Takethemoneyhoney Overcomes Traffic in Politely
Hazlewood’s streak reaches 23
LAUREL, MD—”She’s just like a silent assassin,” winning jockey Sheldon Russell said after Complexity Jane displayed true heart and determination to deny a gallant Late Nite Call in Saturday’s $100,000 Carousel for fillies and mares racing 1 1/8 miles at Laurel Park.
“She does everything right on plan, and then she just comes out with her tricks. As long as she keeps running and keeps winning, we’ll put up with it.”
At times, Complexity Jane can be persnickety. Earlier in the year, before a winning effort in the Weber City Miss Stakes, Complexity Jane had to be loaded into the gate without her rider.
During the post parade before the Hilltop Stakes at Pimlico on May 16, Complexity Jane unseated Russell and ran off on her own, necessitating a late scratch.
This afternoon, Complexity Jane was mainly well-behaved. She was dappled out and bouncing in the post parade, but once again, Russell had to dismount before Complexity Jane strutted into the starting gate.
“It’s not in the gate, it’s going into [it],” Russell said about Complexity Jane’s mindset. “Once you’re in, it’s usually good.”
Complexity Jane was a pace-pressing winner of the Thirty Eight Go Go Stakes last month, but that trip went out the window soon after the start when she was pinched back from in between rivals.
“She put me in a bad spot there because I didn’t really want to be that far behind,” Russell admitted.
“I hated it,” winning trainer Brittany Russell said about the break. “I knew she wasn’t going to get away good the way she was standing. The gate crew did the best they could. They got her in there. She wasn’t being cooperative. Sheldon had to deal with how she got away, and it worked out for us, thank goodness.”
The pace was slow as Late Nite Call, dismissed at 47-1 on the tote under jockey Xavier Perez, secured the early advantage and the rail through an opening quarter of 25.18, then widened to an uncontested lead after a half-mile in 49.65.
Having dissuaded her primary pursuer, Sultry Lass, after six furlongs in 1:14.91, Late Nite Call turned into the stretch with a 2 ½ length lead, and on the brink of a major upset.
Russell had Complexity Jane passing horses on the outside, and they confronted Late Nite Call at the three-sixteenths pole. From there, the two leaders battled head-to-head to the wire with Complexity Jane getting home first by a neck in 1:55.44 over the fast main track.
The Sky Is Falling placed another 2 ½ lengths back in third, and was followed by Doctor Abbie, Audibly, Sultry Lass, Bailintin, Lute Warm, and Di’s Surprise. Secret Journey and Intrepid Mo scratched.
Complexity Jane returned $4.60 as the betting favorite.
“I was a little worried because the pace was slow, and Xavier was getting away with whatever he could,” Sheldon Russell said “I knew by the time I got to him, his horse was naturally going to have something left, especially going that slow. She dug in. She was game. I’m really proud of her.”
Brittany Russell concurred. “We know she’s that type of filly. She’s obviously a racehorse, and that’s what they do. They get the job done.”
A chestnut 3-year-old by Complexity bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones, Complexity Jane sold for $100,000 as a yearling before being purchased for $170,000 last March at OBS. She is owned by Michael Golden’s Golden Lion Racing.
“We went down to OBS looking for a nice horse,” Brittany Russell said after Complexity Jane opened eyes with a debut victory, travelling six furlongs on Feb. 1. “She was one of the top fillies on the list that we liked, and we got her. I couldn’t believe it. I was pumped. Out of all of them, she was the one I wanted.”
Complexity Jane is a half-sister to stakes-placed Roman Giant. Their dam, the Ghostzapper mare Bestinthebusiness, is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Do Share, multiple stakes-placed Dalton, and stakes-placed Andyoushallreceive. Her second dam is the Grade 2-placed You Asked from the family of Grade 1 winner Private Terms.
Complexity Jane, a winner in five of seven starts, boasts lifetime earnings of $275,600.
*Takethemoneyhoney Overcomes Traffic in Politely
Trainer Michael Moore endured some anxious moments as the field turned for home in the $100,000 Politely Stakes for fillies and mares stepping six furlongs.
Jammed up in between rivals entering the stretch under jockey Eliseo Ruiz, Takethemoneyhoney bulled her way through traffic inside the three-sixteenths pole. Once extricated from that situation, the favorite drove home to prevail by a length over 54-1 outsider Itsamonstamash.
Green Eyed Monster placed 2 ¾ lengths back in third. Then came Conquerthosewecan, Grayson’s Girl, Onyx Ten, Miss Harriett, and Devil Pays in Gold.
“She got in behind,” Moore said while watching the replay on the big screen. “It looked like she was getting a good trip, but then all of a sudden she wasn’t getting a good trip. Eliseo did a good job. By the quarter pole, he had to go and find a way out of there. He angled her out and got her into the clear. She’s just a racehorse. She’s game for sure.”
Ruiz, on the other hand, didn’t seem fazed by the trip.
“The filly was so professional,” he said. “I had a lot of horse at the quarter pole. I just waited for the moment and got aggressive.”
Takethemoneyhoney returned $3.60 to win after racing the three-quarters of a mile in 1:11.52.
Foaled in Maryland, Takethemoneyhoney is a homebred owned by Kasey K Racing Stable, Michael Day, and Final Turn Racing Stable. The 4-year-old filly is by Golden Lad out of Weber City Miss Stakes winner Goodonehoney, a Great Notion full sister to Twisted Ride, a four-time stakes-winner also conditioned by Moore.
Takethemoneyhoney has won four of six starts with two seconds. In those losses, she was beaten a nose in a first-level allowance at Aqueduct on the Ides of March, and by a head in last month’s Willa On the Move Stakes at Laurel.
In the latter race, Takethemoneyhoney returned from a lengthy layoff.
“She’s got a world of talent, obviously,” Moore said. “If you keep her together and keep her happy, she runs every time.”
The winner of Monmouth’s Serena’s Song Stakes on May 11, Takethemoneyhoney has earned $191,770. Moore mentioned that the filly benefits from time between races and will consider future spots against restricted company at Laurel Park in 2026.
Maryland-bred Politely was bred and raced by Mrs. Richard du Pont’s Sagamore Farm. She won 21 of 49 career starts, including 13 stakes victories. Politely was a member of the inaugural Maryland-bred Thoroughbred Hall of Fame Class of 2013.
*Hazlewood’s streak reaches 23
After taking the day off from riding at Laurel Park on Friday, Yedsit Hazlewood was back where he is most comfortable – in the winner’s circle at Laurel Park.
Hazlewood, 17, a leading candidate for the 2025 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, has ridden at least one winner in each of the last 23 racing cards on which he’s appeared at Laurel Park.
A native of Panama, Hazlewood holds a comfortable lead in the current Laurel Park jockey standings. Hazlewood tops the chart with 64 meet winners, 30 more than veteran Jevian Toledo.
Hazlewood rode his first career winner on April 4. Despite missing two months due to injury, he has registered 119 victories from 526 rides, including five stakes scores. He won four races on the prestigious Jim McKay Maryland Million program and has enjoyed two additional four-win days since that coming-out party. The leading rider at the Maryland State Fair at Timonium this summer, he has earned $3,956,287 in 2025.
Thirty-three of those victories came when partnered with Gary Capuano, including both of Hazlewood’s Saturday winners.
In the second race, Hazlewood swept to the lead from stalking range aboard Intrepid’s Legacy ($3.40). Capuano and Hazlewood completed the natural double in the third with Awesome Andy ($4).
