Law School, Peach Tie face off in Wide Country

LAUREL, MD—SF Racing, Starlight Racing, Madaket Stables, Stonestreet Stables, Bashor Racing, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan’s Taj Mahal, an impressive debut winner on February 6, steps right up into stakes company for Saturday’s $100,000 Miracle Wood for 3-year-olds over a one-turn mile.

The Miracle Wood shares top billing on the nine-race program alongside the $100,000 Wide Country Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs.

The first post time is 12:00 pm, and there are two “Value Pick 5” wagers, each with a low 12% takeout rate.

Taj Mahal, a $525,000 yearling purchase, recorded several workouts at Los Alamitos while trained by Bob Baffert, but was transferred to Brittany Russell’s stable last fall.

“He’s been a bit of a project since he came over,” Russell said after the debut victory. “I’m happy [the owners] were so patient because I think he’s worthwhile. I think he just hadn’t progressed. When I got him, he had one little thing we had to take a little bit of time with, and he got over it pretty quickly.”

Taj Mahal, who had kept morning company with the quality older stakes horse Prince of Jericho, didn’t break the best in the six-furlong maiden special weight, but swept past the field on the turn with an eye-catching turn of foot.

“I wasn’t expecting him to break like that,” she said. “It’s funny because he breaks pretty well in the morning. I saw a little immaturity in how he was acting today. He was good, but [jockey Sheldon Russell told me] he learned something today.”

Taj Mahal is by far the least experienced runner in the Miracle Wood.

“It’s definitely not a move for me to run one back this quickly off a maiden run,” Brittany Russell said Wednesday morning. “I haven’t had a chance to breeze him, but he’s been training right along. He came out of the race great. He came by me this morning with his head between his legs, bucking and playing. He’s obviously happy, and his energy is good. They were bred to be stakes horses, so I’m trying to step up and see what he’s made of.”

Brittany Russell also entered Balboa in the Miracle Wood, but said the colt will scratch out.

After finishing an excellent second in his career debut, Bird and Grady’s Close the Gate dominated a $50,000 maiden claimer at Laurel on January 10.

Making his stakes debut 25 days later in the Spectacular Bid, the gelded son of Engage briefly took the lead in the homestretch before finishing second, three-quarters of a length behind Hollywood Import.

“He ran good,” trainer John Salzman, Jr., said after unsaddling Close the Gate following the Spectacular Bid. “He just caught a horse with a little more seasoning than we did. I don’t know how fit my horse was. I guess he got a little tired. There was no speed in the race, and [Hollywood Import] got away with a little easier lead than I would have liked. But it all worked out.”

Balboa’s scratch leaves Eagle Up Stables, London Reid Thoroughbreds, and Non-Stop Stable’s Let’s Go Lando as the only two-time winner entering the Spectacular Bid.

The Maryland-bred gelding by Game Winner captured his last start, a first-level allowance race over sloppy going, by six lengths, posting a career-high 79 Beyer speed Figure.

“I gelded him [last summer], and he's been more mature and has really come around,” said trainer Gary Capuano. “We thought a lot of him early on. He’s been wanting to stretch out. Just a steady kind of horse.”

Lyno Maraspin’s Higher Sense earned a stakes-placing two starts back, finishing a well-beaten second in the Future Stars Stakes at Parx. In his seasonal debut at Laurel on February 4, the Higher Power colt wired six others by nine lengths in a maiden special weight over one mile

Multiple stakes-placed G Q Worthy and recent maiden winner No More Calls complete the field.

The Miracle Wood is named after the Maryland-bred winner of $498,090 who placed fifth in the 1986 Preakness Stakes.

*Law School, Peach Tie face off in Wide Country

Recent runaway stakes winners Law School and Peach Tie lock horns in the Wide Country.

Super C Racing and Jagger Inc.’s Law School has won her last two starts by a combined 21 1 4 lengths, including a seven-length victory in her stakes debut, the Future Stars Fillies, racing seven furlongs at Parx on December 30.

Law School was listed as the even-money favorite on the morning line set by Horse Racing Nation’s Ed DeRosa. Trained by Jamie Ness, the Mitole filly sold for $5,000 as a yearling and has earned $117,980.

“She stood out right away,” Ness said. “We didn’t push her, but she showed talent right away. She got closer to a race, and I thought this horse was really good.”

Law School captured her career debut by 12 1/4 lengths in a maiden special weight race at Parx on August 20. After four consecutive losses, she began her current streak of dominance.

“As soon as we stretched her out, she got a lot better,” Ness said. “I think seven-eighths is as low as we’re going to go. I’d like to go longer, but we’ve been off a couple of months, so it’s probably a good stepping stone back.”

The Estate of Brereton C Jones’s Peach Tie is unbeaten in four dirt starts, with the only blemish on her record a third-place finish in the Presque Isle Debutante on synthetic footing last year.

Brittany Russell trains the Preservationist filly, who captured the Gin Talking Stakes by eight widening lengths at Laurel Park on December 27.

“Everything she’s done, she’s answered each question,” she said. “She’s progressed so well [since the Gin Talking]. She’s such a consistent-training filly. She shows up to work every day, just as she does in the afternoon. She’s just a really honest filly.”

Peach Tie was ranked as the 8-5 second favorite on DeRosa’s line.

Alex Igelman and Pan Am Racing’s Momaxie face stakes company for the first time after winning her first two starts by a combined 9 ¾ lengths.

After wiring the field in her debut at six furlongs, Momaxie showed versatility by rallying from off the pace to win a first-level allowance at one mile.

"This filly, she's good. She's professional," said winning jockey Andres Chavez. “She’s classy.”

Scarlet Oak Racing’s Velocity Girl captured her seasonal debut in style. She went straight to the front in that one-mile maiden special weight and ran up the score, graduating by 10 ¾ lengths for trainer Madison Meyers.

Strike a Rose is expected to scratch.

The Wide Country is named in honor of the 1991 Maryland-bred Horse of the Year, who won eight consecutive stakes races, including the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan and Grade 3 Pimlico Oaks.