LAUREL, MD—“What a family. What a family,” marveled owner-breeder Gina Robb after The Stork Club flew past stablemate Paris by Night and held off late-running Gypsy Lullaby to win Friday’s 2-year-old race at Laurel Park, a 4 ½-furlong maiden special weight event for fillies.
“I can’t tell you how proud I am,” Robb said of The Stork Club’s dam, the Great Notion mare Gracie’s Hero. “This mare was a giveaway. She’s as crooked as the day is long. She had no life outside of being a broodmare. She couldn’t have made a show horse, or anything else, for that matter.”
Despite being bumped at the start, The Stork Club broke best under jockey Jeiron Barbosa and settled outside odds-on Paris by Night through an opening quarter in 22.98 seconds. The Stork Club engaged in a pitched battle with her stablemate before taking control in the stretch. Gypsy Lullaby fired late but fell three-quarters of a length short in 53.52 seconds on the sloppy, sealed track.
Paris by Night finished third, three-quarters of a length behind the runner-up. Rebelka and Sweet Bourbon Tea followed. Engage At Will scratched.
Maryland-bred The Stork Club paid $8.40 to win as the second choice in the betting market.
Gina and her husband, trainer John “Jerry” Robb, have bred all of Gracie’s Hero’s offspring. Her first foal, Nonna’s Glory, did not win, but her next seven foals did, including the Maryland Million Nursery winner Do It For Michael.
Gracie’s Hero also seems to produce some hot-blooded individuals. One of them, the talented but temperamental Mama G’s Wish, earned $390,957. Another, Fayes Heart, can be a bit rough around the edges, but the 3-year-old was good enough to win by 5 ¼ lengths over muddy going here on April 3.
“She’s a very no-personality, doesn’t-want-to-be-bothered, just-leave-me-alone, just-let-me-live-my-life kind of horse,” Gina Robb said about Gracie’s Hero. “That’s probably why they’re all a little bit goofy, like her.”
The Stork Club showed some of the family’s hot-blooded tendencies when she was expected to debut here three weeks ago. She left the paddock, took one look at the track, and bolted, running away from the pony, which necessitated a late scratch.
That turned out to be a blessing in disguise for the Robb family, as their Costa Linda won the race by 7¾ lengths. Costa Linda is a daughter of Anna’s Bandit, one of the more popular and talented mares in the Mid-Atlantic region over the past decade.
“I was very upset when she was scratched,” Gina Robb said. “But after I took a deep breath and saw she was okay, I thought maybe it was for the best, because I would have hated to take that light away from ‘Anna,’ because she’s the queen.”
Gina Robb cited the $225,000 Debutante Stakes at Churchill Downs as a potential goal for Costa Linda and The Stork Club.
She is also very bullish on The Stork Club’s sire, Engage, a Grade 2-winning son of the perennial leading stallion Into Mischief. Engage, a second-crop stallion in 2026, stands at Northview Stallion Station in Maryland.
“Engage, I think, is going to be the next great sire here in Maryland,” she enthused. “They’re fast.”
The Robbs have more to look forward to with Gracie’s Hero’s upcoming foals. They have a yearling colt by Cupid, a weanling filly by Mo Donegal, and Gracie’s Hero was bred this year to Goal Oriented.
“All her babies are gorgeous,” Gina Robb said. “Thank the good Lord that she hasn’t passed down that trait of crooked front-end.”
*Around the track:
Jockey Raul Mena rode two winners on Friday’s card. He shot and scored aboard trainer Sarah White’s Hockey ($4.60) in the third race, then piloted Golden Sovereign ($9.80) to victory in the fifth for trainer Michael Gorham.
Jockey Jevian Toledo also notched a riding double. The dependable veteran tracked the pacesetter with Hurrah ($5.40) in the fifth race for trainer Katherine Voss, then closed out the day with a rail-skimming victory aboard Knock Knock ($12.60) for trainer Anthony Farrior.
Live racing resumes Saturday with a nine-race card featuring two “Value Pick 5” wagers, each with a low 12% takeout rate.
The free “Laurel Park Handicapping Guide” is available on every race day. It provides picks, analysis, trainer stats, trip notes, horses to watch, track bias info, and more from The Maryland Jockey Club’s team of handicappers. Saturday’s guide is available. Click here to view it.
Never miss a second of the action on the Laurel Park YouTube channel. Click here to watch full pan and head-on replays.
Watch “Today at the Races,” the Maryland Jockey Club’s morning handicapping show every racing day at 11 am ET on the Maryland Jockey Club X account. Click here to watch.
