lynn’ Cash for $40,000 last fall.

Cash also entered Galerio, a 7-year-old Jump Start gelding that rallied from last to be second in the Jennings last winter and ran third in the Harrison Johnson Memorial at Laurel before being claimed for $50,000 by Cash. J.D. Acosta rides the 2022 John B. Campbell winner from Post 3.

Stakes winners Indian Lake and Exculpatory; Torch of Truth, exiting a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance win Jan. 14 at Laurel; Iywaan and Ruby Bleu complete the field.

A field of 12 was entered in Race 6, a one-mile allowance for Maryland-bred/sired 4-year-olds and up that includes Brittany Russell-trained stablemates Frightland and The Addison Pour. Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds’ Frightland was an 11-lengh maiden special weight winner last summer at Laurel that exits a neck loss when second in a similar spot against open company Jan. 6. The Elkstone Group’s The Addison Pour is entered to make his first start since last June, having finished third or better in four of five career starts with two wins.

Race 5 is a wide-open maiden claimer for 3-year-old fillies that also drew a dozen horses led by narrow 7-2 program favorite Major Houlihan, a third-time starter trained by Michael Trombetta and ridden by apprentice Jeiron Barbosa from the rail. Six the Hard Way adds blinkers off a fourth in his debut, a 5 ½-furlong maiden claimer Jan. 13 at Laurel.

Notes: Euro Stable’s John the Bear ($) stalked stakes-winning pacesetter Dreams Untold through a quarter-mile, took command leaving the far turn and opened up through the stretch to capture Saturday’s featured Race 7, a third-level optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up. The winning time for 5 ½ furlongs was 1:04.27 over a fast main track … One race earlier, Excellorator ($10.60) got his nose down on the line following a stretch-long duel with Shaft’s Bullet to earn his seventh win and improve to 5-for-10 lifetime at Laurel, running about 1 1/16 miles in 1:45.51 in the second-level optional claiming allowance for 4-year-olds and up … Live racing returns Sunday starting at 12:25 p.m.