Suremeanttoobe upsets Friday feature

LAUREL, MD—Apprentice jockey Pedro Pena earned his first victory, guiding Diamond N Dress to win Friday’s second race at Laurel Park, a $16,000 claiming race for 3-year-old fillies over 1 1/16 miles.

The victory came in Pena’s 31st start of his career.

“It feels good,” said Pena, 25, a native of the Dominican Republic. “La primera.”

Diamond N Dress ($33.20), a Connect filly trained by W. Thomas McMahon, was bumped lightly leaving the starting gate, then rated back to track the pace along the inside on the first turn.

Pena maneuvered Diamond N Dress to the outside at the seven-eighths pole, and they advanced to press the pace while three wide. Diamond N Dress swept to the lead three furlongs from the wire, angled to the rail, and drove home 1 ½ lengths ahead of Secret Oaks.

“The trainer told me to relax the horse, and I made him relax,” Pena said through an interpreter before being feted with the traditional jockey’s initiation. When it was over, a beaming Pena was covered in buckets of water, shaving cream, and baby powder.

“He started getting on horses last year,” said Pena’s agent, Frank Douglas. “About a couple of months ago, [trainer] Jose Corrales asked me to take over his book, and I’ve been guiding his trajectory as a jockey.”

Corrales, a successful rider with over 1,000 wins in the United States and many more in Macau before switching to training, has mentored other successful young riders, including Yedsit Hazlewood, Maryland’s leading jockey by races won in 2025. Hazlewood is a finalist for the 2025 Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey.

“He got in touch with the craft pretty quickly,” said Douglas, who won more than 1,200 races during his riding career, including the Grade 3 Laurel Futurity on Captain Bodgit for Gary Capuano in 1996. “He’s learning quickly and has been working for [trainer] Gary Capuano. He gallops for him. He’s going to ride him on some horses. A big thank you to Gary Capuano.”

Douglas is impressed with Pena’s work ethic.

“He’s here every morning when the track opens,” Douglas said. “I take him around after the break to different trainers, and he’s very receptive.”

*Suremeanttoobe upsets Friday feature

Suremeanttoobe upset the featured ninth race, a $49,000 first-level allowance for 4-year-olds and up at 5 ½ furlongs.

Conditioned by Michael Trombetta for Best a Luck Farm, Sureemeanttoobe raced in second as Built by Khozan ran the opening quarter in a swift 22.10 seconds.

Built By Khozan raced well off the rail into the stretch, and Suremeanttoobe reeled him in to prevail by 2 ½ lengths in 1:04.72. Winning Trip finished another 1 ½ lengths behind in third. Favored Prado Road, And Sum, Super Accelerate, Dewy’s Beast, and Firmantown completed the order of finish.

Making his first start since finishing last of four in a state-sired allowance race at Laurel on September 20, Suremeanttoobe paid $36 to win.

“He had throat surgery,” said winning assistant trainer Tana Aubrey, who also saddled Christmas Spirit ($8.80) to win the sixth race for Trombetta. “Given his last few races, we figured something was amiss. We knew he was a better horse than that. We scoped him and saw a little bit going on in there. It worked!”

Bred in Maryland by Best a Luck Farm and Best Foot Forward Holdings, Suremeantoobe is a 4-year-old colt by Complexity out of Suremeantto, by Candy Ride.

Suremeanttoobe hit the board in four of his first five starts before earning a maiden victory in an off-turf special weight race at 5 ½ furlongs on June 20. He then disappointed in his next three starts before undergoing throat surgery.

“We’ve always thought he had some ability,” Aubrey admitted. “We’ve thought a lot of him. He ran really well today. He can get his air now.”

*Around the track:

Hazlewood won two races on the Friday card. Mister Roscoe ($13.60) finished well to win the fifth race for Corrales, and Work Hard ($13.20) rallied from last to first in the eighth for Capuano. It was Hazlewood's sixth consecutive multiple-win day at Laurel Park.

Live racing resumes Saturday with a 10-race card featuring four $100,000 heats, including two stakes. Read more about the “big four” races: click here.

The first post time is 12 pm ET, and there are two “Value Pick 5” wagers, each with a low 12% takeout. Note that there is a $23,023.97 carryover into the early “Value Pick 5” (Races 1-5).

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. Saturday’s Guide is now available. Click here to view it.

Reserve your spot for our weekly “Bubbly Brunch Sundays.” Kick back with friends over delicious brunch favorites and bottomless mimosas at our vibrant Stone Bar Restaurant and Bar. Sunday Brunch begins at 11:00 am ET.

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