Teenage apprentice jockey Yedsit Hazlewood wins four races

LAUREL, MD—Complexity Jane is a good-feeling, nice-looking horse.

She was bouncing and on her toes heading into the paddock before Sunday’s $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go Stakes for fillies and mares racing 1 1/16 miles at Laurel Park. Dappled out and fit despite not having raced in 92 days, Complexity Jane balked after being saddled.

That gave some horseplayers flashbacks to May 16 at Pimlico when Complexity Jane unseated jockey Sheldon Russell during the post parade before the Hilltop Stakes, necessitating a late scratch.

Complexity Jane calmed down during the preliminaries this time, however, and she broke well from her far outside post position. Russell placed her just behind pacesetter Di’s Surprise, who led through a tepid opening quarter in 24.99 seconds.

Eager down the backstretch, Complexity Jane pulled Russell alongside Di’s Surprise, and they poked a head in front after a half-mile in 49.54 seconds. Complexity Jane always traveled better than Di’s Surprise, and Russell set sail for the wire after six furlongs in 1:14.03.

Soon, Complexity Jane was clear, and she drove home 3 ¼ lengths better than late-kicking Doctor Abbie in 1:46.80 over the fast main track. Backstretch Rose finished another neck back in third. Then came Di’s Surprise, favored Sheilahs Warcloud, Beautiful Blome, and Navani.

Complexity Jane, the second choice in the betting, paid $7.80 to win.

“She’s always been a straightforward, classy filly,” said winning trainer Brittany Russell. “She threw that at us Preakness weekend. We were not expecting it. Ever since, we’ve realized she has it in her. She was great today. Yes, she had a little moment, but she’s also on the engine. She was ready to go. She hadn’t run in some time. We just have to keep her happy and get her to the gate.”

Complexity Jane raced with blinkers for the first time. Brittany Russell said earlier in the week that the filly was “training really well with the blinkers on.”

“We were hoping it would help be a comfort for her rather than show more speed,” Sheldon Russell said.

A chestnut by Complexity bred in Kentucky by Brereton C. Jones, Complexity Jane sold for $100,000 as a yearling before being purchased for $170,000 last March at OBS. She is owned by Michael Golden’s Golden Lion Racing.

Complexity Jane wowed Russell and Golden when she overcame an awkward start to win her career debut, a six-furlong maiden special weight over muddy going at Laurel on Feb. 1.

“We went down to OBS looking for a nice horse,” Russell said after the debut win. “She was one of the top fillies on the list that we liked, and we got her. I couldn’t believe it. I was pumped. Out of all of them, she was the one I wanted.”

Complexity Jane finished second in her next race, a first-level allowance at a one-turn mile on March 2, but was later promoted to first via disqualification. She then wired the field in the $150,000 Weber City Miss Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on April 19.

After the Pimlico debacle, Complexity Jane raced against tough competition, placing eighth in the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks on June 14 and fifth in the Tyson Gilpin Stakes at Colonial on Aug. 9.

Complexity Jane is a half-sister to stakes-placed Roman Giant. Their dam, the Ghostzapper mare Bestinthebusiness, is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner Do Share, multiple stakes-placed Dalton, and stakes-placed Andyoushallreceive. Her second dam is the Grade 2-placed You Asked from the family of Grade 1 winner Private Terms.

Complexity Jane has four wins from six starts and boasts $215,600 in earnings.

The Thirty Eight Go Go is named for the two-time Maryland-bred champion bred and trained by Hall of Famer King Leatherbury. Thirty Eight Go Go captured eight stakes, including the Grade 2 Gardenia, Grade 3 Tempted, and Maryland Million Lassie in 1987. She also won three consecutive editions of the Geisha Stakes.

*Teenage apprentice jockey Yedsit Hazlewood wins four races

One of the big stories in Maryland racing this year is the ascent of teenage apprentice rider Yedsit Hazlewood. In what is becoming a common occurrence, Hazlewood rode four winners on a single program.

On the Oct. 11 Jim McKay Maryland Million card, Hazlewood, 17, won four races, including the first two stakes of his young career. He also booted home four winners on the Nov. 1 card.

A native of Panama, Hazlewood currently heads the pack in the race for the Laurel Park Fall Meeting rider’s title. With 36 winners, Hazlewood leads Jorge Ruiz by five.

Hazlewood’s big day began in today’s third race with Call Me a Cab ($3.60), who rallied widest and fastest in a 5 ½ furlong maiden claimer over a good turf course. In the seventh race, Hazlewood’s mount, Rina Is Fire ($3.20), overcame a bump at the start to move forward and set the pace in a maiden special weight at six furlongs on dirt.

Hazlewood came right back in the eighth race with a last-to-first triumph aboard Formal Affair ($10.40) in a starter allowance on the main track. He concluded the day with an aggressive ride aboard favored maiden claimer Ecumenical ($4) in the finale.

Hazlewood rode his first race on March 21, earned his first victory on April 4, and now sports a record of 79 wins from 379 starts.

*Around the track:

Trainer Claudio Gonzalez saddled back-to-back winners. Fan Club ($38) returned from a 168-day layoff to post a late-running victory in the fourth race under jockey Andres Chavez, and Fiesta La Luna ($9.80) prompted and pounced to win the fifth under Angel Cruz…Live racing resumes on Friday with a 10-race program. The first post time is 12:00 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. See picks, a full-card analysis, trainer stats, trip notes, horses to watch, track bias information, and lots more from The Maryland Jockey Club’s team of analysts. Friday’s Guide is available on Thursday evening here: 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…Join us at Laurel Park on Thanksgiving Day for an all-inclusive buffet, and receive a FREE apple or pumpkin pie with the purchase of a racing program. Click here to learn more. …Never miss a second of the action with the Laurel Park YouTube channel. Click here to catch full pan and head-on replays.