MARYLAND HORSES IN NY STATE OF MIND
Hello Hot Rod, with Trevor McCarthy up, won the Jimmy Winkfield. Photo by Chelsea Durand/NYRA.
Frank Vespe
February 1, 2021
A trio of Maryland-based horses are eyeing Aqueduct stakes in the coming weeks – and two others recently won stakes there.
Hello Hot Rod, a three-year-old, Maryland-bred Mosler colt, fought gamely to win Sunday’s seven-furlong Jimmy Winkfield Stakes by a head. Hello Hot Rod led throughout and had just enough to hold off the bid of Return the Ring.
It was Hello Hot Rod’s third consecutive win and first in stakes company. He’s trained by Brittany Russell for herself and Dark Horse Racing LLC and was ridden to the win by Trevor McCarthy. A $10,000 auction purchase, Hello Hot Rod is a half-brother to multiple stakes winner Hello Beautiful.
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The Stronach 5, which continues to offer a strong return on investment and an industry-low 12-percent takeout, will feature races Friday from Laurel Park, Gulfstream Park and Golden Gate Fields.
The action begins at 3:55 ET with Laurel s eighth race, a very competitive optional allowance claiming event at a mile for 3-year-old fillies.
The favorite is likely to be Team Gaudet s Fraudulent Charge, a daughter of Will Take Charge who stepped up off a debut victory in November to finish second by a nose in the $100,000 Gin Talking Stakes behind multiple stakes winner Street Lute. Malibu Beauty cuts back a bit in distance for trainer Gary Capuano after setting the pace and finishing fourth Dec. 26 in the $100,000 Anne Arundel. The 11-horse field also includes Chloe Rose, a daughter of Twirling Candy from the stable of Brittany Russell, who won in her second start by 2 ¼ lengths at a mile.
Kenny Had a Notion Seeks to Rebound in Spectacular Bid bloodhorse.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from bloodhorse.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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Kenny Had a Notion winning the Maryland Million Nursery
Louis J. Ulman and H. Neil Glasser s multiple stakes winner Kenny Had a Notion, beaten a neck in his most recent start, looks to snap a two-race losing streak when he takes on eight rivals in Saturday s $100,000 Spectacular Bid at Laurel Park in Laurel, Md.
The inaugural Spectacular Bid for 3-year-olds and return of the $100,000 Xtra Heat for 3-year-old fillies, both sprinting seven furlongs, are among six stakes worth $550,000 in purses on a Winter Carnival program that kicks off Maryland s 2021 stakes calendar.
Post time for the first of nine races is 12:25 p.m.
Little more than bragging rights go along
with the honor of being the Las Vegas favorite on New Year’s Day to win four (or
more) months later in the Derby.
Churchill Downs maintains such a list of what
it still calls winter-book favorites. It goes back to 1979, when Spectacular
Bid had the honor and won the roses. In the 41 runnings since, only Street
Sense in 2007 has held that distinction and still cashed in May.
Unless something drastic happens by the end
of the week, Essential Quality will be the Jan. 1 favorite at William Hill Nevada,
carrying odds of 8-1. Life Is Good will be shortest priced at Circa Sports,