Las Setas Faces 12 in Return for $100,000 Imagining Safely Kept

LAUREL, MD – Barry Schwartz’s Amundson, an impressive winner of his last two races in New York, will step up to stakes company for the first time as he looks to extend his streak in the $100,000 Force the Pass City of Laurel Stakes Saturday at Laurel Park.

The City of Laurel for 3-year-olds and $100,000 Imagining Safely Kept Stakes for 3-year-old fillies, both at seven furlongs, are among four stakes worth $400,000 in purses on the nine-race program. First-race post time is 12:25 p.m.

For the first time this year, winners of the City of Laurel and Safely Kept will earn automatic entry into the $300,000 Malibu (G1) and $300,000 La Brea (G1), respectively, on Wednesday, Dec. 26, opening day of Santa Anita’s winter-spring meet.

Both the Malibu and La Brea are contested at seven furlongs. If the winner of Laurel’s races make the trip to California, they will be given a $2,500 stipend toward travel costs.

Grade 1-winning millionaires Force the Pass and Imagining, both standing in Maryland, will be on hand prior to the races as part of Laurel’s inaugural Stallion Showcase highlighting several of the state’s farm and breeding operations.

A gelded bay son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin and grandson of champion Bernardini, Amundson exits a front-running 8 ¾-length romp over fellow New York-breds in a 6 ½-furlong second-level allowance Oct. 18 at Belmont Park. The effort came four weeks after a half-length score going the same distance in an entry-level spot, also at Belmont.

“He’s doing really good. He came out of the race in New York in good order,” trainer Horacio DePaz said. “Obviously it was a pretty strong effort, so we’re just trying to let him recover from that and see if he’s going to be able to peak again for us on Saturday.”

DePaz said what impressed him the most about Amundson’s most recent race was how much he controlled the race and how well he responded to Hall of Fame jockey Javier Castellano, aboard for the first time.

“When Javier rode him, he said he was a dream. Before, he tried to lug in on horses a little bit. He was kind of immature, but he was all there for him and he was all excited about the way he ran that race,” DePaz said.

“I hope that I get him to where he’s coming back to another peak performance. He ran a really good number the day he won at Belmont even though he was alone on the lead, and obviously you worry about the bounce theory and if he’s going to do that,” he added. “The space in between that race to this race, especially after running as hard as he did, it was good timing.”

Unraced at 2, Amundson broke his maiden at Delaware Park June 13, then ran fourth and third in back-to-back starts at Saratoga prior to his Belmont wins. The City of Laurel will be the first try against his own age group since he debuted Jan. 26 at Aqueduct.

“Even the races he ran at Saratoga, those were solid horses he was running against and he wasn’t far off, competition-wise, the way he was finishing. It was just experience, and he’s really put it together here lately maturity wise,” DePaz said. “It’s a chance to go up against straight 3-year-olds. It sounds like the race is going to be pretty competitive field, so it’ll be a good test for him as far as where he fits with these other 3-year-olds.”

Juddmonte Farm’s graded-stakes placed homebred Honest Mischief, an impressive allowance winner off the bench last out, returns to stakes company in the City of Laurel. The son of Into Mischief has been worse than third just once in five starts, all this year, with two wins.

Both Honest Mischief’s wins have come sprinting at Keeneland, an eight-length maiden special weight romp April 6 going seven furlongs, and a four-length triumph Oct. 9 in a 6 ½-furlong allowance against older horses at Keeneland. In between, he ran sixth as the favorite in the Woody Stephens (G1) and a distant third to eventual Breeders’ Cup Sprint (G1) runner-up Shancelot in the Amsterdam (G2).

Trainer Hamilton Smith, six wins away from 2,000 for his career, entered Hall Pass and Hanalei’s Houdini who, like Amundson, have been facing older horses for much of the year. Mens Grille Racing’s Hall Pass has been first or third in six of 11 starts in 2019, beaten a length when third in the Star de Naskra Stakes Aug. 17. Most recently, he finished fourth behind Taco Supream, multiple graded-stakes winner Call Paul and defending champion Lewisfield in the Maryland Million Sprint Oct. 19.

“He didn’t get away as quick as we’d like last time but he recovered quick enough. It was a tough and fast race, there wasn’t any doubt about that,” Smith said. “The horses that beat him are all accomplished horses so there’s no disgrace in that. He’s doing good and training well enough so there’s no reason not to try it.”

“He’s been facing these older horses and they’ve been running in [1:08] and change, [1:09] and change, but Hall Pass has held his own,” he added. “He’s hit the board and run pretty good, so it will be good to run against straight 3-year-olds and see if that doesn’t give him a little boost.”

Collinsworth Thoroughbred Racing’s Hanalei’s Houdini ran third, beaten 2 ½ lengths by Jefazo, after taking a short lead into the stretch in a one-mile optional claiming allowance Nov. 9 at Laurel. Jefazo is among the contenders in Saturday’s $100,000 Richard W. Small Stakes for 3-year-olds and up.

“He made the lead turning for home like he was going to get there, but that was against older horses and they came and got him. He tries hard,” Smith said. “He’s been running a little further, but I think seven-eighths should hit him pretty good.

“I think the distance will suit both these colts of mine. It’s going to be tough, so all we can do is take our shot and hope for the best. Maybe being here at home helps us a little bit,” he added. “They’re running their races and just getting beat by good horses. That’s not the worst thing in the world.”

Chilly in Charge and Rohrbacher complete the field.

Las Setas Faces 12 for Return in $100,000 Imagining Safely Kept

Multiple stakes winner Las Setas, unraced since having her four-race win streak snapped in the Black-Eyed Susan (G2) in mid-May, is entered to launch her comeback in the $100,000 Imagining Safely Kept.

Owned by Wayne Harrison, Robert Manfuso and Katy Voss, bred by Manfuso and Voss in Maryland and trained by Voss, Las Setas drew Post 4 in a field of 13 for her return to Laurel, where she broke her maiden and reeled off three consecutive stakes victories over the winter and spring.

“We got lucky because those races came up good for her. This is a different story. It looks pretty tough,” Voss said. “It’s great to have her back. It’s been a little bit of a dry summer and fall. She’s on track, so we’ll go in and see what it looks like.”

Las Setas raced once at 2, finishing sixth in a six-furlong maiden special weight last New Year’s Eve. She won four straight races ranging from seven furlongs to about 1 1/16 miles to start her sophomore year, including the Wide Country, Beyond the Wire and Weber City Miss, the latter earning her an automatic berth in the Black-Eyed Susan.

“She’s a very, very talented filly. We thought that she could win first time out, but she was just too green. She’s easily flustered and she got some dirt in her face,” Voss said. “The second time we ran her, she was just better than they were, and with two races under her belt she had everything her own way in the [first] two stakes she won.

“She gutted it out in the Weber City Miss. I thought she ran her race that day but Our Super Freak stepped up and she improved her game that day and made it a contest,” she added. “When we ran in the Black-Eyed Susan, I had counted before the race four horses that I didn’t think she could beat. It was just a totally different quality of horse. It looks like Saturday’s race will have some pretty talented fillies.”

Las Setas has posted three straight bullet five-furlong workouts at Laurel for her return, going in 1:00.40 Tuesday after times of 1:02.60 Nov. 20 and 1:01 Nov. 14.

“She’s acting really well. She’s worked good and it’s funny, the [Nov. 20] work was slower but I think that had more to do with the racetrack than with her. She’s doing great,” Voss said. “She never had any problems last spring but she came out of the Black-Eyed Susan with a couple little setbacks, not important, but that needed time. She’s doing really well now.”

Among Las Setas’ foes is Hillwood Stable’s stakes-placed homebred Bunting, who returns to face her own age group after a win and a second against her elders in her last two starts, both as the favorite.

By graded-stakes winner Bandbox, Bunting was beaten less than a length in a one-mile restricted allowance Nov. 3 after emerging from a duel up front to win an open allowance by 2 ¾ lengths going six furlongs Oct. 11.

“She didn’t give it up the last time, she just got outrun to the wire the last 50 yards,” trainer Rodney Jenkins said. “I know that the mile is about all she wants and she’ll get late at that probably sometimes, but she’s got a lot of speed and seven-eighths hopefully hits her right between the eyes.”

Like Las Setas, Bunting has also been sharp in her morning works. She went a half-mile in 47.60 Nov. 15, fastest of 22 horses, and five furlongs in 1:00 Nov. 22, quickest of 10 at the distance.

“She’s working real good and she looks healthy and good,” Jenkins said. “She’s always been a quick, very precocious filly. She always has one of the best times every time you work her, and you’re not really pressing on her to do it. She does it all on her own.”

“When she runs, we kind of let her break and be where she wants to be. You don’t have to press her to be up near the lead or on the lead. She kind of takes that into her own hands,” he added. “That’s how she runs her best races.”

Rounding out the group are 2018 Colleen Stakes winner Mae Never No, 2019 Silverbulletday Stakes winner Needs Supervision, Hey Mamaluke, Lady Banba, No Mo Lady, Passionof the Nile, Philanthropic, Scatrattleandroll, Slimey, Sweet Sami D and Victim of Love.