Regal Engagement earns Maryland Million Bonus
$6,367.21 carryover into Saturday’s Late “Value Pick 5” with 12% takeout

LAUREL, MD—If horseplayers haven’t already, they might be wise to jump onto the “Barbosa Bandwagon.”

Since June 15, jockey Jeiron Barbosa’s mounts have won 12 of 28 starts, a whopping 43% strike rate. Horseplayers who blindly plunked two dollars on each of those horses were rewarded with a $4.06 ROI.

On Friday, Barbosa won three races at Laurel Park. It’s the third time in less than a month he’s achieved a hat trick here.

His big afternoon began in the second race aboard favored Final Engagement ($3) for trainer Jerry Robb. Barbosa angled All the Hardways ($19.20) to the inside at a crucial moment in the fourth race, and they drove home over the odds-on favorite Take a Hint for trainer Ferris Allen. Barbosa then gave a masterful ride aboard the talented but temperamental Maupansant in the sixth race. After Maupansant dumped Barbosa in the post parade, the jock remounted and took advantage of a hot pace to post the $42.80 upset for trainer Catie Keil.

Barbosa also won three races at Laurel Park on May 30 and again on June 21.

Barbosa, 22, a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was one of three finalists for the 2022 Eclipse Award for champion apprentice jockey. That year, he captured the Laurel Park spring meet with 20 victories, tied Angel Cruz for top honors at the Laurel fall meet with 44 wins, and won the Pimlico fall meet with 12 wins.

With two days remaining in the Preakness Meet at Laurel Park, Barbosa’s recent hot streak has propelled him into a tie with Yedsit Hazlewood in the race for the Preakness Meet riding title. Both Hazlewood and Barbosa have 19 wins at the meet. Jorge Ruiz is third in the standings with 17 wins.

*Around the track:

Maryland-bred maiden winner Regal Engagement earned a 5% bonus on Friday. The bonus program, which began on March 1, rewards Maryland Million-eligible horses that win maiden races in the state. Only horses sired by Maryland Million stallions, conceived in Maryland, and fully nominated and certified for the Maryland Million program qualify. Stallions must have been nominated in the year the horse was conceived. Final Engagement is a 3-year-old filly by Engage, out of Les Miards, by Jazil. Bred by trainer Jerry and Gina Robb’s No Guts No Glory Farm, Final Engagement is owned in partnership by Not Guts No Glory Farm and Moonstruck Stables.

Trainer John Salzman Jr. and jockey Joe Rocco Jr. teamed up for two wins on Friday. They captured the opener with newly claimed Majestic Blue ($10.20), moving Salzman’s record in first starts off the claim to 14 of 36 (39%). Rocco and Salzman also won the day’s featured seventh race with Rerun Table ($3.20).

Live racing resumes Saturday with an 11-race card featuring the $175,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash and three $125,000 stakes races. There are two “Value Pick 5” wagers, each with a bettor-friendly 12% takeout. Please note a $6,367.21 carryover into Saturday’s late “Value Pick 5” (races 7 through 11). There is also a special All-Stakes Pick 4 on races 8 through 11. Find the stakes advances here.

Laurel Park proudly hosts the De Francis Dash Day Handicapping Challenge, a one-day contest available both on-site and online. The event takes place Saturday, June 27, at Laurel Park or via Xpressbet, TVG/4NJBETS, and HPI. The $500 contest ($250 entry fee, $250 bankroll) offers Win, Place, Show, Exacta, and/or Daily Double wagering on the full schedule of live races at Laurel Park, plus select races at Monmouth Park. Contestants must play at least five (5) Laurel Park races, with a minimum $50 bet per race. The last race of the contest will be held at Laurel Park. Monmouth Park races are optional. There are no mandatory Monmouth Park races. Based on 120 entries, the total prize pool is $30,000, including one full seat to the Breeders' Cup Betting Challenge ($10,000 value) and two National Horseplayers Championship Prize Packs ($5,350 value each, each including a $400 flight voucher and a hotel stay). Additionally, the top five finishers will split $8,300 in prize money, with $4,150 going to the winner, $1,660 to the runner-up, $1,245 to third place, $830 to fourth place, and $415 to fifth place. All entry fees are returned as prizes. The listed prizes are estimates, and the actual prizes will depend on the final number of participants. For entry information and contest rules, visit here.

The free “Laurel Park Handicapping Guide” is available on every race day. It provides picks, analysis, trainer stats, trip notes, horses to watch, track bias info, and more from The Maryland Jockey Club’s team of handicappers. Saturday’s guide is available Friday afternoon. Click here to view it.

Sunday is the final day of the Laurel Park Preakness Meet. There will be mandatory payouts on all wagers with carryover potential, including both “Value Pick 5” bets, the Chesapeake Pick 6 Jackpot Wager, and the Jackpot Super High 5 (Race 6).