Following three consecutive trips to Saratoga, where he became both a stakes winner and Grade 3-placed, Mens Grille Racing’s Studlydoright returns to his home course of Laurel Park looking to resume his winning ways in Saturday’s $150,000 Laurel Futurity.

The 98^th running of the Futurity for 2-year-olds and 95^th renewal of the $150,000 Selima for 2-year-old fillies, each scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the Dahlia turf course, co-headline a 10-race program with the $100,000 Japan Turf Cup for 3-year-olds and up at 1 ½ miles.

By Florida Derby (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Nyquist, Studlydoright is out Peach of a Gal, a mare by Curlin who made 13 of her 16 career starts on turf where she won one stake and was Grade 3-placed. The forecast is calling for rain in the days up to and including Saturday.

“I know a lot of his family handles the turf well, so I was looking forward to getting him on the turf. I breezed him on it and he seemed to love it,” trainer John ‘Jerry’ Robb said. “We might not find that out, but I don’t mind running in a short field in the mud, either.”

Studlydoright graduated at first asking sprinting 4 ½ furlongs May 5 over a sloppy and sealed Laurel main track, then registered a 13-1 upset in the June 6 Tremont to kick off the first Belmont Stakes (G1) weekend at Saratoga. He returned to run second as the favorite in the July 13 Sanford (G3), beaten a length, then encountered trouble early and late when seventh in the Hopeful (G1) Sept. 2, at seven furlongs his longest trip to date.

“Every single race he’s hit the gate leaving there. He’s a big horse and I just wonder if he’s not standing square. All it takes is to be standing cockeyed a little bit and he’ll hit it, as big as he is,” Robb said. “Two starts back it was a very strong speed-biased racetrack. I think he was the only horse that closed all day on anybody. He closed so well, he even thought he won the race. One jump past the wire he was in front. The last time, when he went to make his move, [sixth-place finisher Mentee] ducked over in front of him and stood him on his head and just took all his momentum away. He had no chance from there.”

With over $150,000 in earnings from four career starts, Studlydoright’s bankroll is nearly double that of any of his rivals. His nearest pursuer in that category is main-track-only entrant Reggie Runs Rogue, whose two wins from two starts have netted him $87,000.

Nine of the 14 horses in the Futurity, including main-track-only entrants Pascaline and Reggie Runs Rogue, are coming in off wins. Six of those recorded their recent victory on the turf. One of those, oddly enough, is another runner owned by Mens Grille Racing. That’s the Hamilton Smith-trained Stormy Flight, who won at second asking – first turf – when scoring by four lengths sprinting at Laurel Sept. 15. Victor Carrasco will ride.

Trainer Graham Motion will send out a pair of runners. Jacques Dupuis Jr., Luke Bourque and Bobby Sutton’s Soleil Volant, whose name means ‘flying sun’ in French, won in his first turf try last out over a slow-playing Delaware turf course and will have Sheldon Russell up. Harrell Ventures and Starlight Racing’s Academy was first past the post in his most recent Sept. 7 at Colonial Downs but was disqualified for bumping a rival. Mychel Sanchez is named.

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