Pattysbuddy, the winner, and Love You Too and Baltimore Raven, who finished a nose apart, dashed through the wet going and upended Tater Tutt to take the top three prizes. The winner, with jockey Malcolm Franklin, paid $11.80 and topped a $93.60 exacta and $432.40 triple.
After the victory, trainer Tim Tullock indicated the winner, a son of Partner’s Hero, is now under consideration for the $125,000 Maryland Million Sprint. The five-year-old is six-for-30 lifetime with 16 in the money finishes for earnings of $152,211.
“Maryland Million has to be under serious consideration after that effort but we’ll see how he comes out of the race,” Tullock said. “That race (Maryland Million Sprint) has come up light the last few years.”
Pattysbuddy saved ground around the turn and took the lead inside the three-sixteenths pole and was a driving winner by 4 ½ lengths. He finished the 5 ½ furlong test in 1:04.88.
“I like that he is tactical,” added Tullock. “He is a good breaking horse and it is hard to get people to ride him right but Malcolm did a great job.”
Defending champion Celtic Innis is expected to headline the six-furlong Sprint. Trained by Tim Keefe at Laurel, the seven-year-old son of Yarrow Brae has finished on the board in 16 of 24 stakes tries with five scores and earnings of nearly $550,000.
Love You Too, a Dale Capuano trainee, and Baltimore Raven, from the Scott Lake barn, are also Maryland Million eligible.
Others expected to compete in this year’s races include 2008 Maryland Million Classic winner Cuba and millionaire Heros Reward, who will be the prohibitive favorite in the Turf Sprint.
Pre-entries for “Maryland’s Day At The Races” will be announced September 18 with the post position draw five days later.