A pair of undefeated geldings and a colt who’s four-for-five headline Saturday’s $75,000 Star de Naskra Stakes for Maryland-bred or -sired three-year-olds at Laurel Park.

Quint’s Brew and Haileysfirstnotion both enter the seven-furlong contest two-for-two, while Play Harder has won four of five and is less than a length from owning a spotless record.

In addition to their records, Quint’s Brew and Haileysfirstnotion share something else: neither made it to the races until midway through their sophomore campaigns. Quint’s Brew made his debut March 2, while Haileysfirstnotion didn’t make a start until April 27.

“We didn’t really start him until late,” said Michael Gorham, who trains Quint’s Brew for Paul Berube, Karen Linnell, and Heather Hunter. “I got him late as a 2-year-old and then we got him started at 3. He’s big, so we definitely gave him more time to kind of fill into himself and he grew up. He’s a big, strong horse now and hopefully he can get on a good roll.”

Bred by Berube, Linnell, and Spnnaker Hill Farm, Quint’s Brew won impressively at first asking, scoring in a local maiden special weight contest that also produced next out winner Petingas Twin. He earned an 88 Beyer speed figure that day.

That win also was the highlight of a remarkable nine-day period in which Quint’s Brew was one of three full siblings – the others, both older, are Captain Quint and Touisset – to win at Laurel.

“I don’t know if that has ever happened,” Gorham said with a laugh afterwards. “In that short a time, three fulls to win, that was kind of crazy.”

All three are by Mosler and out of the Jump Start mare Gansett. Gansett’s name honors Rhode Island’s old Narragansett Park racetrack, fondly known as ‘Gansett. ‘Gansett the track shared that nickname with ‘Gansett the beer – Narragansett Beer – which was the brew of choice of Captain Quint, the shark hunter in the movie Jaws.

Quint’s Brew’s follow-up was equally easy, and equally impressive. On April 5 he took a one-mile allowance by 3 ¼ lengths over Workislife, who returned to win in the same condition. Both wins came under jockey Raul Mena, who has the return mount on a horse who is 8-5 on the morning line.

He will break from post seven – of eight – which should give Mena the chance to eyeball competition to his inside and put Quint’s Brew in an ideal spot.

“That should be good, for sure, get him out of there running and just see where he is. I’m really not concerned if he’s on the lead or not on the lead. Wherever he gets comfortable is fine with me,” Gorham said. “I don’t think he really has to be on the lead but he has speed, so it’s great where he can get a position out of there. And the jock always has told me that when he gets the lead, he kind of gets to loafing a little bit.

“He always likes something to run at, so if someone does outrun him I don’t have a problem with that. I just think he’s an all-around good horse so he can pretty much adapt to the situation,” he added. “He’s easy to train [and] he’s not hard on himself. I think that helps him in the long run.”

The even later-arriving Haileysfirstnotion is also two-for-two, and, similarly, both his wins have come by three-plus lengths.

A homebred for Daniel Crowley and trainer Gary Capuano’s Non Stop Stable, Haileysfirstnotion, by Great Notion, is out of the Archarcharch mare Hailey’s Flip. A stakes winner of more than $380,000, she provided Crowley with some of his greatest moments in more than two decades of owning horses. Now, five years after being retired, the 10-year-old mare is doing it again.

 Crowley has come up with a pair of winners courtesy of Hailey’s Flip’s first two foals – full siblings Haileysfirstnotion and Great Quality – each in partnership with Non Stop Stable.

“It’s my first whack at [breeding], and it couldn’t be any better right now. It is special with Hailey’s Flip, because she’s such a special filly, a special mare, for us,” Crowley said. “They’ve still got a long way to go, but they’re off to a nice start. Knock on wood and fingers crossed, they’re undefeated.”

Purchased for just $17,000, Hailey’s Flip is by far the richest of three six-figure earners campaigned by Crowley. Also based at Laurel and trained by Capuano, she won the 2017 Tax Free Shopping Distaff at Delaware – Crowley’s lone stakes victory – and placed in four other stakes including Laurel’s 2017 Miss Disco and the 2019 Skipat at historic Pimlico Race Course.

Haileysfirstnotion’s two wins have come at 5 ½ and six furlongs, so the seven-eighths of the Star de Naskra will be added ground for him. And it marks a quick transition to stakes company.

“With a young horse like that, once they win and he’s won a couple now, it’s a little tough to find the right spot to put them,” Crowley said. “The amount of races available starts slimming up a little bit, so we’re glad to be in this spot.”

Haileysfirstnotion drew Post 5, and jockey Jaime Rodriguez, leading Laurel’s summer meet with 15 wins, gets the call.

“It’s a horse race,” Crowley said. “The water’s getting a lot deeper now with this than where he was in his first two. We’re just hoping he runs well and maybe improves a little bit.”

Haileysfirstnotion is 8-1 on the morning line.

Rising Sun Racing Stables’ Play Harder, by Outwork, arrives with two straight wins by a combined total of just one length. With four wins in five starts, he has earned nearly $127,000, more than any other horse in the field.

Trained by Claudio Gonzalez, Play Harder’s lone defeat came April 7 when he finished third, beaten by just three quarters of a length by Catahoula Moon and Petingas Twin in an allowance/optional claimer. Most recently he won an allowance by a neck over The Band Runs On, who is also here.

Play Harder is 4-1 on the morning line and will have J. G. Torrealba up.

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