A pair of hard-hitting 6-year-old geldings that have combined for 20 wins and more than $1.3 million in purse earnings, graded-stakes winners Magic Michael and Double Crown, will meet for the first time bookending a group of eight in Saturday’s $100,000 Robert T. Manfuso Stakes at Laurel Park.

The Manfuso, carded as the eighth of nine races, is one of four stakes on the program. It is joined by the $100,000 Dave’s Friend, a six-furlong sprint for three-year-olds and up; the $100,000 Carousel for older fillies and mares going nine furlongs; and the 6 1/2-furlong, $100,000 Willa On the Move for older fillies and mares.

Morris Kernan, Yo Berbs and Jagger Inc.’s Magic Michael drew outermost Post 8 in the Manfuso as he looks to extend his win streak to three following back-to-back optional claiming allowance triumphs at Laurel going one and 1 1/16 miles, the latter Dec. 8. Winner of the 2021 Greenwood Cup (G3) at Parx, he ran second in defense of his title last fall and went unraced for nearly a year before finishing fifth in his Sept. 15 return at Pimlico and second Oct. 26 at Laurel.

“He got an injury last year and we gave him time off. We brought him back this year for the summer campaign and he had another nagging injury. He ended up being off almost a whole year before we got him back to the races,” trainer and co-owner Jamie Ness said. “For an older horse [and] a big, heavy horse, it takes a little time to get them back into peak fitness. I think that’s what it was. It just took a little time. The logical next step is to run in these winter stakes. Hopefully he can compete. He’s getting a little long in the tooth and we don’t really know if he’s still stakes quality or high-level allowance quality, so we’re going to find out on Saturday.”

Built Wright Stables’ Double Crown, 42-1 upset winner of the 2022 Kelso (G2), drew the rail and wheels back just seven days after finishing last of six in the 1 1/8-mile Tinsel at Oaklawn Park. An eight-time winner of nearly $780,000 in purses, he has placed in his last two local stakes attempts, running third in the 1 1/8-mile Maryland Million Classic Oct. 14 and second in the seven-furlong Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial Nov. 24, both at Laurel.

Be Better, winner of Laurel’s Deputed Testamony July 29; Offaly Kool, who beat Be Better in winning the MP Ballezzi Appreciation Mile Oct. 17 at Parx; multiple stakes winner Forewarned, second in the 1 1/8-mile Richard Small Nov. 25 at Laurel; promoted Maryland Million Classic winner Ain’t Da Beer Cold; Luigi’s Spirit and Kinetic Sky are also entered.

Offaly Kool has been installed as the 2-1 morning line favorite.

The Dave’s Friend has attracted a bulky field of 12 and looks to be a wide-open affair. The David Jacobson-trained Stage Left, a seven-year-old multiple stakes winner, is the 7-2 morning line favorite. He’ll have to contend with a pair from trainer Ray Ginter, Jr. and Built Wright Stables in Cowan (4-1) and Sir Alfred James (9-2).

The two distaff contests have drawn fields of six apiece. In the Willa On the Move, the George Weaver-trained Headland (1-1), a 10-time winner, is a slight favorite over the Brittany Russell trainee Apple Picker (7-5). Russell counters with the top pair in the Carousel in Hybrid Eclipse (7-5) and Saddle Up Jessie (8-5).

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