No Guts No Glory Farm homebred Do It for Michael, an emotional winner of the Maryland Million Nursery last month, chases a third straight victory and fourth overall in Saturday’s $100,000 James F. Lewis III at Laurel Park.

The 13^th running of the Lewis for 2-year-olds and 28^th edition of the $100,000 Smart Halo for 2-year-old fillies, both sprinting six furlongs, join the $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go for fillies and mares 3 and up on the 10-race program.

First race post time is 11:50 a.m.

Out of the Great Notion mare Gracie’s Hero, Do It for Michael is trained by John ‘Jerry’ Robb and owned by him and his wife, Gina. The Uncle Lino gelding is named for Gina Robb’s first son, who passed away at birth.

“Anytime it’s a homebred it’s emotional for her, but being named the way he’s named made it more special,” Jerry Robb said. “She waited for some reason [to name one for him] because we’ve been doing this for quite a few years now. The mare’s been a super nice mare for us. Everything she throws can run.”

By Uncle Lino, Do It for Michael showed that first time out with a 2 ½-length waiver maiden claiming score sprinting five furlongs June 30 at Laurel. He rallied from a troubled start to be second in the 5 ½-furlong Hickory Tree at Colonial Downs, returning to his home track for back-to-back front-running scores going six furlongs.

In the Nursery Do It for Michael battled on the front end with 19-1 long shot Kerness K through sizzling fractions of 22.20 and 45.76 seconds, took a 2 ½-length lead into the stretch and held off late-running Re Markably to win by a neck and improve to 3-0 lifetime at Laurel. Both Re Markably and third-place finisher Sacred Thunder return in the Lewis.

“He only lost once and he walked out of the gate and gave everybody a six, seven-length head start that day and still finished second. He actually made the lead and looked like a winner and they ran him down from behind,” Robb said. “That’s the only race he’s lost. He’s done everything else perfect. Last time he was in a huge speed duel early and he still held on to win. I’m looking forward to running him. He’s running up against the same horses that he’s beaten a couple times, so hopefully he can do it again.”

Re Markably, a homebred for trainer Lynn Ashby and Bill Gotwals, is named for the trainer’s late husband, Mark Ashby. He has never been worse than third in five career outings, including two wins, one in the Dover Stakes at Delaware Park. Carol Cedeno will ride.

Sacred Thunder is one of a pair of Gary Capuano trainees who may start in the Lewis. Owned by John Hazard, he rallied from sixth after a half-mile in the Nursery, finishing just a length behind the winner. He has two wins from six career starts and will have J. G. Torrealba up.

The other Capuano trainee, Eagle Up Stables, London Reid Thoroughbreds and Non Stop Stable’s It’s Hammertime, raced just one week ago. Capuano said he is “on the fence whether I’m going to run him or not. It’s a little quick.”

It’s Hammertime, winner of his first three starts, finished fourth as the 4-5 favorite in the Nashua, beaten by another Maryland horse in Studlydoright. Julio Hernandez is named if he does go postward.

A pair of Virginia-breds, Stormy Flight and Saxton, complete the field.

The James F. Lewis III honors the late longtime Maryland horseman and first president of Maryland Million Ltd. He bred and/or campaigned a number of prominent runners in the region, led by 1974 Test (G2) winner Maybelline, Flirtation (G3) winner Heartful and multiple stakes winner Swift Attraction. His daughter, Lisa, is a multiple graded-stakes winning trainer based in New York and Florida.

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