Malibu Moonshine Eclipses Rivals in Maryland Juvenile Fillies
2YO Maiden Sprint Kicks Off Sunday’s Nine-Race Program

LAUREL, MD – Hillwood Stable’s Post Time, in his stakes debut, made a powerful last-to-first move around the far turn and kept his perfect record intact with an eye-catching 3 ¾-length triumph in Saturday’s $100,000 Maryland Juvenile at Laurel Park.

The 41st running of the Maryland Juvenile co-headlined a nine-race program with the 36th edition of the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Fillies, both for Maryland-bred/sired horses sprinting seven furlongs.

It was the third win in as many starts for Post Time ($4), trained by Laurel fall meet leader Brittany Russell and ridden in each of her races by Eric Camacho. The winning time was 1:23.98 over a muddy main track.

“It was a blast. He’s such a racehorse,” Camacho said. “He’s gotten better. He’s getting better with time. You’ve got to watch out for him in his next race.”

Green and quirky in his first two starts, which he won by 8 ¾ combined lengths, Post Time had his mind on business Saturday. He was unhurried after breaking from the rail and was last of seven as Johnyz From Albany, last out winner of the Maryland Million Nursery, posted a 22.26-second quarter-mile.

Camacho, who won 787 races from 2004-2016 and now exercises horses for Russell, gave Post Time his cue and the gray or roan son of Grade 1-winning multi-millionaire Frosted responded with a bold rush on the far outside to move into contention after a half in 45.81. Post Time powered through the stretch without urging from Camacho to surge past Johnyz From Albany and draw clear.

“I was next-to-last going into the turn, got him together and asked him for his best at the three-eighths pole. He circled the field, came up to Johnyz From Albany and just went right by him,” Camacho said. “I just went on with him. There was no playing around.”

Johnyz From Albany was second, 3 ¾ lengths ahead of Coffeewithchris. Tiz No Clown, Feeling Woozy, California Ghost and Tidewater completed the order of finish.

Hillwood’s Ellen Charles purchased Post Time for $85,000 out of Fasig-Tipton’s 2021 Midlantic Eastern Fall Yearling Sale at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium. Bred by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Dr. Brooke Bowman and Milton Higgins III, he debuted Oct. 7 in a 5 ½-furlong off-the-turf maiden special weight sprint Oct. 7 at Laurel, returning 20 days later to capture an optional claiming allowance. Saturday was the first time he raced as the post-time favorite, narrowly over Johnyz From Albany.

Malibu Moonshine Eclipses Rivals in Maryland Juvenile Fillies

Happy Face Racing Stable’s Malibu Moonshine, who broke last and trailed all but two horses in the early going, swept to the lead on the far turn and pulled away thorough the stretch for a two-length victory in the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Fillies.

Ridden by Angel Cruz for New York-based trainer Charlton Baker, Malibu Moonshine ($4.40) covered seven furlongs in 1:24.95 over a sloppy and sealed main track for her second win in as many starts. She captured her debut Sept. 11 at historic Pimlico Race Course, also over an off track.

“I think she handled the slop great today. Whatever she wins on, that’s OK,” Baker said. “Definitely, I think the longer she goes the better she’ll [be].”

Malibu Moonshine, scratched from the Oct. 22 Maryland Million Lassie with a fever, broke last from the rail and raced far back as Lassie winner Chickieness was sharp early and led through a quarter-mile in 22.26 seconds pressed by Skylar’s Sister with 19-1 long shot Liquidator up close.

Cruz tipped Malibu Moonshine off the rail down the backstretch and she began rolling past horses once in the clear on the outside, moving to fifth following a half-mile in 45.81 seconds. The 2-year-old daughter of Malibu Moon forged a short lead at the top of the stretch and continued on chased by Fast Tracked, a Nov. 6 debut winner at Laurel, and Gormley’s Gabriela, third in the Nov. 12 Smart Halo.

“Today, she overcame a lot,” Baker said. “The last time we entered her we had to scratch her the morning of the race because she got sick, and she never really got over it for about two weeks. We had to get her back, so she overcame a lot today.”

Fast Tracked was a clear second, 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Gormley’s Gabriela. It was another 1 ¾ lengths back to Chickieness in fourth, followed by Skylar’s Sister, Liquidator, Cynergy’s Electra, Angel Art, Rowsie Express and Touisset. Bosserati was scratched.

2YO Maiden Sprint Kicks Off Sunday’s Nine-Race Program

Fall meet leading trainer Brittany Russell will have the top two choices for Sunday’s opener, a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight for 2-year-old fillies, in second-time starter L Street Lady and debut runner Bright Moon.

Madaket Stables’ L Street Lady, a $125,000 daughter of Munnings, is the 7-5 program favorite over six rivals with jockey Sheldon Russell named to ride from the rail. She rallied from mid-pack to be third by a length in an Oct. 28 maiden special weight sprinting on a turf course rated good.

Morgans Ford Farm’s homebred Bright Moon, by Malibu Moon, had been training with Brittany Russell’s string at Delaware Park before coming home to Laurel to breeze a half-mile in 49.40 seconds Nov. 23 in her final tuneup. Maryland’s leading rider, Jevian Toledo, has the call from Post 2.

Sunday’s feature comes in Race 8, a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up that drew a wide-open field of 10 where New York-shipper Movie Moxy is the lukewarm 9-2 favorite. Co-second choice at 5-1 are Sweet Gracie, three times stakes-placed including the Maryland Million Distaff last out Oct. 22, and Response Time, a four-time winner that has run second in back-to-back starts.

Post time for the first of nine races Sunday is 12:05 p.m.

Notes: In addition to Post Time, jockey Angel Cruz also won Race 3 Saturday aboard Targe ($7) … The 20-cent Rainbow 6 was solved for a $17,871.02 jackpot payout after My Super Sally ($82.60) edged Miss Casey to win Saturday’s Race 9 finale … There will be a carryover of $2,365.27 in the $1 Super Hi-5 Sunday.