Two-year-old Caprice will gun for the fifth stakes win of her freshman season in Saturday’s Gin Talking at Laurel Park.

The Gin Talking, for two-year-old fillies, and the Heft, for two-year-olds, conclude Maryland’s 2024 stakes schedule. Both are contested at seven furlongs with purses of $100,000.

Caprice, a homebred for Greg and Caroline Bentley’s Runnymoore Racing, is undefeated in five one-turn races. Her lone defeat came when a troubled second in the one-mile White Clay Creek at Delaware Park.

The Cal Lynch trainee is two-for-two at Laurel Park with wins in the Smart Halo and, most recently, in the Maryland Juvenile Filly December 7. In that contest, Caprice faced a race-long challenge from Safe Trust and inched away from that rival late to win by 1 ½ lengths.

Caprice has shown the ability to lead, press the pace, or close, and that tactical ability has the Pennsylvania-bred daughter of Golden Lad an overwhelming 4-5 morning line favorite. Jaime Rodriguez retains the mount for the fourth consecutive outing.

Her sternest test may come from the most lightly-raced of the six Gin Talking contenders. That’s Beyond Belief, who has been first and third in two career starts.

Trained by Ed Coletti for All East Stables LLC, Beyond Belief graduated at first asking against special weight company at Parx Racing, opening up a sizable advantage before hanging on narrowly.

In her follow-up, Beyond Belief was a willing third behind Caprice in the Smart Halo, beaten just 1 ¼ lengths for the win and three parts of a length for second. Eliseo Ruiz retains the mount on the 5-2 second choice on the morning line.

Others include Not Too Late (4-1) for Uriah St. Lewis and My Charm (6-1) for Brittany Russell.

By contrast, the Heft, which takes place one race after the Gin Talking, is a wide-open affair. The 10-horse field includes a pair of stakes winners, neither of whom is favored.

Favoritism instead falls to One Man Team (2-1). The Brittany Russell trainee, a Nyquist colt who as a yearling sold for $285,000, romped to a six-length win at Laurel at first asking in his only start to date; none of six to run back to date has finished in the money in their follow-ups.

Owned by Robert LaPenta and Madaket Stables, One Man Team will have Sheldon Russell, the trainer’s husband, in the irons.

The two stakes winners are Sacred Thunder (7-2) and Crab Daddy (15-1).

The former, trained by Gary Capuano for John Hazard, recorded his stakes win in the James F. Lewis, III at Laurel November 9, in which he took control in mid-stretch and then held safe the late challenge of Re Markably.

Most recently, Sacred Thunder was a troubled fourth in the Dec. 7 Maryland Juvenile, buried inside and at the rear of the field. Hot-riding youngster J.G. Torrealba has the mount.

Trained by Linda Albert for owner-breeder Brian Schartz, Crab Daddy was 45-1 on debut versus $45,000 waiver maiden claiming company at Laurel Nov. 9 but closed nicely for second.

In his next start, he made short work of his rivals, including the well-meant The Boy’s Warrior, in the $100,000 Pennsylvania Nursery at Parx. Shuffled back and seemingly losing ground rounding the turn, Crab Daddy found another gear, shot through along the rail, and cruised home nearly four lengths clear in a 12-1 surprise.

Ismerio Villalobos will ride, and the duo will break from the outside of the 10-horse field.

Others who might draw some attention include Barbadian Runner (8-1), most recently third in the Maryland Juvenile; Saxton (9-2), the Maryland Juvenile runner-up; Yara’s Quest (8-1), a $300,000 yearling purchase who won at first asking in his only start to date; and Shootersgottashoot (8-1), a winner once in four starts who will add blinkers for the first time.

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