Maryland-based runners grab stakes laurels
No Dozing at Laurel Park. Photo by Jim McCue, Maryland Jockey Club.
From a Maryland Jockey Club release
A quartet of horses came within a head of sweeping four out-of-town stakes, three of them graded, in Canada and on both U.S. coasts to cap an outstanding weekend for Maryland-based horsemen.
On Saturday at Santa Anita Park, trainer Graham Motion captured the Seabiscuit Handicap (G2) with Ring Weekend and the Jimmy Durante Stakes (G3) with Journey Home, just hours after their Fair Hill Training Center stablemate Bellows broke his maiden with a gutsy effort at Laurel Park.
The same day, fellow Fair Hill-based trainer Arnaud Delacour watched as Grade 3 winner Divining Rod, third in the 2015 Preakness (G1), dueled with Connect the length of the Aqueduct stretch before coming up a head short at the wire in the Cigar Mile (G1).
“He ran his race. That was a great race; very exciting finish. We could have got there but we just didn’t. I thought that was a great stretch from both horses. I think Connect is a great horse, so I’m thrilled,” Delacour said. “I don’t really think anything could have made a difference. I think everything went pretty much our way. I don’t see any excuse. We’ll have to regroup and see where we go next.”
On that same card, Delacour sent out No Dozing to a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Remsen, contested at 1 1/8 miles on the main track. With Daniel Centeno up, the Fair Hill-based runner rallied from seventh while wide to earn the place position, 2 1/2 lengths behind winner Mo Town. No Dozing broke his maiden at first asking at Delaware Park and followed that up with a win against allowance foes at Laurel Park.
On Sunday, M M G Stables’ Undulated rallied from last to first under jockey Alan Garcia to win the Swynford Stakes over the all-weather surface at Woodbine Racetrack in Ontario. It was the first race outside of Maryland for the 2-year-old son of Curlin, who won his Aug. 7 unveiling at Laurel before returning to finish second in the Laurel Futurity Sept. 10.
“They went crazy fractions there, 20 and 4 for the opening quarter, and Garcia just sat the back and waited. He asked him to quicken at the three-eighths pole and they just ran by everything down the lane. He galloped out like a good horse and the biggest problem was getting him pulled up. He had to get the outrider to pull him up. We’re delighted,” trainer Cal Lynch said. “He’s a Curlin so we expect him to go two turns. We were just giving him a couple of sprint races to get the foundation in him. He’ll go long probably next time. We’ll get him back on the track here in a few days and I’ll talk to the boss and go from there.”
