Ben’s Cat seeks sixth straight Mister Diz win

Four stakes for Maryland-bred or -sired horses top a strong Maryland Pride Day card Saturday at Laurel Park.

Ontrack festivities will include a ceremony to honor recent National Museum of Racing and Hall of Fame inductee King Leatherbury and a “Hail to the King” T-shirt giveaway. The entire 11-race program is for Maryland-bred or -sired horses, and there isn’t a claiming race in sight. Purses for the day total $520,000.

The pools of the pick six and the 12-percent-takeout pick five will have $50,000-guaranteed pools Saturday. The pick six begins on race 6, and the picks five starts on race 7.

Leatherbury, a Baltimore native, has won 52 Maryland training titles and is the fourth-winningest trainer in history with 6,459 victories. His career accomplishments will be acknowledged following race 3. In the fifth, he will send out the amazing 9-year-old Ben’s Cat in the $60,000 Mister Diz Stakes.

Ben’s Cat, a winner of 29 of 49 starts and more than $2.4 million, will be heavily favored in the Mister Diz, a 5 1/2-furlong turf race he has won in each of the last five years.

It should be noted, however, that Ben’s Cat didn’t fire his best shot last time out when he finished sixth, beaten 2 1/2 lengths, in the Grade 3 Parx Dash. He dropped farther back than usual early in that race and could not close into fast final fractions.

The final time for five furlongs on firm turf was 57.19 seconds after a half in 45.34, meaning the final furlong went in 11.85. The winner, Tightend Touchdown (12-1), and the runner-up, Mongolian Saturday (51-1), were forwardly placed throughout.

Sonny Inspired might be the second choice in the Mister Diz. This will be his first start in restricted company since April 2014, when he finished second to Ben’s Cat in the Mister Diz. Trained by Phil Schoenthal, Sonny Inspired has made his last two starts in graded company in New York.

Race 6 is the Jameela, a six-furlong turf sprint for fillies and mares. The Jameela will be the first race of the year for Miss Bullistic, the champion Maryland-bred 2-year-old filly of 2014.

Miss Bullistic, trained by Hamilton Smith, went 3 for 7 last year, including two stakes wins. She needed surgery to repair a condylar fracture following her runner-up effort in the Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship in December.

She recorded five works at the Elloree Training Center in South Carolina before being sent north to Smith. She subsequently has worked three times at Laurel, including a six-furlong turf drill.

Miss Bullistic’s chief rival looks to be fellow 3-year-old Everything Lovely. Based at Parx Racing with Kate DeMasi, Everything Lovely has won three straight allowance or optional-claiming turf sprints over older rivals. She is undefeated since being switched to the grass.

There also are two 1 1/8-mile turf stakes. The All Brandy (race 8) is for fillies and mares, and the Find (race 10) is for 3-year-olds and up.

Roadhog would be the horse to beat in the Find if he starts. He is cross-entered in the $75,000 Robellino Stakes at Penn National on Saturday. An 8-year-old trained by Elizabeth Merryman, Roadhog has won 10 of 39 career starts and $637,114. Although he hasn’t won since June 2014, he finished a closing second in the Leemat Stakes last out over the Tapeta track at Presque Isle Downs. The winner, Dynamic Strike, has come back to win a no-conditions allowance at Presque Isle.

The All Brandy could come down to Joy, who has been facing tough open company for trainer Graham Motion, and Brenda’s Way, the winner of the Geisha Stakes in April for trainer Damon Dilodovico.

** The Laurel Park meet will conclude Sunday, and racing will shift to Timonium at the Maryland State Fair from Aug. 28 to Sept. 7. Laurel will reopen Sept. 12.