Yedsit Hazlewood wins three races

LAUREL, MD—A change in tactics propelled All the Hardways to an upset victory in today’s featured eighth race at Laurel Park, a state-bred or state-sired allowance for 3-year-olds and upward at 5 ½ furlongs.

Thirteen days ago, All the Hardways was the 2-1 favorite at the same class level racing a one-turn mile. He showed brief speed under jockey Xavier Perez, then steadily retreated to finish fifth in the six-horse field.

“Last time, I overused him, and he went flat on me the last eighth," Perez said.

After consulting with trainer John ‘Jerry’ Robb, Perez decided to go in a different direction.

This time, he settled All the Hardways in midpack as And Sum and Paco the Taco Man dueled through an opening quarter mile in 22.64 seconds.

Perez split rivals with All the Hardways at the quarter pole, eased his mount outside, and set sail after Paco the Taco Man, who had finally disposed of his pesky pace rival.

Paco the Taco Man tried gallantly, but All the Hardways had momentum, and it carried him to the wire a half-length in front after 1:05.33 over the fast track.

Paco the Taco Man held second by a head over Fear Nothing. Then came Wickeddivine, favored Great Heavens, And Sum, Neverworkedaday, and Same Day as L J. Bernie the Star scratched.

"I was on the phone with Jerry, and Jerry told me to break, sit behind the speed and save ground, and come get him at the end. It worked out perfectly,” Perez said. “When he started moving along on the turn, and I got in the clear in the stretch, he was moving pretty good. I knew he was going to get the job done.”

All the Hardways returned $22.40 to win, but he still might be a work in progress.

“I got a little concerned when he got the head in front because he tried to wait for the horses,” Perez explained. “Even though he’s a gelding, he’s still acting like he’s a colt, and he wants to fool around with the horses.”

A 3-year-old gelding by Paynter, All the Hardways was bred by Hickory Ridge Farm, and was purchased for $37,000 as a yearling. A hardy sort, he started nine times as a juvenile, winning twice, and finishing second in Delaware’s restricted Dover Stakes.

All the Hardways boasts a record of four wins from 18 starts, with career earnings of $196,660.

*Yedsit Hazlewood wins three races

Last Sunday, Yedsit Hazlewood had a rare bad afternoon at the office.

Not only was the 17-year-old apprentice rider shut out at Laurel Park for the first time following 23 consecutive winning days, but he was unseated by his mount, Atlantic Cat, after a runner-up finish in the fifth race. Atlantic Cat walked onto the horse van, seemingly unscathed, but Hazlewood’s streak was snapped.

The mark of a champion is to get back up, however, and Hazlewood, who already clinched the riding title for the Laurel Park Fall Meeting, returned to the winner’s circle three times on Friday afternoon.

His banner day began in the opening race, as he guided Little Lance ($7.60) to victory for Jamie Ness, who currently leads the national training standings with 344 victories in 2025, 16 better than Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen.

Hazlewood struck again in the sixth race. He placed trainer Damon Dilodovico’s Superlastingsecret ($4.20) in perfect position just behind an overmatched pacesetter, then stormed by that foe in the stretch.

He concluded the hat trick in the finale, booting home Skip Thru Da Fire ($17) for his mentor, trainer Jose Corrales.

Hazlewood, a leading candidate for the 2025 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey, has 67 victories at the current meeting, 33 more than veteran Jevian Toledo.

A native of Panama, Hazlewood rode his first career winner on April 4. Despite missing two months due to injury, he has registered 125 victories from 555 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, he has earned $4,109,921 in purse money this year, and has ridden winners at Laurel, Pimlico, Timonium, Aqueduct, Delaware, Parx, and Penn National.

Going into the final weekend of racing in 2025, Hazlewood leads jockey Sheldon Russell by eight winners in the race for year-end honors in Maryland.

*Around the track:

Balboa, who knocked out his opponents in the James F. Lewis III Stakes at Laurel on Nov. 8, and then ran a game third in Aqueduct’s Grade 2 Remsen Stakes on Dec. 6, breezed five furlongs in 1:02.00 flat on Christmas Eve for trainer Brittany Russell…Live racing resumes Saturday with a nine-race program featuring the $100,000 Heft Stakes for 2-year-olds, and the $100,000 Gin Talking Stakes for 2-year-old fillies. Previews for the stakes races are available: click here to view…The first post time is 12 p.m. ET, and there are two “Value Pick 5” wagers, each with a low 12% takeout rate. There is a $13,502 carryover into Saturday’s late “Value Pick 5” sequence (races 5-9)…The FREE “Laurel Park Handicapping Guide” is available every racing day. Get picks, analysis, trainer stats, horses to watch, track bias information, and much more from The Maryland Jockey Club team of handicappers. Saturday’s Guide is online: click here to view…Reserve your spot for our weekly “Bubbly Brunch Sundays.” Kick back with friends over delicious brunch favorites and bottomless mimosas in our vibrant Stone Bar Restaurant and Bar. Sunday Brunch begins at 11:00 am ET…Sunday is the closing day of the Laurel Park Fall Meeting. There will be mandatory payouts on all wagers with carryover potential…Never miss a second of the action with the Laurel Park YouTube channel. Click here to catch full pan and head-on replays.