Among Five Stakes, Three on Turf, Worth $500K in Purses April 22

LAUREL, MD – Graded-stakes winners English Bee, Flop Shot, Magic Michael, Royal Patronage and Slipstream are among 34 older horses nominated to the $100,000 Henry S. Clark Saturday, April 22 at Laurel Park.

The one-mile Clark for 3-year-olds and up is among five $100,000 stakes on the second of consecutive Spring Stakes Spectacular Saturdays at Laurel, and one of the first three of the 2023 grass season along with the one-mile Dahlia for fillies and mares 3 and up and 5 ½-furlong King T. Leatherbury for 3-year-olds and up.

English Bee is a three-time stakes winner whose victories include the 2019 Virginia Derby (G3), Parx Derby and James W. Murphy, the latter at historic Pimlico Race Course. The 7-year-old gelding trained by Graham Motion has also placed in three other graded-stakes.

Irish-bred Flop Shot won the 2019 Prix de Guiche (G3) in France and hasn’t raced since finishing fourth in back-to-back starts last fall in New York. Magic Michael, from Laurel’s winter meet-leading trainer Jamie Ness, has had a similar layoff after running second in defense of his 2021 Greenwood Cup (G3) win in September.

English Bee’s Graham Motion-trained stablemate, Royal Patronage, was a multiple group-stakes winner in England that came to the U.S. last summer and was winless in three graded-stakes attempts. Slipstream, winner of the 2021 Futurity (G3) on the Belmont Park turf, ended a nine-month layoff running fourth in an optional claiming allowance March 10 at Gulfstream Park.

Stakes winners Big Everest, Cynergy’s Star, Dynadrive, Mr. Hustle, Nothing Better, Ocala Dream, Sky’s Not Falling, Wicked Prankster and Classier, a Grade 3 winner on dirt in California in July 2021, are also prominent among nominees.

Defending champion Deciding Vote is one of 35 horses nominated to the Dahlia, opening her 2022 season with a late-running half-length victory at Laurel over In a Hurry and fellow nominee Coconut Cake, who came back to win the Maryland Million Ladies in October. Feb. 4 Endeavour (G3) winner Surprisingly, European group-stakes winners Malavath and Sopran Basilea and multiple stakes winners Bipartisanship, Can the Queen and Love in the Air are also nominated.

The Leatherbury, named for the recently turned 90-year-old Hall of Fame horseman, was most popular among horsemen with 39 nominees including 2022 Turf Monster (G3) winner That’s Right; multiple stakes winners Can the Queen, Carotari, Determined Kingdom, Nobody Listens, Nothing Better; 2021 Maryland Million Turf Sprint winner Grateful Bred; and Breezy Gust, winner of the March 18 Not For Love on Laurel’s main track.

Rounding out the April 22 stakes action are the 1 1/8-mile Native Dancer for 3-year-olds and up and six-furlong Primonetta for fillies and mares 3 and older, both on the main track. The Primonetta attracted 19 nominees including March 7 Penn’s Landing winner Disco Ebo and Butch Reid-trained stablemate Dr B, winner of the Go For Wand (G3) Dec. 3 at Aqueduct in her most recent start; Moody Woman, third in the Feb. 18 Barbara Fritchie (G3); stakes winners Edie Meeny Miny Mo, Princess Kokachin, Proper Attire, Street Lute and The Sky Is Falling; Summer Odds, fourth by 1 ¼ lengths in the seven-furlong Conniver March 18 at Laurel; and Fuhgeddaboudit, a winner of three straight Laurel sprints.

Multiple graded-stakes winning millionaire Tax, stakes winners Armando R, Forewarned, Galerio, Magic Michael, Nimitz Class, Ournationonparade, Sea Foam, Tax and Vance Scholars, and 17-time career winner Bobb G are among 30 nominees to the Native Dancer.