Talk Show Man Seeks Past Glory in $125,000 Maryland Million Turf
Talk Show Man Seeks Past Glory in $125,000 Maryland Million Turf
Devilish Love Set for Title Defense in $125,000 Maryland Million Ladies
LAUREL, MD – Talk Show Man has won multiple stakes during a 31-race career, none more memorable than the 2014 Maryland Million Turf, in which Michael Harrison’s homebred gelding’s won a narrow decision over favored Ben’s Cat on the turf at Laurel Park.
Talk Show Man didn’t get the best of trips, getting bumped and pushed wide around the first turn as Ben’s Cat obtained a clear stalking position along the backstretch before inheriting the lead from the tiring long-shot pacesetter on the turn into the homestretch. Talk Show Man made a sweeping three-wide move on the final turn and steadily overtook Ben’s Cat in the stretch to score by a half-length in the mile turf event that proved a bit long for the late turf sprint legend.
“I think he’s still got that kind of run left in him,” said trainer Hamilton Smith of Talk Show Man. “I just hope he’s got one left in him for Saturday.”
Talk Show Man is scheduled for an attempt to recapture his past glory Saturday at Laurel Park in the $125,000 Maryland Million Turf, in which he is slated to face eight rivals in the mile turf test that also sports eight also-eligible entrants.
Talk Show Man is rated as the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the main body of the field.
Out of action for a variety of issues for 16 months, Talk Show Man has run six times in 2017. In his second start back, Michael Harrison’s homebred gelding closed from 10th to fifth in the stretch run of the Dixie (G2) at Pimlico May 20. He came right back to close from 10th to third, beaten by just a neck, in the six-furlong Mister Diz Stakes before capturing a mile turf allowance by a neck over multiple-winner Marengo Road in July.
“He’s been in with a classy bunch all year. He had the one allowance race that they put up and he was lucky enough to win that but other than that we’ve had to run him in stakes all year long just to get races in him,” Smith said. “There were some pretty tough races that we ran in.”
Most recently, Talk Show Man finished a disappointing eighth in the Laurel Turf Cup Sept. 16 after a troubled start and wide trip.
“That was a tough race, don’t get me wrong, but he can run a whole lot better than he did. There wasn’t any part of the race that I was positive about. He just kind of galloped around there is about what it amounted to, but he came out of the race fine,” Smith said. “We couldn’t find anything wrong with him. We checked him over good and took blood on him and everything else and everything seems to be in line. We’re just going to draw a line through that one and come back again and hope to get a better result.”
The son of Great Notion, who has earned $365,656 during his career, has pleased his trainer with his subsequent workouts in preparation for the Turf.
“He worked [five furlongs in 1:01.20] the other day and looked good. For him, that’s about his normal work. He was a little stronger the last part of it and galloped out an extra eighth of a mile pretty solidly,” Smith said. “That tells me that he’s pretty much ready to go. If he’s got running on his mind, he should perform very well.”
Daniel Centeno has been named to ride Talk Show Man for the first time Saturday.
While Talk Show Man has been an established stakes performer in Maryland since 2014, R. Larry Johnson’s Somekindofmagician will be on a quest to win his first stakes in the Turf. The late-developing 3-year-old gelding is rated second at 5-2 in the morning line on the strength of strong recent starts in New York.
Winless in his first three starts, Somekindofmagician broke through with a 3 ¾-length victory in a waiver maiden-claiming race at Laurel off a five-month layoff in July. The Michael Trombetta-trained gelding subsequently finished second in a first-level allowance at Saratoga before capturing a six-furlong allowance at Belmont Park Sept. 23.
“He’s an improving 3-year-old for sure. The mile will be a little bit something new for him, but we’ll see if he can do it,” said Trombetta, who awarded the mount aboard Somekindofmagician to Alex Cintron.
Spartianos and Grandiflora, who finished second and third, respectively, behind Phlash Phelps in the 2016 Maryland Million Turf, are slated to return in Saturday’s renewal.
Todd Pletcher-trained Jerandson, who finished fifth in his only start on turf, is cross-entered in both the Turf and $150,000 Maryland Million Classic and is expected to stay on dirt Saturday.
All Alone, Dothat Dance, Tricky Lion, and No More Talk round out the main body of the field.
Just Howard, who captured the Commonwealth Derby (G3) at Laurel Sept. 30, tops the also-eligible list but is highly unlikely to draw into the field. Tizzarunner, Ghost Bay, John Jones, Enough is Enough, Bonus Points and Team Tim are also on the list.
Devilish Love Set for Title Defense in $125,000 Maryland Million Ladies
Briardale Stable’s Devilish Love is scheduled to chase her second straight victory in Saturday’s $125,000 Maryland Million Ladies, a 1 1/8-mile turf event at Laurel Park that drew a field of 10 fillies and mares.
The Anthony Dutrow-trained 7-year-old mare prevailed by a nose last year to claim her first career stakes victory after several career placings, including a second-place finish in the 2014 Ladies.
The daughter of Not For Love will seek to return to winning form after going winless in three subsequent races. Coming off a six-month layoff following a sixth-place finish in the South Beach at Gulfstream Park in December, Devlish Love ran an even fourth in the Jameela at Laurel June 24. She returned to finish off the board in the off-the-turf Mrs. Penny at Parx Sept. 2.
Alex Cintron, who was aboard for the Ladies victory last year, is scheduled to ride Devilish Love, who is rated at 6-1 in the morning line.
Great Soul, an impressive winner of her only turf race during her10-race career, is rated as the 3-1 favorite in the Ladies. Trained by Tom Proctor for Steven and Jane Long, the 4-year-old daughter of Great Notion, who captured the Wide Country Stakes on the main track at Laurel last year, made her turf debut at Monmouth Park Aug. 12 with a dominating 2 1/2-length front-running victory. She subsequently captured the Mrs. Penny over a sloppy track and finished an even fifth in the Plum Pretty over the main track at Parx.
Ashley Castrenze is scheduled to ride Great Soul for her return to turf Saturday.
Newman Racing’s Barrel of Dreams, a New York-bred daughter of Not For Love, is rated second at 7-2 in the morning line. The Charlton Baker-trained 5-year-old mare will seek her first career stakes victory after winning back-to-back state-bred races at Saratoga and finishing fourth in the Hettinger Stakes at Belmont last time out. Daniel Centeno has the mount.
John and Cheryl Banner’s My Sistersledge, who broke her maiden at 1 1/16 miles at Gulfstream Park in March, enters the Ladies off a fast-closing third in an 5 ½-furlong allowance at Laurel Sept. 23.
“Her last race was certainly a very, very good one for her. She just ran out of ground,” said trainer Michael Trombetta, who is also slated to saddle Magician’s Vanity or a start in the Ladies. “It’s a bit of a difference going from 5 ½ furlongs to a mile and an eighth, but if she rates kindly enough, she can run very well.”
Northern Smile, who finished third behind Devilish Love in last year’s Ladies; Forgiving, a two-time winner over a sloppy Penn National track after a second-place finish in her turf debut at Parx; and Rocky Policy, the fifth-place finisher in the Ladies last year who finished third in the Sensible Lady Stakes at Laurel last time out; are among the leading contenders Saturday.
Nickrocksforpops, Wowwhatabrat and Northern Smile round out the field. Moon Virginia is on the also-eligible list.
