Laurel Park hosts “Cigars On the Rail” on Saturday

LAUREL, MD — Goodfella’s LLC’s Maida faces the toughest test of her career on Saturday in Laurel Park’s $100,000 Weather Vane Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs

An Improbable half-sister to stakes-placed dirt sprinter I’m Patriotic out of Grade 3 winner Eve Giselle, Maida finished fourth in her career debut, a maiden special weight over muddy going at Pimlico on May 15.

“When I ran her at Pimlico the first time, I was really excited,” said trainer Brittany Russell. “I thought she’d run huge. We think a lot of her. And when she ran like that, we were just scratching our heads.”

On jockey Sheldon Russell’s advice, Maida wore blinkers for her second start, and she turned heads with a facile 9 ½ length victory in a Laurel maiden special weight on June 22. In her most recent outing, Maida grabbed a first-level allowance at Delaware by four lengths.

“When she did what she did the next time, and then went on to win the race at Delaware, that was sort of what I expected of her,” Russell added. “She’s acted like she’s something good from the beginning.”

Maida was tabbed the 2 to 1 morning line favorite by Horse Racing Nation’s Ed DeRosa. She’ll meet another sharp Russell-trained performer in Conquerthosewecan, who has won three of her last four races.

A Maryland-bred half-sister to stakes-winner Victory Rally and stakes-placed Charming Victory by Bernardini, Conquerthosewecan is out of stakes-winner American Victory.

“She’s been good, too,” Russell said of the homebred owned by Sycamore Hall Thoroughbreds. “Another one that we’ve always thought a lot of.”

Conquerthosewecan has already raced in stakes company, having finished fourth in the restricted Shine Again at Colonial on July 12.

“That day, Sheldon came back and was sort of kicking himself,” Brittany Russell mentioned. “[He] thought that he should have tried to sit a little bit, but she’s kind of aggressive. When she breaks, she wants to get on with it. I think she’s capable of getting a stakes.”

Both Maida and Conquerthosewecan have done quality running while on or near the lead. Brittany Russell doesn’t want them to duel themselves into defeat.

“Obviously, if Maida breaks, she’s going to go on with it,” she said. “I’ll have to tell [jockey Jevian] Toledo that we can’t kill them. I think ‘Conquer can sit off. They’re just going to have to be smart about it.”

With two stakes victories earlier this year at Oaklawn Park, Mag Racing’s G W’s Girl is arguably the most accomplished runner in the field.

Trained by Greg Compton, G W’s Girl finished third, beaten 8 ¾ lengths, in Colonial’s Tyson Gilpin Stakes on August 9.

“I thought she was sitting in a really good spot,” Compton said. “I thought, turning for home, she looked loaded. [Jockey Jaime Rodriguez] said she hesitated and didn’t want to go through the hole [on the rail]. Maybe if we [went] around, it would have been a different outcome. Jaime said he felt like if she had gone through the hole, she’d have been right there with the winner.”

Compton has tinkered with G W’s Girl since that race.

“I went back and watched some replays, and she’d never really been down on the inside [before],” he said. “Since then, I’ve worked her a couple of times behind horses, and had her go on through the rail on another horse. She did it really well the other day, so hopefully it’s not going to be an issue.”

Joseph Imbesi and Charles Johnson’s Social Fortress captured her first two starts by a combined 18 lengths, including a seven-length triumph in Monmouth’s Sorority Stakes. She concluded her juvenile campaign with a third-place finish in the Grade 1 Frizette Stakes at Aqueduct on October 5.

Trained by Jamie Ness last year, Social Fortress makes her seasonal debut with new trainer Guadalupe Preciado.

“She’s training really good,” Preciado said. “She’s fast.”

Barak Farm’s homebred Safe Trust, a Maryland-bred daughter of Mosler, would appreciate a fast pace to attack. Placed first via disqualification in Laurel’s Beyond the Wire Stakes on March 22, Safe Trust enters the Weather Vane fresh after finishing last of three against multiple graded stakes winner Mystic Lake in Delaware’s Dashing Beauty Stakes on July 17.

Stakes-winner Burner Account, fourth in a second-level allowance against older rivals at Parx on August 19, completes the field.

Trainer Lou Linder said on Wednesday that Volleyball Princess will instead start in Saturday’s Liberty Bell Stakes at Parx. Trainer Todd Pletcher mentioned that Endorse will “scratch and point toward a maiden race at Keeneland.”

The Weather Vane is named for the Maryland-bred mare that won 17 races and $724,532 in purses from 1996 to 1998. Weather Vane registered 14 stakes victories including the Grade 3 Safely Kept in 1997. She capped her career by being named Maryland-bred champion older female of 1998.

*Laurel Park hosts “Cigars On the Rail” on Saturday.

Tickets are available for “Cigars on the Rail,” presented by WBAL NewsRadio 1050 AM. Enjoy premium cigars, an open bar, a trackside luncheon, and great live horse racing on Saturday between noon and 5 pm ET.

Space is intentionally limited to 150 guests to maintain an intimate, high-quality experience.

Click here to learn more.

*Around the track:

Live racing resumes Friday with a nine-race program. The first post time is 12:10 pm ET, and there is a $30,635.73 carryover into the Early “Value Pick 5” wager. The first five races on the Friday card comprise the Early “Value Pick 5,” a 50-cent minimum wager with a low 12% takeout rate…Preakness Stakes runner-up Gosger is the 4 to 1 third-choice in Saturday’s Grade 1, $1,000,000 Pennsylvania Derby at Parx. 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 and the event runs through the final live race…Register for the Autumn Handicapping Tournament, a hybrid on-track and online event on Saturday, September 27. It’s a live money contest with a $500 buy-in. Top prizes include cash, a full seat to the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge, and two National Handicapping Championship Prize Packs. For more on upcoming events at Laurel Park, click here.