Maryland Million Classic Stakes Headlines Laurel Park Saturday
The Maryland Thoroughbred industry prepares for the celebrated Maryland Million Classic at Laurel Park this Saturday. The $150,000 Milton P. Higgins III Memorial, the event’s highlight, will be run over 1 ⅛ miles as the 11th race in a 12-race card. The field features top local talent including the veteran Mugatu, recent winner of three consecutive races, and the formidable 3-year-old Sacred Thunder, who boasts four wins and six seconds from seventeen starts. Maryland mainstay trainers Jamie Ness and Jerry Robb hold strong entries, with Ness aiming for a second career Million Classic title after his 2022 win. Graded stakes winner Post Time heads the field’s also-eligible list, ready to draw in should scratches occur.
Notable Entries:
- Mugatu: In peak form with three consecutive open-length victories.
- Sacred Thunder: Reliable performer with $254,810 in career earnings.
- All the Hardways: Respected Maryland-restricted allowance competitor, hoping to step up in class.
- Post Time: Graded stakes winner with millionaire status, aiming for top honors if drawn in.
Record-Breaking Day at Tattersalls October Yearling Sale
The Book 1 opening session of the Tattersalls October Yearling Sale in Newmarket saw a blockbuster result as Amo Racing secured a Frankel colt for 3,600,000 guineas. The colt, a full brother to last year’s sale-topper, is out of G2 winner Aljazzi and was bred by Newsells Park Stud. Amo Racing’s Kia Joorabchian fended off spirited bidding from Coolmore, aiming to strengthen an already impressive bloodline. Newmarket trainer Kevin Philippart de Foy will take on the promising filly sibling Partying, indicating the operation’s intent to consolidate both racing and breeding prospects.
- Kia Joorabchian (Amo Racing): “We want to keep the family tight.”
- Julian Dollar (Newsells Park Stud): “He just blossomed during the summer… always been very athletic.”
- The filly sibling, Partying, is yet to debut but carries substantial residual and broodmare value.
Hawthorne Hosts Competitive Allowance Optional Claiming Race
Over the weekend, Hawthorne’s turf course featured a well-regarded Allowance Optional Claiming race for a purse of $34,000. Seven-and-a-half furlongs over grass attracted a competitive field, emphasizing the widening opportunities for turf runners at the Chicago single-track meet.
- Turf conditions led to strategic front-running efforts in the middle stages.
- Trainers continue to target the autumn Hawthorne program for horses prepping toward regional stakes.
Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund: Watch Em Win Dominates
Harrington Raceway made headlines as juvenile colt Watch Em Win delivered a commanding victory in the fastest division of the Delaware Standardbred Breeders Fund second leg for 2-year-old pacing colts and geldings. With this win, Watch Em Win claims his fifth victory in just seven career starts, clocking 1:53.1 in open-length fashion.
- Stained Glass earned his first win in 1:56.1 in the day’s opening division.
- C Millertimeagain captured the final division, finishing in 1:53.2.
- Young stock continue to impress, with promising futures in Delaware’s dedicated breeding program.
