Jockey Sheldon Russell Set to Launch Comeback Friday; Multiple G3 Winner El Areeb a ‘Good Patient’ in Recovery; Late Pick 5, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Friday Program
Jockey Sheldon Russell Set to Launch Comeback Friday; Multiple G3 Winner El Areeb a ‘Good Patient’ in Recovery; Late Pick 5, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Friday Program
Multiple G3 Winner El Areeb a ‘Good Patient’ in Recovery
Fellowship May Return in G3 Pimlico Special Off Allowance Win
Page McKenney Pointed to Return in State-Bred Stakes
Late Pick 5, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Friday Program
LAUREL, MD – Three days shy of seven months since his last race, journeyman Sheldon Russell is ready to launch his latest comeback with three mounts on Friday’s 10-race program at Laurel Park.
Russell, 29, is named on 4-year-old gelding Impressive Way in the second race and 3-year-old filly Thirst for Truth in the seventh, both for trainer Cal Lynch, as well as Hamilton Smith-trained 4-year-old gelding Buzz Lite in the sixth.
Maryland’s leading rider in 2011 and a six-time meet champion at Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course, Russell is also named on five horses Saturday including 3-year-old filly Star Super in the $125,000 Weber City Miss (Race 4) and 4-year-old ridgling Marengo Road in the $75,000 Henry S. Clark (Race 10).
“It’s been a long time,” Russell said. “I’ve been very busy in the mornings working for a lot of nice outfits and I’m just very excited to get back into the swing of things.”
Russell said he ruptured the radial collateral ligament in his right hand after being thrown when multiple stakes-winner Dannhauser broke down approaching the far turn of the Bert Allen Stakes Sept. 24 on Commonwealth Day at Laurel.
After initially being fitted with a cast for six weeks, surgery was required in December to repair the injury. Russell took some time away to visit family and friends in South Africa before returning to Maryland to continue therapy, first getting on horses again in early March.
“It’s just taken so long to heal. At first we didn’t think it was as bad as what it turned out to be. I had it in a cast for six weeks and when it came out of the cast it still wasn’t healed, so I was left with no choice but to get surgery,” Russell said. “I had to wait two or three weeks to get the surgery but once I got the surgery we were back on the road to recovery. Even then, it took four months after surgery for it to fully heal and for me to be getting back on horses.”
His latest injury came just eight weeks into Russell’s comeback from a torn labrum and broken shoulder suffered in a training accident in November 2015. He won 16 of 138 mounts to push his career win total over 1,500.
“With all the bones that I’ve broken I thought, ‘OK, it’s just my hand. It wasn’t too painful this time.’ But looking back it’s probably the second-longest I’ve been on the shelf,” he said. “I definitely need my hands, so I sort of had to give it the extra time. As soon as I got the surgery I felt a lot better. I felt straightaway that they had stabilized the tendon and as soon as began physical therapy I could see the results and that we were going to make a full recovery. I didn’t really know until they cut the cast off.”
Russell has ranked among Maryland’s leading riders since his arrival in 2007, and has also endured a multitude of injuries including broken ribs and a punctured lung in 2015, a broken foot in 2013, broken ribs in 2010, a broken wrist in 2008 and fractured vertebrae in 2007 and 2008.
“It’s something I enjoy doing. I’ve got a passion for horse racing. It’s my dream,” he said. “It’s sort of everyone’s dream that’s involved in horse racing, so the plan was always to come back. Unfortunately I had to give it extra time but physically I feel pretty good right now. I’m just very fortunate that people have given me the chance. It’s just nice to come off the layoff and be given an opportunity straight away.”
Multiple G3 Winner El Areeb a ‘Good Patient’ in Recovery
M M G Stables’ multiple Grade 3 winner El Areeb continues to progress following surgery to repair a fractured knee that knocked him off the Triple Crown trail.
Trainer Cal Lynch said the 3-year-old Exchange Rate colt had the stitches removed April 17, two weeks after he was operated on at the New Bolton Center in Kennett Square, Pa. by Dr. Dean Richardson.
El Areeb will remain at Lynch’s Laurel Park barn before being sent 90 minutes north to the Fair Hill Training Center in Elkton, Md. to continue his recovery.
“Everything looks really good. Fingers crossed, he’ll go to the farm in another week or two and then he’ll be out there for a few months on the treadmill and the AquaTred,” Lynch said. “So far, so good. He looks great and he’s happy and content. He’s been a very good patient.”
El Areeb reeled off four consecutive wins including a maiden victory and the James F. Lewis III at Laurel to cap his 2-year-old season and the Jerome (G3) and Withers (G3) to open his sophomore campaign as one of the leading Triple Crown contenders.
He was fourth as the favorite in the Gotham (G3) March 4 and was being pointed to the Wood Memorial (G2) April 8 but exited a March 29 breeze at Laurel with a fractured knee. Normally in high spirits around the barn, El Areeb has been a model patient.
“We’re very surprised, actually, that he’s been as good a patient as he is,” Lynch said. “He knows everybody’s here just trying to take care of him and keep him happy and get him healthy again. Fingers crossed, he’ll come back as good as he was. Credit to the owners, they’re all about the horse. All about the horse. It makes it really easy to train for those guys.”
Fellowship May Return in G3 Pimlico Special Off Allowance Win
Jacks or Better Farm’s Florida homebred Fellowship, last seen finishing eighth in the Preakness Stakes (G1) 11 months ago, could be bound for the $300,000 Pimlico Special (G3) May 19 following his 2 ½-length upset of a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance Sunday at Laurel.
Trainer Ken Decker said Thursday that the 4-year-old Awesome of Course colt was doing well out of the race, his first victory since taking the Florida Sire In Reality Stakes in October 2015 at Gulfstream Park. It was also his first start for Decker following time in the barn of trainers Stanley Gold and Mark Casse.
“He ran a nice race the other day. We gave him some time off and he came back and worked real nice in Ocala before he came up here and we worked him one time here,” Decker said. “We expected him, if everything was good, that he would run good, and he did. He seems to have come out of the race good. We’ve got a few things we’re looking at and pointing him for so hopefully everything stays together and we’ll try to get there.”
The historic Pimlico Special for 3-year-olds and up is run at the same distance – 1 3/16 miles – as the Preakness. Fellowship has earned $600,365 in 14 career starts, finishing second in the Birdonthewire, Juvenile Sprint and Smooth Air at 2 and third in the Holy Bull (G2), Fountain of Youth (G2) and Florida Derby (G1) last year.
“That is penciled in. It is one of the things that when he came, the owner wanted to try to point for,” Decker said. “That’s why we wanted to get in the allowance the other day and see where he’s at. So far everything’s good, and he came out of it good.”
Page McKenney Pointed to Return in State-Bred Stakes
Adam Staple and Jalin Stable’s claimer-turned-millionaire Page McKenney, based at Pimlico with trainer Mary Eppler, is likely to make his next start in the $100,000 Lyman Stakes for Pennsylvania-breds 3 and older April 29 at Parx.
Page McKenney was also among the nominees to Saturday’s $75,000 Henry S. Clark run at a mile on Laurel’s world-class turf course. The Lyman is on dirt at seven furlongs.
“I nominated him in case it rained or something like that. I don’t really want to run him on the turf anymore,” Eppler said. Page McKenney has five wins from 14 career grass starts, his most recent coming in the 2015 Robellino Stakes at Penn National.
Page McKenney is 4-1-1-0 lifetime at seven furlongs and has only tried the distance once since being claimed for $16,000 in July 2013 and joining Eppler, when he won the General George (G3) last February.
“I’ve only sprinted him the one time,” Eppler said. “This is against Pa-breds and when I looked at the noms it didn’t look like a terribly tough race. There really isn’t much around for him.”
A return to the Charles Town Classic (G2) on Saturday was scrapped when Page McKenney missed some training time last week. He finished third in that race in 2015 and second last year, exiting with a hip injury and ultimately a swollen tendon that kept him away from the races for nine months.
“He’s doing well,” Eppler said. “He worked the other day and had a real good work and came back with his right front heel bruised. He had a few days off and then we had no training for three days because they closed Pimlico to work on it, so we were just not going to make the Charles Town Classic.”
Late Pick 5, Super Hi-5 Carryovers for Friday Program
There will be carryovers in the 50-cent Late Pick 5 and $1 Super Hi-5 greeting bettors when live racing returns to Laurel with a 10-race program Friday.
First race post time is 1:10 p.m.
The Late Pick 5, which offers an industry-low 12 percent takeout, will have a carryover of $8,511.36 for the multi-race sequence which begins in Race 6. It includes both of Friday’s features, an entry-level $42,000 optional claiming allowance for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs (Race 7) and a third-level $47,000 optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up at seven furlongs (Race 9), both on the main track.
A carryover of $7,925.54 will be part of the Super Hi-5 for Friday’s opener, a $23,000 claiming event for 3-year-olds and up at 5 ½ furlongs on the All Along Turf Course.
Races 1, 4, 6, 8 and 10 are scheduled for Laurel’s world-class turf course on the All Along and Dahlia course layouts, drawing a total of 69 entries, an average of 13.8 horses per race.
