Stakes Winner Ravenheart Making Sophomore Debut Saturday; Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Friday’s Twilight Program
Stakes Winner Ravenheart Making Sophomore Debut Saturday; Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Friday’s Twilight Program
St. Albans Boy Aiming for Fall Campaign After Summer Break
Coastal Sea Shows Courage in Record-Setting Victory
Maryland’s Leatherman Savors Opportunity to Ride at Home Track
Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Friday’s Twilight Program
LAUREL, MD – Olympic gold medalist and world champion skier Bode Miller’s Ravenheart, winner of the 2015 Maryland Juvenile Futurity, is set to make his 3-year-old debut in a six-furlong allowance Saturday at Laurel Park.
The Maryland-bred son of Dance With Ravens, based at the Fair Hill Training Center with trainer Francis ‘Tres’ Abbott III, drew post 2 of seven in the main track sprint for 3-year-olds and up with jockey Forest Boyce.
Boyce was aboard for the first time in Ravenheart’s last race, a head victory over stakes winner Flash McCaul in the seven-furlong Maryland Juvenile Dec. 26 at Laurel. It was his fourth start as a 2-year-old, including off-the-board finishes in the Maryland Million Nursery and Remsen (G2).
“He’s been doing good. He had a little setback in January and just needed a little bit of time,” Abbott said. “We entered him in a couple races the last couple of weeks and this is finally the one that went. He’s gotten bigger and a little stronger. He looks good and he’s been training great.”
Ravenheart shows six works over Fair Hill’s dirt track for his return including a bullet half-mile in 48.20 seconds July 9, the fastest of 24 horses. His most recent move of 49 seconds from the gate July 15 ranked second of 24.
“He’s kind of a big, lazy horse and you have to get aggressive with his works just to get him to do his thing and then he kind of switches on a little bit,” Abbott said. “He’s coming into it really well.”
Bred by Mr. and Mrs. Samuel H. Rogers Jr. and purchased for $27,000 by Miller at Fasig-Tipton’s 2014 Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling sale, Ravenheart has earned $56,900 in four starts. A professional winner of his unveiling last October at Delaware Park, he was a troubled fourth as the favorite in the Maryland Million Nursery behind Corvus, who is also entered Saturday from outside post 7.
“Ultimately I’d like to have him move forward from this start. I think six furlongs is probably on the short side for him. He’ll probably want to go two turns, and there are a couple 3-year-old races still around this year and the Maryland-bred stakes program later in the fall. We’re kind of looking at this as a stepping-stone for the rest of the year and the autumn and winter at Laurel,” Abbott said.
“He’s always been a horse that always kind of caught your eye in the morning,” he added. “He’s a big, pretty horse and when he goes out there everything comes to him quite easily. He’s not always the best workhorse in the world. He saves a little bit for himself. He’s a fun horse to have, particularly in the Mid-Atlantic. I think there are a lot of good opportunities for him, and the second half of the year should be a lot of fun with a fresh horse.”
St. Albans Boy Aiming for Fall Campaign After Summer Break
Hare Forest Farm’s Grade 3-placed homebred St. Albans Boy is getting the summer off to point for a fall campaign that is scheduled to include defense of his victory in the 2015 Laurel Turf Cup.
The gelded 6-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway is winless in four starts this year, returning from 2 ½ months between races to finish sixth in the Cape Henlopen Stakes July 9 at Delaware Park, contested in driving rainstorm that began moments before the gates opened.
“The weather drastically changed as they went in the starting gate and he’s not much for soft turf,” trainer Kelly Rubley said. “It’s not his favorite thing, and the jock did a wonderful job of just kind of finishing up and not pushing the issue. He really doesn’t seem to get a good grip when it’s soft and slippery like that.”
St. Albans Boy’s previous three races this year all came during Gulfstream Park’s competitive Championship Meet, where he was fourth in the W.L. McKnight (G3), third in the two-mile H. Allen Jerkens and fourth at odds of 42-1 in the Pan American (G2).
“He’s a hard-knocking guy, and he’s still going,” Rubley said. “He actually ran great in the Pan American. He only got beat two lengths for fourth which I thought was pretty remarkable. It was a big step up for him. He tries every time.”
Out of the Diamond Shoal mare Rose Diamond, St. Albans Boy remains with Rubley at the Fair Hill Training Center. Prior to his nose victory over Perfect Title in the 1 ½-mile Laurel Turf Cup last Halloween, he was third in the Sycamore (G3) at Keeneland. He also finished third in the 2014 Laurel Turf Cup.
“He’ll be back in the fall. He’s taking a little break right now to kind of catch up,” Rubley said. “That’s the game plan. He won the Laurel Cup last year so we’re hoping to make it back there again.”
The star of Rubley’s 30-horse stable, St. Albans Boy is a special horse for both the trainer and owner-breeder Anne Poulson. He provided Rubley with her first victory on April 13, 2014 at historic Pimlico Race Course, and later that summer earned her a win at the prestigious Saratoga Race Course meet.
He has bankrolled $263,721 with four wins and four thirds from 26 lifetime races that include nine graded-stakes starts.
“He’s a very special horse for us and his owner, as well,” Rubley said. “She had his brother, Summer Patriot, who was a nice stakes winner, and this is the last foal out of the mare so she has a lot invested in him. He’s turned out to be special. He started out as a quirky horse and it took us a while to kind of turn him around and get him going in a proper direction, and he certainly has proven that it was worth all of our time.”
Coastal Sea Shows Courage in Record-Setting Victory
Already a winner at Laurel’s 24-day summer meet, 3-year-old Kantharos filly Coastal Sea followed up her debut victory with a record-setting triumph over the Bowl Game Turf Course July 24.
Opal Eileen Paul’s Florida homebred Coastal Sea ran 5 ½ furlongs in 1:01, eclipsing the 2012 mark by .04 seconds. It was the fourth track record set over the Bowl Game layout this year and second of the day, following Heiko’s 1 1/16 miles in 1:40.47.
The Bowl Game is one of six different layouts over Laurel’s 142-foot wide turf course, along with the All Along, Dahlia, Fort Marcy, Kelso and Exceller. Separate records are kept for the varying distances on each course.
Other Bowl Game records were set this year by Seeking Treasure, who ran one mile in 1:33.99 to win the Dahlia Stakes April 16, and Relentless Ride, whose mark of 1:40.96 for 1 1/16 miles on April 17 was broken by Heiko.
Unraced at 2, Coastal Sea overcame a slow start to rally on the far outside and win her July 2 unveiling by two lengths at the same 5 ½-furlong distance over the All Along course. She showed a new dimension in her latest triumph, getting blocked by horses in mid-stretch before finding a narrow seam and splitting horses to win by the same margin under a hand ride.
“Actually she’s pretty nice to ride. She’s pretty level-headed. She doesn’t do anything wrong. You never test them like that in the morning so you never really know until they get in the fight, but she certainly was impressive,” trainer Tim Keefe said. “I was a little bit worried because she was so wound up in the paddock, but she certainly put it together again so I’m really pleased.”
Keefe was uncertain what the next spot would be for Coastal Sea, but is hopeful for another one at Laurel. The summer meet ends Aug. 21 and the fall meet is set to open Sept. 9 and run through Dec. 31.
“We’ll see how she is and kind of play it by ear,” Keefe said. “Certainly she likes running here, so we’ll try to find another race for her here.”
Coastal Sea’s victory continued an outstanding meet for Keefe, who leads the trainer standings with nine wins, four more than runner-up Hamilton Smith, from 25 starters. Maryland’s sixth-leading trainer in 2015, Keefe has never won a training title. He tied for second during last year’s summer meet.
“Things are just kind of rolling alone. Horses are just getting to the right time here at Laurel,” he said. “I’m very fortunate to have the good talent back in the barn that I have and that’s kind of keeping everything going for me.”
Maryland’s Leatherman Savors Opportunity to Ride at Home Track
Aspiring jockey Taylor Leatherman got a taste of riding in front of the home crowd when finishing fourth aboard Skiing in Russia in the FEGENTRI International Federation of Gentlemen and Lady Riders race July 22 at Laurel.
The 17-year-old native of Union Bridge, Md. was making just her second start in the FEGENTRI series for amateur riders, representing the U.S. in the World Cup of Nations team event. In addition to exercising, training and breaking horses at her mother Faith Leatherman’s Winding Creek Farm, Leatherman also works on the pony team at Maryland Jockey Club tracks.
“It was good. I had fun, but obviously I wanted to win,” Leatherman said. “She did run well. She’s a nice filly. I like her a lot.”
Trainer Anthony Aguirre named Leatherman to ride Skiing in Russia, a 3-year-old Big Brown filly, in the 5 ½-furlong maiden turf sprint. She raced in second behind uncontested front-running winner Peppermint Stick before being passed late by Graceful Light and Miss Modela.
“I was pretty wide going into the first turn and in through the last. I couldn’t figure out how to pick up my reins and get my stick and a few other things,” she said. “It was a pretty good race. It was fun. The most important thing for me at this point is to learn so I can eventually become a much more talented jockey and be able to give these horses better rides.”
Leatherman made her FEGENTRI debut last month at Delaware Park, and is looking forward to her next mount.
“I’m not really sure at this point [what’s next],” she said. “I’d have to get a ride and everything but hopefully someone will call and I’ll be able to ride again before the season is over.”
Rainbow 6, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Friday’s Twilight Program
There will be carryovers in both the 20-cent Rainbow 6 and $1 Super Hi-5 when live racing resumes Friday with nine-race card, featuring five turf races, for Laurel’s weekly twilight program.
First race post time is 3:40 p.m.
No one correctly selected all six winners in Sunday’s Rainbow 6, creating a carryover jackpot of $5,316.02. The popular multi-race wager has gone unsolved in eight consecutive race programs since being hit for $24,250.10 on July 4.
Friday’s Rainbow 6 spans Races 4-9 and includes the featured eighth race, a $42,000 allowance for 3-year-olds and up going 5 ½ furlongs on the Bowl Game Turf Course. Sophomores Just Jack, the 5-2 program favorite, and 3-1 second choice Grey Fox already own wins over their elders.
The Rainbow 6 carryover jackpot is only paid out when there is a single unique ticket sold with all six winners. On days when there is no unique ticket, 60 percent of that day’s pool goes back to those bettors holding tickets with the most winners while 40 percent is carried over to the jackpot pool.
There will be a Super Hi-5 carryover of $449.83 in Friday’s opener, a $33,000 maiden claimer for 2-year-olds at five furlongs on the main track.
Also on Friday’s card in a $45,000 optional claiming allowance in Race 3, scheduled for 5 ½ furlongs on the Bowl Game course and topped by 2-1 morning-line favorite Twizzle, who returned from a year between races to win both his starts this year for trainer Jorge Navarro.
In addition to the live racing, Laurel is serving up casual food and drink specials with live music from 4 to 8 p.m. Performing Friday is country artist Dean Crawford.
