Saturday, August 16 2008

SEEYOUINTHECITY GALLOPS IN HUMPHREY FINNEY STAKES

LAUREL, MD. 08-16-08---See You Stable’s Seeyouinthecity said ‘see you’ to some fellow Maryland-bred 3-year-olds, leading from start to finish in the $50,000 Humphrey S. Finney Stakes, today’s feature at Laurel Park.

Sent over the firm turf by jockey Malcolm Franklin for trainer Dale Capuano, Seeyouinthecity upped his lifetime record to three wins in six starts, including three wins in five tries on the turf. This was Franklin’s first stakes win in Maryland and his fourth stakes win overall.

Friday, August 15 2008

BALTIMORE BOB FACES SIX IN HUMPHREY FINNEY STAKES

LAUREL, MD. 08-14-08---Baltimore Bob is the 9-5 favorite to win the Humphrey S. Finney Stakes on Saturday. He will face a half-dozen 3-year-old Maryland-breds in the 1-1/8th mile test on the Laurel Park turf. The nine-race card features five races on the grass.

Baltimore Bob has three wins on the grass, including a pair of victories on the Laurel turf last fall, and has been ridden exclusively by Horacio Karamanos. The son of Malibu Moon has raced in stakes company all year, including a pair of graded races at Colonial Downs.

Sunday, August 10 2008

HARTIGAN TAKES TWIXT STAKES VIA DISQUALIFICATION

LAUREL, MD. 08-09-08---They were 4-5-6 as the field raced down the backstretch but the Dickie Small trained entry of Pissarro, Hartigan and Inventive crossed the finish line 1-2-3 in the $50,000 Twixt Stakes for Maryland-bred fillies at Laurel Park.

That would not become as the official order of finish, however.

A claim of foul by Jozbin Santana, who was aboard Hartigan, was lodged against Josue Arce, who rode Pissarro, for interference through the stretch. After a brief review by the stewards, Hartigan was named the winner, Pissarro was disqualified to second and Inventive remained third.

Saturday, August 09 2008

JOSEAN RAMIREZ WINS ABOARD FIRST MOUNT

LAUREL, MD. 08-08-08---Josean Ramirez, riding his first official race aboard Sir Classic Chris for legendary trainer King Leatherbury, won a close finish over What’s What and Jason Nguyen, who was also riding in his first official race, the second race on opening day of Laurel Park’s summer mini-meeting. Live racing returned to Maryland this afternoon after an eight-week hiatus in the form of a twilight racing.

“This was everything I could have hoped for,” Ramirez said. “I was a little nervous when we went to the gate but once we went in, I put the game face on and it was time to work.”

Thursday, August 07 2008

SMALL ENTERS FOUR RUNNERS IN TWIXT STAKES

LAUREL, MD. 08-07-08---If it’s a stakes in Maryland for fillies and mares, count on trainer Dickie Small to enter one or two or three, or in this case four starters, as he’s done in Saturday’s $50,000 Twixt Stakes at Laurel Park.

Saturday’s one mile feature on the main track is the first of two added-money races to be presented during Laurel’s ten day summer mini-meeting, which begins Friday afternoon and concludes August 21.

Wednesday, August 06 2008

Maryland Racing News - Wednesday, August 6

DE FRANCIS DASH AMONG STAKES RACES SUSPENDED DURING FALL MEET

The Maryland Jockey Club and Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association (MTHA) have agreed to slash the stakes schedule, including the Grade I Frank J. De Francis Dash, for the 2008 fall racing campaign at Laurel Park as the industry faces a shortfall in the purse account by the end of the calendar year. The only stakes races on the calendar will be state-bred or state sired stakes, headlined by the 23rd running of the Maryland Million on Saturday, October 4.

Wednesday, July 16 2008

LAUREL PARK SUMMER MEETING APPROVED

LAUREL, MD. 07-15-08---The Laurel Park summer meeting was approved this afternoon at the monthly Maryland Racing Commission meeting. After an eight-week break, live racing will return to Maryland on Friday, August 8. The 10-day summer meeting will include twilight racing (3:30 p.m. post time) on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.

The meet will include a pair of $50,000 state-bred stakes races for three-year-olds: Twixt Stakes (Saturday, August 9) and Humphrey S. Finney (Saturday, August 16). First post for the weekend dates is 1:10 p.m.