Trainers Gonzalez (1,000) and Trombetta (2,000) Continue Chasing Win Milestones
LAUREL, MD – Live racing returns to Laurel Park Thursday with the first of back-to-back nine-race programs to open the seventh week of the calendar year-ending fall meet, featuring six races for 2-year-olds and eight more scheduled for its world-class turf course.
First race post time is 12:40 p.m.
Juvenile fillies will be in the spotlight Thursday in a pair of sprints. Race 4 is a seven-furlong maiden claimer led by No Guts No Glory Farm homebred Mama G’s Wish, the even-money program favorite that second by a nose in the Blue Hen and third in the Small Wonder at Delaware Park in her last two starts.
Race 6 is a six-furlong waiver maiden claimer that attracted a wide-open field of 12 including Little Bit of That, cutting back and changing surfaces for meet-leading trainer Brittany Russell after finishing off the board in a one-mile maiden special weight on the Laurel turf Sept. 16; Safe Reezan and Miss Mosler, both by leading second-year sire Mosler, and first-time starters Unresolved Issues, Stormin’ Cougar and Instparty.
Thursday’s feature comes in Race 7, an entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up at seven furlongs where MCA Racing Stable’s He’s a Shooter has the chance to run his win streak to three races and also give trainer Claudio Gonzalez his 1,000th career victory. The 3-year-old Great Notion colt is Gonzalez’s only starter on the day.
Also on the card is a 5 ½-furlong allowance for Maryland-bred/sired fillies and mares 3 and up. Combat Queen has placed in six consecutive starts, four of them thirds including each of her last four races, while Princess Kokachin seeks her third win in four tries and fourth overall this year. Stablemate Award Wanted has run second in successive races, while Unrequited Love looks to rebound after having a three-race win streak snapped last out.
Turf action Thursday is scheduled for Races 2, 5 and 9 over the Fort Marcy and Kelso course layouts with a total of 41 entries including eight also-eligibles. There will be carryovers of $8,467 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 4-9) and $1,222 in the $1 Super Hi-5 (Race 1).
Gonzalez, who scratched out of his lone starter at Charles Town Wednesday night, has three horses entered Friday at Laurel – 2-year-olds Chica Rabiosa in Race 2, a six-furlong maiden claiming sprint for fillies; Timonium Juvenile runner-up Slaats in Race 7, a waiver maiden claimer going six furlongs; and Bust’em Kurt in Race 9, a six-furlong maiden claimer where the Divining Rod colt adds blinkers after two straight runner-up finishes against maiden special weight company to open his career, the latest behind impressive Bold Leader going a mile Sept. 19 at Laurel.
Friday’s program opens with a one-mile optional claiming allowance for 2-year-olds scheduled for a mile on the Kelso turf course, where Bold Leader is entered for main track only.
Other entrants include Wish Me Home, third in both the 5 ½-furlong Rosies at Colonial Downs and 1 1/16-mile Laurel Futurity in his last two; and last out maiden winners Mr Jefferson, Artie’s Angel and Xy Time.
In addition, Races 3, 5, 6 and 8 are scheduled for the grass with a total of 69 entries including 13 also-eligibles and five others for main track only.
Trainer Mike Trombetta, six wins away from 2,000 for his career, has three horses entered Thursday at Laurel and two at Presque Isle Downs. On Friday, he entered five horses in four races at Laurel and also has one each at The Meadowlands and Belmont Park, the latter being Aug Lutes in the $100,000 Glen Cove.