Rose Petal Stable’s 3-year-old Copper Tax, last out winner of the Richard W. Small in his first try against older horses, will face elders again as he looks to keep his perfect record intact at Laurel Park in Saturday’s $100,000 Robert T. Manfuso. Awaiting him is a familiar foe in Speedyness.

The 1 1/16-mile Manfuso for 3-year-olds and up is the last of four stakes on a nine-race Christmastide Day program that includes the $100,000 Carousel for fillies and mares 3 and older and a pair of $75,000 sprints restricted to Maryland-bred/sired horses – the seven-furlong Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial for 3-year-olds and up and six-furlong Politely for fillies and mares 3 and older.

Post time is 12:25 p.m.

Copper Tax is the 7-5 program favorite for the Manfuso having won each of his four prior starts at Laurel, all in stakes – the James F. Lewis III at 2 and this year’s Private Terms and Federico Tesio in the spring prior to his popular 1 ¾-length triumph in the Small. After passing on an automatic berth to the 149^th Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, he ran third in the Ohio Derby (G3).

Top challengers to Copper Tax include Miracle Wood winner Speedyness, third by a neck in the Private Terms and second by less than a length in the Tesio and a six-time winner at Laurel that ran third in the seven-furlong City of Laurel Nov. 30; and New York shipper Film Star, winner of an off-the-turf Lure Aug. 3 at Saratoga who was second in the 2023 Woodward (G2).

[Three of the four stakes are in the late Pick 5. See video analysis of the sequence here.]

Linda Rice, who trains Film Star, will send out the 2-1 morning-line favorite in the Carousel in Movie Moxy, a 7-year-old mare she co-owns with Marequest. Movie Moxy has been third or better in 25 of 37 career starts with six wins and was beaten a half-length when third at odds of 22-1 last out in the one-mile Go for Wand (G3) Dec. 7 at Aqueduct.

Since finishing third in Laurel’s Caesar’s Wish Aug. 4, Christophe Clement-trained Evidencias – a 2022 Group 1 winner in her native Brazil – has earned back-to-back stakes wins in the Obeah at Delaware Park and Turnback the Alarm at Aqueduct, both around two turns, the latter Nov. 3.

Also prominent in the field of nine are Miss New York, a winner of two straight including Laurel’s Sept 22 Twixt last time out; fellow multiple stakes winner Malibu Beauty; Sea Dancer, making her dirt debut for new trainer Brittany Russell after 13 turf starts primarily on the West Coast; Grade 3-placed Regaled; March 16 Conniver winner Too Many Kisses and Call Another Play, third in the May 17 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) after winning Laurel’s Weber City Miss.

Five stakes winners are among a field of seven for the Bender led by Grade 2-placed Witty, a three-time stakes winner on both turf and dirt; Oct. 19 Maryland Million Sprint winner Celtic Contender; defending champion Seven’s Eleven, second to millionaire Post Time in the Feb. 17 General George (G3); and Maryland Million Classic winner Brilliant Ice.

Stakes winner Bourbon Bon Bay is trending toward what could be a huge effort in the Politely, her third start off more than a year between starts. Fifth in the Maryland Million Distaff, she closed to be second by a length in the open Willa On the Move sprinting 6 ½ furlongs Nov. 29 at Laurel. Four-time stakes-placed Sheilahs Warcloud and Spencerian, third in the Maryland Million Distaff, a length behind runner-up Sheilahs Warcloud, are strong contenders while Talk to the Judge won last summer’s restricted Miss Disco going seven furlongs at Laurel.

Laurel’s calendar year-ending fall meet resumes Friday with nine races starting at 12:25 p.m. The final stakes of 2024, the $100,000 Heft for 2-year-olds and $100,000 Gin Talking for 2-year-old fillies, each sprinting seven furlongs, are scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 28.

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