Miss Harriett, bred and owned by David Baxter’s Narrow Leaf Farms in Dayton, Md., will look to stretch her speed around two turns for the first time as she chases a third career stakes victory in Saturday’s $125,000 Weber City Miss at Laurel Park.

In its ninth year, the Weber City Miss once again affords the winner an automatic berth to the $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) on Preakness Eve, May 17, at Pimlico Race Course. Of the seven previous winners that went on to Pimlico, Lights of Medina came the closest to sweeping both races when she was second by a head in 2017 for Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher. Cats Inthe Timber upset last year’s Weber City Miss at odds of 7-1 before running sixth in the Black-Eyed Susan.

Miss Harriett is 5-1 on the morning line.

Based with trainer Brandon McFarlane at Pimlico, Miss Harriett kicked off her sophomore season with back-to-back wins at Laurel, where she is 3-for-4 lifetime. After romping by seven lengths in a first-level optional claiming allowance Jan. 14, she held on for a three-quarter-length victory in the seven-furlong Wide Country Feb. 24, her longest race to date.

Off those front-running efforts, the connections brought Miss Harriett to Aqueduct for the six-furlong Cicada March 16. Worked up before the race and brushed at the start, she trailed horses for the first time since her debut last fall and wound up last of four under jockey Kendrick Carmouche, beaten 14 lengths.

“The allowance win was real nice and then she came back and won the stakes,” McFarlane said. “The trip [to New York] really wore her out. I’d never seen her do it but she kind of washed out in the paddock and she was sweating. And Kendrick said she never gripped the track at all. He was trying to get after her and she couldn’t get over the surface. So, we brought her back and decided to stay here [in Maryland] for the next start.”

When an allowance sprint for the same day didn’t fill, McFarlane decided it was time to give the Maryland-bred daughter of Blofeld – a Grade 2 winner at six furlongs and twice at one mile – a chance to stretch out.

“You always have to try a horse once or twice and give them a shot going long, because that would create a whole different setup. If you could have a horse go long, then you’ve got a lot of options,” McFarlane said. “She doesn’t train like it’s going to be a problem, but it’s hard to say. I’ve had the family and they’re all pretty much sprinters. Usually seven furlongs is their max, but I know Blofeld went long, so maybe she’ll like it.”

It wouldn’t be the first time Miss Harriett has done the unexpected. She went unraced at 2 until making her debut in mid-October in the six-furlong Maryland Million Lassie, springing a neck upset at odds of 62-1. Baxter also won the 2012 Maryland Million Nursery with a first-time starter, Keep Momma Happy.

“That got everybody, that one,” McFarlane said of the Lassie. “Hopefully she can do it again.”

Maryland’s 2023 champion rider Jaime Rodriguez, up for both her Laurel wins this year, returns to the irons from Post 2 in a field of eight.

“It’s a good gauge race and hopefully she surprises us. It’s not going to be easy, so we’ll get a good idea of how she is,” McFarlane said. “If she doesn’t like it, we’ll probably shorten her up and run her in one of the sprints on Preakness weekend.”

Walking L Thoroughbreds LLC’s Shimmering Allure is the 9-5 morning line favorite in the Weber City Miss. Trained by Ken McPeek, the Enticed filly has won twice in nine outings, including a win in the Tempted Stakes last November, and was graded-placed when second in the Grade 2 Demoiselle last December.. Horacio Karamanos will ride.

The 1 1/16-mile Weber City Miss for 3-year-old fillies serves as co-headliner with the $125,000 Federico Tesio – a ‘Win and In’ qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated 3-year-olds to the 149th Preakness Stakes (G1) – on an 11-race program featuring five stakes worth $550,000 in purses.

Also scheduled are the first three stakes on Laurel’s turf course – the $100,000 Henry S. Clark for 3-year-olds and up and $100,000 Dahlia for fillies and mares 3 and older, both going one mile, and $100,000 King T. Leatherbury for 3-year-olds and up sprinting 5 ½ furlongs.

First race post time is 12:25 p.m.

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