Whirlin Curlin Seeks Stakes-Winning Form in $75,000 Star de Naskra
Whirlin Curlin Seeks Stakes-Winning Form in $75,000 Star de Naskra
Limited View Returns to Dirt for $75,000 Miss Disco Stakes
Among Four Stakes Worth $300,000 on Maryland Pride Day Aug. 18
LAUREL, MD – When it comes to multiple stakes winner Whirlin Curlin, trainer Kieron Magee is hoping new surroundings will rekindle old form in Saturday’s $75,000 Star de Naskra Stakes at Laurel Park.
The Star de Naskra for 3-year-olds and the $75,000 Miss Disco, presented by Ourisman of Clarksville, for 3-year-old fillies, both contested at six furlongs over the main track, are among four stakes for Maryland-bred/sired horses worth $300,000 in purses that help comprise the 12-race Maryland Pride Day program. First race post time is 1:10 p.m.
Also on the card are the $75,000 Ben’s Cat for 3-year-olds and up and the $75,000 Jameela for fillies and mares 3 and older, each scheduled for six furlongs over Laurel’s world-class turf course.
A gelded son of two-time Horse of the Year and Hall of Famer Curlin, Whirlin Curlin will be making his first start since being claimed for $25,000 July 29 at Laurel by Magee, Maryland’s leading trainer from 2014-16.
In that race, his first against older horses and first time outside of stakes company since November 2017, Whirlin Curlin closed from far back to be fourth, beaten three lengths, going seven furlongs.
“We claimed him with this race in mind,” Magee said. “He was caught on the inside last time and he doesn’t like to be trapped down in there. He likes to be on the outside. We got a favorable draw and he’s doing good so we’ll give it a shot.”
Whirlin Curlin broke his maiden winning the six-furlong Christopher Elser Memorial Stakes last November, then came right back to beat fellow state-breds in the seven-furlong Maryland Juvenile Futurity two weeks later, both at Laurel at odds of more than 20-1.
He finished behind Preakness contender Diamond King in the Heft Stakes to end 2017 and subsequent Grade 2 winner Still Having Fun to open 2018 in the Frank Whiteley Jr. Whirlin Curlin’s most recent race marked his return to sprinting after three tries around two turns, one on turf.
“He does like Laurel and he’s had some success here. He deserves a shot in it,” Magee said. “It’ll be interesting to see how it works out. He has run against some tough horses. He’s tough against the right company, and Maryland-breds is right up his alley. He’s doing great and he’s ready to go. I’m looking forward to it.”
For the Moment, bred, owned and trained by Bernie Houghton and his wife, Shannon, W.M.T. Stable, will be stepping up to stakes company off an eye-opening 19-length maiden special weight score over his elders going six furlongs July 21 at Parx.
It was the second start for the Great Notion gelding after breaking next-to-last in his debut at Penn National, speeding into contention and getting beat a head, also at six furlongs, under similar conditions July 5.
“He was 15 lengths behind the field leaving the gate and then he rushed up there and he ran a game race and just missed the head bob. I knew he was a nice horse so I took him up to [Parx] and he just won for fun that day,” Houghton said. “I was watching him and saying, ‘Oh, wow.’ I told my wife after his second or third work that I thought we had a nice one here. I really like the horse.
“I could tell in the morning that he has that natural speed. He was just outrunning the horses he was with,” he added. “I saw this race and thought this might be a good spot for him. I’m more of a conservative trainer, so probably an a-other-than for Pennsylvania-breds right here at Penn National would be better for him, but he’s doing great and the timing is right so I’m going to give him a chance.”
Also entered are Whereshetoldmetogo, a winner of two straight including the Concern Stakes July 7 at Laurel; Lngtermrelationship; Nico Bree N Teej for summer meet-leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez; and Onemoregreattime, third in the 2017 Maryland Million Nursery.
The Star de Naskra is named in honor of the 1979 champion sprinter bred and owned by Carlyle Lancaster. He had a record of 15-10-4 and purse earnings of more than $580,000 from 36 starts between 1977-79, winning eight stakes and three graded-stakes, the latter during his championship season.
Limited View Returns to Dirt in $75,000 Miss Disco Stakes
Following a failed experiment on turf, multiple stakes winner Limited View will be back on the main track looking to snap a four-race losing streak in the $75,000 Miss Disco Stakes presented by Ourisman of Clarksville.
Owned by trainer John Salzman Jr., Fred Wasserloos and George Greenwalt, Limited View was no factor finishing last of 10 under Hall of Fame jockey and regular rider Edgar Prado in the 5 ½-furlong Stormy Blues July 7 at Laurel, which marked her grass debut.
The bay daughter of Freedom Child has breezed sharply since with a pair of bullet five-furlong works over Laurel’s main track and, most recently, a half-mile move in 48.20 seconds Aug. 11, ranking fifth of 39 horses.
“She just didn’t handle the turf at all last time. I was hoping she would. We galloped her on it one day and she breezed on it a little bit and it seemed like she handled it OK, but Edgar said that she didn’t want any part of it,” Salzman said. “Everything’s fine with her. She worked really good the other day so we’ll give it a shot.”
Limited View won the Maryland Million Lassie and Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship by open lengths against fellow Maryland-bred/sired horses as a 2-year-old, but capped her season off the board in the Gin Talking Stakes Dec. 30. She bounced back to take the six-furlong Marshua to open 2018 but sandwiched a second in the Beyond the Wire and third in the Alma North around running seventh in the Primonetta April 21.
“I’m not disappointed in any of her races other than the other day and it was turf, so I’m happy with the way things are going. Naturally you want her to win,” Salzman said. “I hope this comes up a spot I can win and it looks like it on paper, but you never know until it happens so we’re hoping for the best.”
Hillwood Stable and Richard Golden’s Majestic Reason, trained by Graham Motion, looms a challenger in her stakes debut. The Majestic Warrior filly won her debut by 1 ¾ lengths June 8 at the Miss Disco distance, and came back to run second as the favorite in an entry-level allowance going seven furlongs July 14, both at Laurel.
Also entered are Buff’s in Love, third in back-to-back stakes last fall including the Maryland Million Lassie; Caught Dream’n, second by a head in the Smart Halo Stakes Nov. 11 at Laurel; Deep Red, second in the 2017 Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship and 2018 Wide Country for trainer Damon Dilodovico, who won Laurel’s Polynesian Stakes with Laki on Sunday; Shes Julia Child; Camptown Stakes runner-up What the Beep; and Zorally, who will race with the addition of blinkers.
Bred in Maryland by Alfred G. Vanderbilt, Miss Disco was a multiple stakes winner during her racing career but is best known as the dam of Hall of Famer Bold Ruler, winner of the Preakness (G1) and Horse of the Year in 1957 and sire of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat. She was named Broodmare of the Year in 1958.
