Ribaltagaia returns from layoff in Dahlia
Chasing Liberty faces elders in King T. Leatherbury
Neat hopes for better luck in Henry S. Clark
LAUREL, MD—It will be a family affair for Trott Racing Stables and Five Sisters Farm when Miss Fulton Gal starts in Saturday’s $150,000 Weber City Miss Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at 1 1/16 miles.
The winner receives an automatic berth in the Grade 2, $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan Stakes at Pimlico on Preakness Eve.
Miss Fulton Gal seeks her third consecutive victory after rallying to win the Beyond the Wire Stakes on March 21.
She was bought for $35,000 last June by Trott Racing Stables and Five Sisters Farm, following the advice of champion jockey Vincent “Jimbo” Bracciale, who owned Five Sisters with his wife and five daughters before he passed away on December 15 at age 72.
Natalie, one of Bracciale’s daughters, is married to Rick Trott of Trott Racing Stables.
“This race was really important to us,” Trott said after the Beyond the Wire. “Hopefully, we can get into the Weber City Miss, which is sentimental for us because Jimbo was the jockey for Weber City Miss.”
“It’s extremely important because he picked this horse out,” said Bracciale’s widow, Terri, as she fought back tears in the winner’s circle. “He liked the horse from the beginning. He liked the way that she looked; he liked the way that she progressed. It’s a really exciting time for us.”
A highly successful jockey in Maryland, Bracciale rode 3,545 winners, won two Laurel Park riding titles (1972, 1980), and captured three more at Pimlico (1973, 1977, 1979). In 1973, he set a Pimlico record by winning 87 races in a 60-day meet.
Substituting for regular rider Jacinto Vasquez, Bracciale guided the legendary Ruffian to two graded stakes wins, including the Grade 1 Spinaway at Saratoga, during the Hall of Famer’s undefeated 2-year-old campaign in 1974.
Bracciale also finished third in the 1986 Kentucky Derby aboard the popular Broad Brush. That year, he won the first jewel of Canada’s Triple Crown, the Queen’s Plate, on Golden Choice.
Miss Fulton Gal, trained by Michael Gorham, will be ridden from post six by Raul Mena.
In a whirlwind five-month span last year, Imaginary Stables’ Jumping the Gun went from a debut win at Delaware Park to a second-place finish in the Grade 2 Demoiselle Stakes at Aqueduct.
Her trainer, Andrew Simoff, sensed the Gun Runner filly was a good one from the start.
“She always worked good,” Simoff said. “I thought she’d be okay. Her thing was that her gallop-outs were always pretty good.”
In the Demoiselle, Jumping the Gun finished behind Zany, who has blossomed into one of the country’s top 3-year-old fillies this year.
“The [nine furlongs of the Demoiselle] is what impressed me,” Simoff said. “She didn’t give up. She was with the second pack of horses, and she didn’t quit or spit it out. She kept going.”
Although Jumping the Gun hasn’t raced in more than four months, Simoff seems pleased with his filly’s preparation.
“We got lucky because the weather was a little dodgy when I brought her back in, but she was just galloping and jogging. [When] it was time for her to breeze, the weather cleared up. I think she’s fit enough, but you never know.”
Jumping the Gun breaks from post eight with jockey Julio Hernandez aboard. She was named the 7-5 morning line favorite by Ed DeRosa of Horse Racing Nation.
Ivy Girl and Law School finished first and third, respectively, in Parx’s Main Line Stakes on March 3. The former, owned by Lucky Hat Racing, ran second behind Miss Fulton Gal in a first-level allowance race here on Valentine’s Day, while Law School placed fourth in the Beyond the Wire. Law School, owned by Super C Racing and Jagger Inc., won Parx’s Future Stars Fillies Stakes last year.
C R K Stable’s A.P.’s Girl steps up to stakes company for the first time after winning two straight at this distance at Fair Grounds for trainer Peter Eurton. The Honor A. P. filly breezed a solo half-mile at Keeneland on April 7.
Woodford Racing and Team D’s Three Sixty wired the field in her final 2025 start, a one-mile maiden special weight race at Aqueduct on December 27.
“In working with her, we always felt there was talent there,” said trainer Tony Dutrow. “I still haven’t seen what I want to see from her. I hope she’s got more than she’s shown. If you’re working with her, she leads you to believe she does. I don’t think she fully grasps the whole situation yet.”
Stakes-placed Momaxie, Diamond N Dress, and Wiretapped, a maiden trained by Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher, also entered.
Weber City Miss won the Black-Eyed Susan and Hilltop, finished second in the Alabama, and third in the Ladies Handicap, earning the title of Maryland-bred champion 3-year-old filly of 1980. Nine of her 17 career wins came in stakes races, including the 1982 Beldame. As a broodmare, her first foal was the multiple Grade 1-winning millionaire Slew City Slew.
*Ribaltagaia returns from layoff in Dahlia
In Ribaltagaia’s career debut in France in 2023, she showed a strong late turn of foot, humbling maidens by 3 ½ lengths.
After finishing a pacesetting second in her most recent start, the August 30 Violet Stakes at Monmouth Park, trainer Graham Motion hopes the 5-year-old Blame mare will return to those tactics in the $100,000 Dahlia Stakes for fillies and mares at one mile on turf.
“In a perfect world, you’d love to get her cover,” Motion admitted. “That’s why they brought her over from Europe. It was always difficult for her to get cover because she’s kind of a keen filly. She’s built like a colt. I was surprised she was beaten [in the Violet] the way she trained. Hopefully, I’ve got her fit enough this weekend.”
Motion noted that Ribaltagaia had some “nagging issues” that led to the layoff, but she’s built a strong resume of workouts, culminating in an easy solo five-eighths breeze at Fair Hill on April 12.
Owned by Frassetto Stables, Ribaltagaia breaks from post four with Jorge Ruiz aboard.
Tier Racing’s Summerintahoe is the 2-1 favorite on DeRosa’s morning line. A speedy Tapit mare trained by Michael Ewing, Summerintahoe hasn’t raced since winning a second-level allowance at Kentucky Downs on September 7. Jaime Torres rides from post five.
Parkland Thoroughbreds’ Curlin’s Angel, a lightly raced 5-year-old mare trained by Jorge Abreu, also returns from a layoff. She hasn’t started since finishing fourth as the favorite in the first-level allowance at Saratoga on September 1. A good-sized daughter of Curlin, Curlin’s Angel showed a powerful late kick to win her career debut last June.
Calamity, Sheila’s Lion, Princess Javoncia, Storm Miami, Mahra’s Love, and Amie’s Symphony also entered.
Inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 1981, Dahlia was retired after her 6-year-old season in 1976, having been the world’s leading money-winning distaffer with more than $1.54 million in purse earnings. A two-time Horse of the Year in England, she won 15 of 48 starts worldwide, including the 1973 Washington D.C. International at Laurel. She produced several Grade 1 winners as a broodmare before her death in 2001.
*Chasing Liberty faces elders in King T. Leatherbury
The $100,000 King T. Leatherbury Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at 5 ½ furlongs on turf attracted no fewer than nine prior stakes winners.
Not bad for a field of 13.
One of them, Chasing Liberty, a stakes-winner at two and three, makes his 4-year-old debut after placing fifth in the Grade 1 Franklin-Simpson Stakes for sophomores at Kentucky Downs on September 6.
“He broke a little slow at Kentucky Downs,” said Rob Atras, who trains Chasing Liberty for Twin Creeks Racing Stables and CMNWLTH. “It was kind of unfortunate because he made a big run there. He’s a pretty cool horse. He shows up every time.”
Atras admitted that the King T. Leatherbury Stakes wasn’t Chasing Liberty’s original objective.
“We gave him some time off,” he said. “We were actually trying to get a race for him at Fair Grounds, but the race didn’t go. So, we re-routed him to this spot here.”
Gracie Mae Stables and Great Lake Stable’s Had to Have Him closed out 2025 with a flourish, winning both the Laurel Dash and the Maryland Million Turf Sprint for trainer John Salzman Jr.
“We gave him some time off, and he had a few little issues that we fixed,” Salzman said. “Right now, he’s training probably better than I’ve ever seen him train.”
LC Racing, Robert Bonner and Butch Reid’s Fore Harp won last year’s King T. Leatherbury in his seasonal debut, and he’ll attempt to repeat the feat. Trained by Reid, Fore Harp finished sixth in a $40,000 optional claimer in his final start of 2025.
Kenneth Ramsey’s Whenigettoheaven ran third in last year’s King T. Leatherbury and second in the Maryland Million Sprint. He has four prior turf wins at Laurel Park.
R A Hill Stable and SGV Thoroughbreds’ Outlaw Kid ran second, beaten a neck in the 2024 King T. Leatherbury for trainer George Weaver. He finished fourth in his final start last year, the Aqueduct Turf Sprint Championship on November 1.
JAL Racing’s Doncho won two of his last three starts in 2025, including the Da Hoss Stakes at Colonial Downs. He reportedly sustained an injury when he finished seventh in last year’s Grade 2 Woodford Stakes on October 4. He has sharp early speed for trainer Michelle Lovell and is the 9-2 favorite on DeRosa’s morning line.
Determined Kingdom, owned by the Estate of R Larry Johnson, was Grade 2-placed last year at Saratoga, and is a three-time winner over Laurel’s turf course.
Prince of Jericho makes his turf debut. He joins Incinerator, late-runners Eamonn and King Covee, and speedsters Schwarzmeier and Jean Valjean at the starting gate.
The King T. Leatherbury is named for the legendary Hall of Fame trainer who passed away earlier this year at age 92.
Leatherbury’s horses won 6,508 races, earning $64,693,537. He captured 52 training titles in Maryland, 26 each at Pimlico and Laurel, and four meet championships at Delaware Park.
Leatherbury led all North American trainers in wins in 1977 and 1978, and won 300 or more races each year from 1975 to 1978.
He secured at least 200 victories annually for 11 consecutive years and had 100 or more winners for 26 straight years. Leatherbury ranked among the top three in North American wins annually from 1975 to 1980 and was among the top ten nationally in earnings four times.
Leatherbury was inducted into the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame in 2015. There will be a Celebration of Life Ceremony for Leatherbury scheduled at Laurel Park on Saturday.
*Neat hopes for better luck in Henry S. Clark
Atras also saddles Neat in the $100,000 Henry S. Clark Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at one mile on turf.
A three-time graded stakes winner, Neat, owned by Red White and Blue Racing and CMNWLTH, failed to hit the board in any of his five starts last year. It’s safe to say he had excuses.
“Checked early, steadied often, steady 3/8, taken up, checked 3/8, swerved 8p” are among the phrases chart callers used to describe Neat’s races. It reads like Edgar Allan Poe.
Neat returned to action on March 20, finishing fourth in a high-level allowance race at Fair Grounds.
“I thought that was a great return effort and something we could build on,” said Atras. “He saved ground, rated well, swung out, and closed well. He was right there at the end.”
That was Neat’s first start since August.
“He had a little bit of a sore shin,” Atras said. “Just some stuff that was not career-threatening, just stuff that needed some time. Plus, he needed a reset. The whole year was a throw-out.”
Motion counters with Hope Jones’ Cruise the Nile, a lightly raced 4-year-old making his stakes debut after winning his last three starts.
“We had some problems with him, so we missed his 2-year-old year,” Motion said. “His owner has been incredibly patient. He was always a horse that we liked a lot.”
Cruise the Nile is the 7-2 favorite on DeRosa’s morning line.
Pin Oak Stud’s King Size, a $925,000 yearling purchase, won his last two starts for trainer Michael Stidham, including his seasonal debut, a first-level allowance at Turfway on March 21. That was his first start since last summer at Delaware Park.
“It took him a little time to develop,” Stidham said. “I think he had a little bit of bone bruising, and he needed a little bit of time. I thought [the Turfway race] was a fairly tough group because we were running a non-two against horses that had won seven or eight races.”
Mischievous Angel finished second in last year’s Henry S. Clark for trainer Abreu. He didn’t seem to handle the Tapeta at Turfway, finishing last of seven in the Big Daddy Stakes on March 7.
Naptown, Baby Max, Sherlock’s Jewel, Horsepower, Hold Out, Bartlett, and Vote No were also entered.
The Henry S. Clark is named for the Hall of Fame trainer, known as the “dean of Maryland trainers.” Clark trained 33 stakes winners, including Preakness runner-up Linkage.
