Trainer Hopes Rose Brier Blooms Again in $75,000 Edward Evans
Trainer Hopes Rose Brier Blooms Again in $75,000 Edward Evans
Queen Caroline Seeks to Extend Reign in $75,000 Nellie Mae Cox
Two Notch Road Makes 10-Year-Old Debut in $75,000 White Oak Farm
Rapid Rhythm, Ring Knocker Top $75,000 M. Tyson Gilpin
Four of Six Stakes Worth $450,000 Over Laurel’s World-Class Turf Course
LAUREL, MD – At some point trainer Jane Cibelli knows Panic Stable’s multiple stakes-winning 8-year-old Rose Brier will have had enough of racing. Through 39 races and more than a half-million dollars in career earnings, she’s not convinced the time has come.
Rose Brier will go after career victory No. 15 and his fifth stakes triumph at Laurel Park in Saturday’s $75,000 Edward Evans. The one-mile Edward Evans for 3-year-olds and up is one of four stakes restricted to Virginia-bred/sired horses on the xx-race ‘Class on the Grass’ program, along with the $75,000 Nellie Mae Cox at one mile and the $75,0000 White Oak Farm and $75,000 M. Tyson Gilpin, each at 5 ½ furlongs.
Also to be run over Laurel’s world-class turf course are the $75,000 Mister Diz for 3-year-olds and up featuring popular multi-millionaire Ben’s Cat and the $75,000 Jameela for fillies and mares 3 and older, both at six furlongs for Maryland-bred/sired horses.
Bred by the late Bill Backer, Rose Brier had his streak of four consecutive stakes wins at Laurel snapped when seventh by just three lengths in the Henry S. Clark April 22 over a turf course softened by an afternoon rainstorm. The Mizzen Mast gelding is the defending Edward Evans champion, having won by a length last June at historic Pimlico Race Course.
The Clark, where Rose Brier set the Kelso Turf Course one-mile track record of 1:33.11 in last year’s victory, came over a yielding Dahlia Turf Course. He followed up running third, beaten 4 ½ lengths, in the Red Bank (G3) May 27 at Cibelli’s summer base of Monnouth Park, also on an off turf.
“[In the Clark] we had that downpour and he really just does not like a soft turf. I was really disappointed,” Cibelli said. “Unfortunately, every time he’s run the last couple of months have been on a soft turf. We probably should have not even run him that day, not that he was going to get hurt but that he simply just doesn’t like it. That’s all it is. We’re coming in prepped for it.”
Rose Brier bounced out of the Red Bank with a pair of sharp breezes of Monmouth’s main track, most recently going five furlongs in 59.40 seconds, the fastest of 11 horses that day, much to the delight of the trainer and her owner.
“He breezed very, very well the other day,” Cibelli said. “Funny enough, I was talking to the owner before he breezed and he asked how he’s done and I said he’s doing ok but he’s a year older and it takes a little bit longer to get going in the mornings. Nothing serious, just age. He’s 8 years old now. I took him out that morning and breezed him and he breezed in 59 and 2. I guess he must have overheard me and said, ‘I’ll show you.’”
Hall of Fame jockey Edgar Prado replaces the injured Trevor McCarthy from Post 3 of seven on Rose Brier, whose five career stakes wins include the past three runnings of the Bert Allen, also against fellow Virginia-breds at Laurel.
“He certainly likes it there,” Cibellli said. “Unfortunately we lost Trevor but we’ve got Edgar Prado to ride him and he’s ridden him before. He’s a pretty straightforward horse to ride anyway. Edgar’s been riding well. He rode one for me the other day and finished second and then beat me in a later race and set a course record. I guess he’s not so long in the tooth, is he?”
Mr. & Mrs. Bertram Firestone’s Special Envoy is entered to improve on his runner-up finish in last year’s Evans. Runner-up in the 2015 Cliff Hanger (G3), the 6-year-old Stroll gelding, trained by Arnaud Delacour, has raced just twice since the Evans, finishing fourth in a conditional allowance March 24 at Tampa Bay Downs prior to a fifth-place effort in the Red Bank.
After running fifth in the 2016 Evans, Bruce Smart Jr.’s Officer’s Oath made back-to-back starts over jumps including a victory in the 2 1/8-mile Gladstone Stakes last fall at Far Hills, N.J. In his lone effort this year he was third, beaten three lengths as the favorite, in a state-bred allowance May 6 at Virginia’s Great Meadow.
Jump Ship, second to Rose Brier at 23-1 in the 2016 Bert Allen, Galaxy Express, Irsaal and Speed Gracer are also entered.
Queen Caroline Seeks to Extend Reign in $75,000 Nellie Mae Cox
Amy Moore’s multiple stakes winner Queen Caroline will face eight rivals in her quest for back-to-back victories in the $75,000 Nellie Mae Cox.
A 4-year-old daughter of Blame trained by Michael Matz, Queen Caroline won the first of three straight stakes in last year’s Nellie Mae Cox, scoring by a length over repeat entrant Secret Or Not at Pimlico, when the race was run at 1 1/16 miles.
Following that effort, Queen Caroline won back-to-back turf stakes at the Nellie Mae Cox’s new one-mile distance, the TaWee and Indiana Grand at the Shelbyville, Ind. track before an eighth-place finish in the Queen Elizabeth II Challenge Cup (G1) at Keeneland. Most recently she was fourth by less than three lengths in the Gallorette (G3) May 20 at Pimlico.
Rounding out the group are Complete St., second last fall by a nose and neck, respectively, in the Maryland Million Ladies and Brookmeade, the latter against state-breds; Armoire, a recent allowance winner at Pimlico; Grace Is Ready, seventh in the Gallorette; Sweet Sandy, fourth in the 2016 Nellie Mae Cox; Andrasta, Magician’s Vanity and Street Miz.
Two Notch Road Makes 10-Year-Old Debut in $75,000 White Oak Farm
Two Notch Road will make his 34th career start and 10-year old debut in defense of his 2016 victory in the $75,000 White Oak Farm.
The Partner’s Hero gelding, owned by trainer Glenn Thompson in partnership with James Hackman, has gone unraced since a third-place finish against state-breds in the 5 ½-furlong Punch Line Sept. 24 at Laurel. He was beaten a total of 2 ¼ lengths, but less than a length behind runner-up Available, who also returns for another try.
Two Notch Road, worse than third once from six career tries at Laurel, drew Post 7 of eight in the White Oak Farm under Julian Pimentel, aboard for last year’s victory.
Also entered are Lime House Louie, upset winner of last year’s Jamestown against state-breds at Laurel; Fly E Dubai, Lawyer Dave, Rare Art, What a Wildcat and 5-year-old mare Tiz Our Time, cross-entered in the M. Tyson Gilpin.
Rapid Rhythm, Ring Knocker Top $75,000 M. Tyson Gilpin
Robert S. Evans’ multiple stakes winner Rapid Rhythm and New York shipper Ring Knocker top a field of 12 entered in the $75,000 M. Tyson Gilpin, which wraps up the Virginia-bred/sired stakes action.
Rapid Rhythm is turned around by Fair Hill-based trainer Michael Stidham just 16 days after finishing seventh by 4 ¾ lengths in the seven-furlong Intercontinental (G3) at Belmont Park. She won three straight stakes starting with the Oakley last fall against state-breds at Laurel prior to open company wins in the Battle of New Orleans and Mardi Gras at Fair Grounds.
Ring Knocker, co-owned by trainer Gary Gullo, earned her first stakes triumph April 1 at Aqueduct in the six-furlong Xtra Heat, named for the 2015 Hall of Famer, a nine-time stakes winner in Maryland. Ring Knocker has been first, second or third twice in her six 2017 starts, coming up a length short in a second-level optional claiming allowance June 3 at Parx last out.
Also entered are Awake the Day, Do What I Say, Kloonie, Northern Eclipse, Perfect Trace, Sister Says, Tiz Our Time, Trish’s Wish, Up Hill Battle and Why Not Be Queen.
