Mychel Sanchez rides three winners
LAUREL, MD— Jockey Martin Chuan made a last-minute change before Thursday’s featured eighth race at Laurel Park, a $56,000 allowance for 4-year-olds and up over 1 1/16 miles.
His mount, Feeling Woozy, looked like a one-dimensional front-runner. Heck, in his last three victories, Feeling Woozy led every call.
Chuan can read a Racing Form, and he observed several other horses exhibiting a similar running style.
“There was a lot of speed in this race,” Chuan said. “I changed the idea. It was a good day to try it. He got a good trip. He broke good. I was following the speed. At the half-mile, when I called him, he answered me quickly.”
Chuan’s new plan couldn’t have worked better, as Feeling Woozy settled just off a blazing pace set by Le Gris and J D Factor.
Those two horses scorched through fractions of 23.23 and 46.88 seconds before J D Factor showed signs of fatigue.
Le Gris earned no respite despite winning the pace battle, as Feeling Woozy immediately emerged on the scene with a three-wide bid after a six-furlong clocking of 1:12.74.
Feeling Woozy easily passed Le Gris and maintained a strong lead to the finish, beating the favorite Pay Billy by 1 ¾ lengths in 1:46.60 on the fast track.
“I’ve won three races with him,” Chuan said. “I know him, and he likes me.”
The multiple stakes-placed Hittheroadjak finished third, 3 ¼ lengths behind Pay Billy. Le Gris, J D Factor, and Secret Zipper completed the order of finish.
Feeling Woozy, a 6-year-old gelding by Irish War Cry, was bred in Maryland by Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds.
Feeling Woozy, a $16,000 yearling purchase, started 31 times for owner-trainer Hamilton Smith, including a third-place finish in the 2023 Miracle Wood Stakes at Laurel.
Trainer Jamie Ness claimed Feeling Woozy for $40,000 after an eighth-place finish at Pimlico last spring. Now campaigned by Ness’s Jagger Inc. in partnership with Super C Racing, Feeling Woozy has captured four of nine starts for the new connections, including an 11-length triumph at Laurel on December 12. Feeling Woozy earned a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure for that effort.
Feeling Woozy has compiled a record of eight wins in 40 starts, with lifetime earnings of $427,330.
Pay Billy, a two-time stakes winner, showed some late interest in his third start since finishing seventh in the Grade 1 Preakness Stakes at Pimlico.
“I thought he ran a good race,” said trainer Michael Gorham. “I think the winner ran a huge race. [Pay Billy] is getting there. Every race is a little better. Hopefully, next time we get the money.”
Feeling Woozy was trainer Ness’s third winner of the afternoon. He captured the opener with Who’s the King ($5) and the seventh race with Gordian Knot ($6.60).
Ness, 51, a native of Heron, South Dakota, led the nation in wins in 2025 with 353. He also topped the national standings in 2012, saddling 395 winners.
Ness conditioned five stakes winners last year, including Laurel’s John B. Campbell on February 15 with Speedyness.
Over his career, Ness has won 4,909 races, earning $107,688,135.
*Mychel Sanchez rides three winners
Jockey Mychel Sanchez rode three winners Thursday.
Sanchez, who finished sixth in the year-end jockey standings by number of wins in Maryland in 2025, started the day strong by guiding Who’s the King to a dominant seven-length victory in the opener for Ness.
Two races later, Sanchez piloted the odds-on Duration ($2.40) to a similarly facile win for trainer Michael Pino.
Sanchez teamed with Ness in the seventh race to complete the hat trick, as Gordian Knot rallied from off the pace to overtake the pacesetter in the final sixteenth.
A native of Venezuela, Sanchez enjoyed a breakout year in 2025, notching career-bests in wins (307) and earnings ($11,463,434). He rode 23 stakes winners last year, including a double at Parx on New Year’s Eve.
Sanchez began riding in the United States in 2013 and has won 1,853 races, earning $64,326,608.
*Around the track:
Live racing resumes Friday with a nine-race card. The first post time is 12 pm ET, and there are two “Value Pick 5” wagers, each with a low 12% takeout.
The FREE “Laurel Park Handicapping Guide” is available every racing day. Get picks, analysis, trainer stats, trip notes, horses to watch, track bias information, and more from The Maryland Jockey Club’s team of handicappers. Friday’s guide is available. Click here to view it.
Due to frigid temperatures and windy conditions expected to affect the Mid-Atlantic region, Laurel Park has canceled live racing on Saturday, February 7. Laurel Park and The Maryland Jockey Club OTB Network will remain open for simulcast on Saturday, February 7. Live racing will be held at Laurel Park on Thursday, February 5, and Friday, February 6. The first post time is 12:00 pm ET.
Register for Laurel Park’s “Last Chance, First Chance Handicapping Challenge” on Saturday, February 14. The $500 hybrid online and on-track contest ($250 entry fee, $250 bankroll) allows Win, Place, Show, Exacta, and/or Daily Double wagers on the entire card of live races at Laurel Park. Contestants must play at least five (5) contest races, with a $50 minimum bet per race. For full rules and entry information, visit here.
Never miss a second of the action on the Laurel Park YouTube channel. Click here to watch full pan and head-on replays.
