WellSpring Stables’ impressive debut winner Executive Order, unraced in two months since facing Grade 1 company in just his second start, will get some class relief when he returns to action in Saturday’s $100,000 Maryland Juvenile at Laurel Park.

The 43^rd running of the Maryland Juvenile and 38^th renewal of the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Filly, each for Maryland-bred/sired 2-year-olds sprinting seven furlongs, co-headline a nine-race program that begins at 12:25 p.m.

Bred by Dark Hollow Farm, Executive Order is a gelded son of multiple graded-stakes winner Unified that was unveiled in a 6 ½-furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-olds Aug. 31 at Saratoga that had sold or RNA’d for $50,000 or less. An $18,000 purchase out of Fasig-Tipton’s December 2022 mixed sale at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium, he stalked early before taking the lead at the top of the stretch and sprinting clear to a 7 ¾-length triumph.

“You never can tell with 2-year-olds,” trainer Phil Serpe said. “We don’t really press on our 2-year-olds hard to get them to the races. We’re trying to develop horses in our barn. We weren’t really surprised that he won, but we were surprised that he was drawing away like that late. That’s always a good thing especially at a race meet like Saratoga, where you’re always meeting some future star.”

It was the kind of performance that earned Executive Order a shot in the one-mile Champagne (G1) Oct. 5 at Aqueduct, where he was within two lengths of the lead after four furlongs but tired to be seventh behind Chancer McPatrick, a two-time Grade 1 winner and among the leading early Kentucky Derby (G1) contenders.

“It was disappointing. We thought he was going to run much better. We’re still a little puzzled by his performance. We’re just going to move on from that race, cutting back in distance and [facing] a lighter group of horses,” Serpe said. “I think this is a better situation for him all around.”

Jose Gomez has the call on Executive Order from Post 3 in a field of nine. All horses will carry 122 pounds.

“He’s doing well,” Serpe said. “He had a nice work [Monday] and we hopefully expect him to do good things on Saturday.”

Key rivals to Executive Order include the Gary Capuano-trained It’s Hammertime and Sacred Thunder and Brittany Russell trainee Tony Eclipse. It’s Hammertime won a pair of stakes at Delaware Park earlier in the year, while Sacred Thunder most recently won the James F. Lewis III Nov. 9 at Laurel. Tony Eclipse has been second and third in two stakes tries.

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