Four Triple Crown nominees headline a competitive six-horse field in Saturday’s $100,000 Miracle Wood Stakes at Laurel Park. The one-mile race, restricted to three-year-olds, is a key fixture in Maryland’s stakes series leading up to the Preakness Stakes.

One of the four nominees, Studlydoright, is expected to scratch in favor of the John Battaglia Memorial at Turfway Park, a race offering 20 Kentucky Derby qualifying points to the winner. That leaves three Triple Crown-nominated contenders looking to make their mark at Laurel.

Sacred Thunder enters as one of the top contenders. The Maryland-bred son of Holy Boss has already registered three wins from ten starts, including a victory in the James F. Lewis III Stakes. Trained by Gary Capuano for owner John Hazard, Sacred Thunder was bred by Anchor and Hope Farm. In his most recent outing, he endured a tough trip in the Spectacular Bid Stakes, getting trapped behind horses but still finishing less than a length behind the winner.

“That’s three in a row where he’s had rough trips,” Capuano noted. “Post position is so critical. Even turning for home, you figure somebody’s got to move, but what are you going to do?”

Crab Daddy, a Pennsylvania-bred gelding by Uncle Lino, has been a model of consistency, with a win and three runner-up finishes in four career starts. His lone victory came in the Pennsylvania Nursery Stakes at Parx Racing on November 27. In his last race, Crab Daddy surged to the lead in mid-stretch but was caught late by Barbadian Runner, settling for second. That performance came with the addition of blinkers, a move that trainer Linda Albert believes made a difference.

“We were thrilled with that, having him get up on the bit,” Albert said. “It was the first race where he actually took some hold instead of wandering around aimlessly early on.”

Pay Billy, a $60,000 purchase as a two-year-old, took a few starts to find his stride but has since turned a corner. The colt by Improbable broke his maiden impressively before cruising to a five-length victory in a first-level allowance race. Owned by RKTN Racing and trained by Michael Gorham, Pay Billy appears to be hitting his best form at the right time.

“I always thought he wanted to run longer, and it just took a little time to get him focused on what he’s doing. He’s really put it together,” Gorham said.

While the Miracle Wood does not offer Kentucky Derby points, it remains a vital step in Maryland’s road to the Preakness, culminating on May 17 at Pimlico Race Course. It is the first local route stake for sophomores and is followed by the Private Terms in March and the Federico Tesio in April