Just Philtored rebounds in Juvenile Fillies
Hazlewood's streak reaches 18

LAUREL, MD— Trainer Tim Keefe always believed that Code of Silence would relish added distance.

“He’s just like a diesel engine,” Keefe said before his charge’s troubled sixth-place finish in the six-furlong Fasig-Tipton Maryland Million Nursery on Oct. 11. “It takes a little bit of time to get going. He’s a big boy. I would love to see him go a little bit farther in distance.”

Keefe’s assessment proved accurate when Code of Silence rallied from last to win a thrilling edition of Saturday’s $125,000 Juvenile Stakes at Laurel Park.

The Juvenile, like the co-featured $125,000 Juvenile Filly Stakes, was a seven-furlong event restricted to Maryland-bred or sired, and Virginia-bred or sired 2-year-olds racing seven furlongs.

Favored Code of Silence broke poorly in the Juvenile, but jockey Angel Cruz wasn’t overly concerned.

“He’s a horse that breaks slow,” Cruz said. “He’s a grinder, and he keeps coming. He’s a big horse.”

“Obviously, it wasn’t ideal,” Keefe said about the tardy beginning. “It takes a while to get this horse going. He picked himself up.”

The pace was lively and contested as Worker Bee, Sometime, and Big Bolton pushed fractions of 23.06 and 46.63 seconds. Turning into the stretch, their skirmish took its toll, as the stalkers and late-runners gained ground.

Inside the three-sixteenths pole, Tartabull, the first foal out of the popular Anna’s Bandit, emerged with strong momentum, but was confronted from the inside by G Q Worthy, and from the far outside by Code of Silence, who steadily churned onward.

At the wire, it was Code of Silence by a neck from G Q Worthy. Tartabull finished another half-length back in third. Then came Sometime, Big Bolton, Worker Bee, Our Day Will Come, Hell Ofa Hillbilly, and Jigger. Biker Baley scratched.

Code of Silence raced the distance in 1:27.23 over the good main track. He withstood a claim of foul from Tartabull’s trainer, Chad Summers, for alleged stretch interference, and paid $5.80 to win.

A son of Blofeld and stakes-placed Tough Talkin Lady, Code of Silence was bred in Maryland by Mr. and Mrs. Kenneth Holt and Mr. and Mrs. Richard Palumbo, and races for the Holts’ Mount Peru Farm.

Keefe and Cruz are very familiar with this pedigree. They teamed up to win the 2021 Jennings Stakes at Laurel with Code of Silence’s half-brother, Tattooed, who was campaigned by the Holts and Palumbos.

“He’s exactly like Tattooed,” Keefe said. “I’ve never had two siblings that were so much alike. Tattooed wasn’t quite to this stage, obviously, as a 2-year-old. He got hurt early, and he definitely developed as he got older and older. This horse has been able to put more together as a 2-year-old. Angel has put a lot of time into this horse in the morning to figure him out. Obviously, it paid off.”

Code of Silence was still a maiden going into the Nursery. He benefited greatly from the experience, however, and subsequently displayed a decisive turn of foot to kick down a loose pacesetter in a state-sired special weight at Laurel on Nov. 16. He now boasts two wins from five starts, earning $125,380.

“This horse has a bright future,” Cruz concluded.

*Just Philtored rebounds in Juvenile Fillies

After Just Philtored finished third as the even-money favorite in last month’s Smart Halo Stakes over muddy going, trainer Mike Trombetta was somewhat perplexed.

“I’m just speculating, but to me, she did not seem herself on that racetrack,” Trombetta said earlier this week. “On that particular day, I was expecting the track to dry out and be harrowed. For whatever reason, it just stayed wet all afternoon. Maybe she just didn’t like the slippery going.”

Trombetta also wondered if Just Philtored was a better filly on turf. Those fears dissipated after the Great Notion filly bested Glenangus Farm Maryland Million Lassie heroine Slewperstitus by a comfortable 1 ¾ lengths in the Juvenile Fillies.

“She redeemed herself,” said winning assistant trainer Tana Aubrey. “She did well today.”

Just Philtored broke sweetly under jockey J. G. Torrealba, and settled just behind pacesetter Project Maximus as that one sped through splits of 23.30 and 47.11 seconds. Just Philtored always had Project Maximus’s number, and she continued to move comfortably when confronted by Slewperstitus at the quarter pole.

Turning into the stretch, Torrealba asked his mount the question, and Just Philtored responded professionally. Slewperstitus tried hard but was strictly second-best. Smart Halo winner Doc’s Miracle finished another six lengths back in third. Tacit Value and Project Maximus completed the order of finish. Curlene’s Spirit scratched.

Just Philtored, the second choice in the wagering, paid $6 to win after racing seven furlongs in 1:26.02 over a track that was upgraded to fast before the seventh race.

“[Torrealba] let [Project Maximus] go on, and she rated kindly,” Aubrey said. “You can pretty much put her anywhere. She likes to be forwardly-placed, but she kicked on and finished up well.”

Bred in Maryland by ZWP Stable and Non Stop Stable, Just Philtored is by Great Notion, the state’s perennial leading sire, from a strong female family. Her dam, Slow and Steady, has now foaled 12 winners from as many runners. Among them are stakes-winners Malibu Beauty, Steady Warrior, and Steady N Love, as well as stakes-placed performers Lucky in Malibu, Hanky Doodle, and Fast Tracked.

Just Philtored is named after ex-trainer Gary Capuano’s children, Justin, Phillip, and Tori.

She made her debut for her breeders and Capuano, and dominated a maiden special weight by eight lengths on May 23.

After that start, Just Philtored was purchased privately by London Reid Thoroughbreds and sent to Trombetta, who also won Saturday’s seventh race with Maclean’s Rook.

Just Philtored didn’t miss a beat for her new connections, grabbing the restricted Keswick Stakes on dirt and the restricted Dolly Madison Stakes on turf. Those races were contested at Colonial Downs, and Slewperstitus completed the exacta on both occasions.

A leading contender for Maryland-bred champion 2-year-old filly this year, Just Philtored has won four of six starts and has earned $259,430.

*Around the track:

Leading rider Yedsit Hazlewood booted home two winners on the Saturday program. He guided Joe the Jet ($8.80) to a pace-pressing win in the second race for trainer Hugh McMahon, then came right back to take the third on Neverworkedaday ($3.80) for Gary Capuano. Hazlewood has ridden at least one winner on each of the last 18 racing cards at Laurel Park…Jockey Ismerio Villalobos also reached the winner’s circle twice. He scored with Bigtonten ($20.60) in the fifth race for trainer Jonathan Maldonado and succeeded aboard Maclean’s Rook ($4.80)…Mika, an impressive allowance winner here on Nov. 16, finished second in the Grade 2 Cigar Mile at Aqueduct for trainer Mike Maker…Balboa, who scored the James F. Lewis III Stakes at Laurel on Nov. 8, finished a game third in Aqueduct’s Grade 2 Remsen Stakes for 2-year-olds at 1 1/8 miles. Brittany Russell conditions the Not This Time colt…Laurel Park allowance winner Max Capacity finished second in Saturday’s $125,000 Inaugural Stakes for 2-year-olds at Tampa Bay Downs for trainer Richard Sillaman…Live racing resumes Sunday with an eight-race program…The first post time is 12 p.m. ET, and there are two “Value Pick 5” wagers, each with a low 12% takeout rate…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. Sunday’s Guide is available: 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…Enjoy Laurel Park’s “Breakfast With Santa” on Sunday, Dec. 14, between 9:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. Partake in an all-you-can-eat breakfast buffet, take photos with Santa Claus, and bring the kids out for family-friendly activities. Click here to reserve your spot …Never miss a second of the action with the Laurel Park YouTube channel. Click here to catch full pan and head-on replays.