Saturday’s six turf stakes at Laurel Park have drawn a bumper crop of runners, with the races having a combined total of 75 horses in the early entries.
Headlining the card will be ageless fan favorite Ben’s Cat, who leads a solid group of 11 turf sprinters in the Laurel Dash. The eight-year-old gelding has won this event in two of the last three years, including last year, with a second-place finish in 2012.
Foremost among the fields is the 1 1/16 mile, $100,000 Lady Baltimore, which has 15 older fillies and mares entered. The Laurel Turf Cup — a 1 1/2 mile marathon — has 14 entrants.
The two juvenile races — the Selima for fillies and the open Laurel Futurity — have drawn 13 and 10 entrants, respectively.
The Jameela, a turf sprint for Maryland-bred fillies and mares, has attracted ten entrants (plus two also-eligibles), among them defending champ Madame Giry and 2013 Maryland Million Ladies winner Monster Sleeping.
