Maryland Million offers bonuses for Sunday starter allowances

LAUREL, MD—“We named him after the police officers in New York, New York’s Finest, because when we run them in New York, if I’m driving too fast, they’ll give me a break,” joked trainer Uriah St. Lewis after N. Y. Finest rallied from off the pace to win Friday’s featured third race at Laurel Park, a $47,000 maiden special weight for 3-year-olds at 5 ½ furlongs.

With four prior starts, N. Y. Finest was the most experienced horse in the field, and he used the long arm of the law to rally past embattled pacesetters to win by 1 ¼ lengths in 1:05.76 on the fast track.

R J’s Ice and Bruno engaged in a fierce battle at a quick pace, recording times of 22.70 and 46.34 seconds while staying well ahead of the rest of the field. However, that rivalry took its toll, and N. Y. Finest gradually caught up with the determined Bruno.

Big Tiger finished another 3¾ lengths back in third. Kiss the Ring and R J’s Ice followed. Dr. Buzzy unseated jockey Jevian Toledo, ran off during the post parade, and was scratched. Both horse and rider emerged unscathed.

Favored N. Y. Finest paid $4.80 to win.

“At the half-mile, I thought he was in trouble,” said the Parx-based St. Lewis. “When he tried to move, [Big Tiger] blocked him. We had a lot of confidence.”

Bred in New York by Fred Hertrich III, N.Y. Finest is by Connect out of a winning Verrazano half-sister to Grade 3 winner Chaos Theory.

He was a $40,000 buyback as a weanling, sold for $12,000 as a yearling, and was purchased by St. Lewis’s Trin-Brook Stables for $10,000 last season.

N. Y. Finest cracked the trifecta in each of his first three sprint starts at Parx, then competed in the $75,000 City of Brotherly Love Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on March 3. In that tough heat, N. Y. Finest pushed the pace before faltering to finish last of six.

“When we sent him long, we were trying him,” St. Lewis said about the stakes race. “If he ran bad, we said we were going back to the drawing board.”

*Maryland Million offers bonuses for Sunday starter allowances

On Sunday, Laurel Park hosts two $12,500 starter allowance races that offer bonuses for horses eligible for the Maryland Million program.

The fifth race is for older fillies and mares running six furlongs that have started for a claiming price of $12,500 or less since March 22, 2025. The sixth race is the male division of the same condition, also contested at six furlongs.

Mirroring the popular Jim McKay Maryland Million program held each fall, first preference for entries was given to Maryland Million eligible horses, with second preference going to registered Maryland Breds.

Maryland Million will award bonuses to all eligible starters. The bonuses are $5,000 for the top finisher, $2,000 for second place, $1,000 for third, and $500 for the remaining competitors.

The Maryland Million eligible starter allowances are a fitting addition to the Sunday program, as Laurel also hosts the Maryland Thoroughbred Industry Renaissance Awards luncheon.

Presented by the Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and the Maryland Horse Breeders Association, in cooperation with The Maryland Jockey Club, the event will take place as a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. in the Terrace Dining Room at Laurel Park.

*Around the track:

Big Cuddle, a finalist for the Renaissance Award as Maryland-bred champion 2-year-old male, has resumed consistent training.

Big Cuddle, unbeaten in two starts last year including a rallying win in the Maryland Million Nursery on October 11, has had two workouts at Delaware Park this month for trainer Gary Capuano.

“He’s doing good,” Capuano enthused on Wednesday morning. “He’s getting there. We just needed to give him a break. He came back. The track got a little hard there for a little while. We thought he needed some developing. It just seemed like a good time to get him out of there, and let him grow up.”

Had to Have Him, winner of the Maryland Million Turf Sprint in his final 2025 start, breezed five furlongs in 1:01.80 at Laurel on Friday morning for trainer John Salzman Jr. Had to Have Him is a finalist for Maryland-bred champion turf runner.

Trainer Ferris Allen won Friday’s late daily double: Don’t Wait Up ($6.80) rallied to win the seventh race under J. G. Torrealba, and Edelweiss ($4.80) dominated maiden claimers in the finale under Yedsit Hazlewood.

Hazlewood’s victory aboard Edelweiss completed a riding double. Earlier on the card, he guided Laysen ($5.40) to a pacesetting win for trainer Jamie Ness.

Live racing resumes Saturday with an eight-race card featuring two $100,000 stakes races for 3-year-olds. The first post is at 12:00 pm ET. Additionally, Laurel Park offers two “Value Pick 5” wagers, each with a low 12% takeout rate. To read the stakes advances, click 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. Click here to view it.

Reserve your spot for our weekly “Bubbly Brunch Sundays.” Relax with friends over delicious brunch favorites and bottomless mimosas at our vibrant Stone Bar Restaurant and Bar. Sunday Brunch starts at 11:00 am ET. Learn more here.

Never miss a second of the action on the Laurel Park YouTube channel. Click here to watch full pan and head-on replays.

Watch “Today at the Races,” the Maryland Jockey Club’s morning handicapping show every racing day at 11 am ET on the Maryland Jockey Club X account. Click here to watch.