The Magical One Gives Leading Trainer Seventh Win in Four Days
Triple Carryovers for Return of Live Racing Thursday, Aug. 1

LAUREL, MD – Even-money favorite The Magical One powered to an eight-length victory in his career debut Sunday at Laurel Park, putting an exclamation point on a torrid weekend for summer meet-leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez.

A gelded 3-year-old son of 2004 Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness (G1) winner Smarty Jones, The Magical One ($4) captured the six-furlong maiden claimer in 1:11.63 over a fast main track to give the 42-year-old Gonzalez his seventh win from 18 starters over the past four days.

Maryland’s overall leading trainer by wins in 2017 and 2018, Gonzalez holds a 19-10 advantage over Cal Lynch in the current trainer standings, putting him on track for his 10th training title.

Gonzalez had won six consecutive training titles at Laurel dating back to the summer 2017 stand before finishing three shy of Mike Trombetta, 12-9, at the short spring meet that preceded the Preakness Meet at Pimlico Race Course. Gonzalez finished second 12 times to go along with his nine wins.

“If you get lucky then that could be 12 winners,” Gonzalez said. “The horses are running well and my team does an excellent job. If it’s not for them, I can’t do it. The main thing is, we put the horses in the right spots and we try hard.”

Gonzalez won with three of his five starters Thursday, July 25, two of six starters Friday, July 26 and one of four starters Saturday, July 27. Three times, he had more than one horse entered in the same race. The Magical One was his lone win from three starters Sunday.

Also winning for Gonzalez over the weekend were 3-year-old fillies Yesterdaysplan and Life in Flash, 3-year-old gelding Creative Artist, 5-year-old mare Irish Fix, 2-year-old filly Ankle Monitor and 5-year-old gelding Electro. Creative Artist, Irish Fix and Electro all won over Laurel’s world-class turf course.

“Here we run maybe 70 percent of the time on the grass in the summer, and I don’t have too many grass horses. That’s why we try to claim some horses for the turf and dirt, both,” Gonzalez said. “Now I have a little more horses for the grass. Before, the last two years I didn’t have horses to run on the grass.”

In Sunday’s featured eighth race, a $45,000 second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up, Mopo Racing’s Eastern Bay ($8.60) rallied for a head triumph over Love You Much in 1:08.66 over a firm Fort Marcy turf course. It was the second win in four starts, all on the turf, since being claimed in April. He was claimed back out of the race for $35,000 by trainer Ferris Allen.

“It was exciting. He came from off the pace and just got up. It was a good race,” winning trainer Dale Capuano said. “[Grass] was the main reason I wanted to take him and he’s run well on the turf for us. We got lucky today.”

Triple Carryovers for Return of Live Racing Thursday, Aug. 1

There will be carryovers in the 20-cent Rainbow 6, 50-cent Late Pick 5 and $1 Super Hi-5 when live racing returns to Laurel Park with an eight-race card Thursday, Aug. 1 starting at 1:10 p.m.

Going to the Lead ($65.40) upset the Sunday’s 11th-race finale at 30-1 to trigger carryovers of $11,623.04 in the Rainbow 6, $5,326.97 in the Late Pick 5 and $1,046.61 in the Super Hi-5.

Multiple tickets with all six winners in Sunday’s Rainbow 6 were worth $1,710.10. Tickets with four of five winners in the Late Pick 5 each returned $24.10.

Notes: Jockey Jorge Ruiz swept the early daily double Sunday on Flirtation Walk ($16.20) in Race 1 and The Magical One ($4) in Race 2. Also winning twice were Sheldon Russell with Skyscanner ($13.40) in Race 3 and Ten Eyck ($10.80) in Race 9, and apprentices Julio Correa with Cash Exchange ($5.80) in Race 5 and City Gold ($5.20) in Race 10, and Avery Whisman aboard Eastern Bay ($8.60) in Race 8 and Going to the Lead ($) in Race 11.