Trainer Brittany Russell didn’t have to spend much time with Balboa to realize that the juvenile colt was ready to run. After just two published workouts in Maryland, the former West Coast runner took on a field of 10 in the $100,000 James F. Lewis III Stakes at Laurel Park on Saturday and excelled, powering home to a 5 1/4-length victory. In four starts for trainer Bob Baffert in California, the Not This Time colt showed flashes of ability, but he did not live up to his former trainer’s lofty expectations. In back-to-back Grade 1 attempts in the Del Mar Futurity and American Pharoah, he struggled to stay involved against better runners and finished fifth in both races. After the American Pharoah, on Oct. 4, Balboa took the cross-country trip to enter Russell’s barn and completed his first official workout on Oct. 29. Four days later, he completed a four-furlong breeze at Laurel in 48 seconds, the fourth-fastest time of 81 runners at the distance that morning. Russell had seen enough. “His last work was very good and that’s sort of what made us come here,” Russell said. "Off of that work, I thought he could run very big.” :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. A muddy track on Saturday did not dissuade Russell, nor did it scare away bettors, who made Balboa the heavy even-money favorite. He paid $4.20 to win. The James F. Lewis was momentarily delayed when jockey Angel Cruz was shaken up in the starting gate aboard 44-1 longshot Star Sweeper. The colt was taken back to the paddock and Carlos Lopez took the mount in a last-second jockey change. Several runners broke sharply from the gate to challenge for the early lead, but only one of the outside contenders managed to keep up with Balboa. Max Capacity, an 11-1 shot trained by Richard Sillaman, took a short lead through an opening quarter-mile in 22.04 seconds. Balboa was only a head behind in the early going and quickly took over by a half-length in the six-furlong sprint, completing the half-mile in 46.04. By the time the field rounded the far turn and turned for home, Balboa and jockey Sheldon Russell were in front by 3 1/2 lengths, leaving Max Capacity and stalking longshot Sometime to be hounded by several deep closers. Of a strong group of four late runners, all of whom closed at odds under 8-1, Hollywood Import can easily be said to have run the best race. Running on from last for trainer Gary Capuano, apprentice jockey Yedsit Hazlewood had to swing all the way to the seven path on the far turn to give the second-time starter a clear path in the stretch. Despite covering more ground than most of his rivals, Hollywood Import still managed to kick clear for second, finishing 2 1/4 lengths ahead of Gurney Halleck, a West Virginia-bred gelding trained by Jeff Runco. Capuano might have another future stakes winner in his barn, but it simply wasn’t Hollywood Import’s day. With a massive jump on the other contenders, Balboa never left the result in doubt, completing the six furlongs in 1:11.87. Russell said that she wasn’t even sure if Balboa did his best running at six furlongs, suggesting that he might have simply overpowered the James F. Lewis field on talent. The trainer might not have a plan for his next start, but it will likely involve some added distance. Smart Halo Stakes It might have taken a little longer than planned, but juvenile filly Doc’s Miracle finally notched her first stakes victory in the $100,000 Smart Halo Stakes at Laurel Park. The win might have been overdue, but the trip to the winner’s circle was routine for trainer Gary Capuano, who notched his eighth stakes victory in a brilliant 2025 campaign. Earlier this week, Capuano was not sure if Doc’s Miracle would run when the Smart Halo field came up tougher than he expected. The trainer scratched her stablemate, Sweet Shenanigans, but after some thought he ultimately decided to keep Doc’s Miracle in the mix. His decision was rewarded when four runners in the field of nine scratched. In many ways, every step has been a painstaking one for Doc’s Miracle early in her career. In her first two maiden tries over the summer, she had to run against stablemates Dreaming of Alys and Just Philtored, who have since left Capuano’s barn and won stakes for other trainers. He finally broke through in his fourth career start at Timonium, only to settle for second in his first two stakes attempts at Delaware Park and Laurel. Capuano said that Doc’s Miracle could benefit from a hot pace out in front in the Smart Halo, and Russell-trained filly Prosecco Rita proved up to the task. The 7-5 second choice kicked clear to a 1 1/2-length lead through an opening quarter-mile in 22.21 seconds. Even-money favorite Just Philtored, Doc’s Miracle’s former stablemate now trained by Mike Trombetta, stalked early and advanced into second through a half-mile in 45.77. When Just Philtored made an early move for the front, Doc’s Miracle and Hazlewood did not rush to join the fray, holding firmly in third all the way around the far turn. Prosecco Rita managed to repel Just Philtored’s bid and led by 2 1/2 lengths entering the stretch, but the brief challenge softened the front-runner and gave Doc’s Miracle the chance to make up late ground. With one potential challenger left near the wire, Prosecco Rita remained stubborn in a gritty stretch run, but the third-time starter could not do much to hold off Doc’s Miracle. The late charger gradually reeled in the pacesetter and outkicked her in the final strides to win by three-quarters of a length. She completed the six-furlong sprint in 1:12.14 and paid $11.80 to win. Just Philtored, a two-time state-certified stakes winner at Colonial Downs, finished 3 1/2 lengths behind Prosecco Rita in third. The Trombetta filly ran 5 3/4 lengths clear of 20-1 longshot Tipmanee and short-lived challenger Holden Drive. In the past year, Capuano has won 19 of 50 starts with 2-year-old runners, a 38-percent strike rate marking him as one of the best juvenile trainers in the country. He has leaned heavily on Hazlewood in recent months and helped the jockey earn his 32nd victory at the Laurel fall meet on Saturday. The 17-year-old apprentice now holds a two-win lead over Jorge Ruiz in the race to a riding title. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.