LOVE FOR THE WINNER

Horse racing lives in the intersection between humans and horses, something that sometimes gets lost in the shuffle. Not here, though: jockey Angel Cruz had nothing but love for Sprint winner Seven’s Eleven, who crushed a legit field by five lengths. Seven’s Eleven is a three-year-old Bandbox gelding who’s coming into his own now. He’s trained by Carlos Mancilla for owner-breeder The Cottonwood Stable LLC.

WE’RE NUMBER ONE

Is Precious Avary number one? Jockey Silvestre Gonzalez sure thinks so, and after her win in the Ladies, few will disagree.

Tim Shaw, who trains the New Jersey-bred daughter of Divining Rod for owner-breeder Smith Farm and Stable, certainly agrees. Shaw has just eight horses in the barn, but with one of them this sophomore, who’s now 5-for-13 in her career, that helps the cause.

“There’s a lot of Tuesday, nickel, last-race horses,” said the Parx-based Shaw. “I love them all, but she’s very easy, beautiful.”

RAINDROPS KEEP FALLING…

Rain was a pretty regular presence on Maryland Million day, and it picked up for a time midway through the card. It did not, however, slow down Wicked Prankster, who turned the 2023 Maryland Million Turf into a virtual replay of the 2022 edition, going right to the front and repelling all challengers to win by three parts of a length. He was the only winner from ’22 to repeat this year.

Wicked Prankster is a five-year-old Mosler gelding who is owned and trained by Sammy Davis. Yomar Ortiz was in the irons Saturday, as the Prankster picked up the fifth win of his career — and the first since last year’s Turf.

NICE LID

The hat contest on Maryland’s day at the races calls for hats that celebrate Maryland, and these contestants didn’t disappoint. Flags and horses did the trick, along with some red-and-yellow sunglasses.

STILL UNDECIDED

Market Maven (#1) was first past the post in the Maryland Million Classic. But Jevian Toledo, aboard runner-up Ain’t Da Beer Cold, objected that, in coming over, Market Maven and jockey Carlos Lopez had bumped him. In a race decided by less than a neck, the stewards agreed, setting off a wild celebration among Ain’t Da Beer Cold’s people: trainer Kenny Cox, his wife, co-owner and co-breeder Kelly Cox, fellow co-owner and co-breeder Matt Spencer, and co-owner Bonnucelli Racing. Until a few days later, when The Racing BIz revealed that Market Maven’s people — trainer Jamie Ness and owner-breeder Gregory Gordon — had filed an appeal to the state Racing Commission.

“I’m not surprised,” said Kenny Cox. “I might have done the same thing.”