Ben's Cat seeks to win Mister Diz for seventh straight time

The Laurel Park summer meet reaches its peak Saturday with Maryland Pride Day, which features 11 races for Maryland-bred and Maryland-sired runners.

The program includes two six-furlong turf stakes, which will each be worth $75,000. The king of the Maryland-breds, Ben’s Cat, will attempt to win the Mister Diz Stakes for an amazing seventh consecutive year. Monster Sleeping will be shooting for a repeat score in the Jameela for fillies and mares. Eleven-horse fields are in the making for both races.

Maryland horsemen turned out in force to support Maryland Pride Day and entered 126 horses, or 11.4 per race. Excluding coupled entries and also-eligibles, there could be as many as 116 betting interests or 10.5 per race. Total purses for the day are $475,000.

Unlike Maryland Million Day, which gives first preference to Maryland-sired horses, entry into the Maryland Pride Day races gives first preference to Maryland-breds.

Ben’s Cat has won the last six editions of the Mister Diz dating to 2010. His first victory in the race came at Laurel in August of that year. The race then was moved to April at Pimlico for its next four runnings, before being returned to Laurel last summer when the Maryland Jockey Club was in the process of moving to a year-round schedule.

Now 10, Ben’s Cat began this season in sharp form, winning a Laurel allowance race and then the Jim McKay Turf Sprint at Pimlico. Ben’s Cat has now won the McKay in five of the last six years.

In his third start of the season, Ben’s Cat dropped a bit too far back early in the Pennsylvania Governor’s Cup at Penn National before finishing a closing third in the five-furlong race. He also finished third in his most recent race, the Grade 3 Parx Dash, which also is run at five furlongs.

Ben’s Cat will be a heavy favorite in the Mister Diz, and the six-furlong distance should give him enough time to get his feet under him before he gets down to business. He is 10 for 13 in his career in restricted company, with two of his losses coming in the Maryland Million Turf at a mile, which is a little beyond his scope, and the other loss coming by a nose in the Maryland Million Sprint on dirt last year.

Favoritism in the Jameela may go to Monster Sleeping but probably not by a wide margin. Monster Sleeping is an eight-time winner since being claimed by trainer Dale Capuano for $35,000 in March 2013.

The versatile 7-year-old Monster Sleeping’s wins include the Maryland Million Ladies at 1 1/8 miles on turf in 2013 and 2015, and last year’s Jameela. Overall, Monster Sleeping has a 3-1-1-1 record in the Jameela.

Everything Lovely comes into the Jameela off a close third in the open Honey Bee Stakes at Monmouth Park in June. Trainer Kathleen DeMasi entered her in last week’s Blue Sparkler at Monmouth but scratched her and instead won the race with Joya Real.

Everything Lovely was second to Monster Sleeping in this race a year ago after breaking from the outside post in a 12-horse field. She will start from post 10 Saturday.

Lovable Lady, trained by Mary Eppler, won a third-level optional-claiming dirt sprint in her last race but should offer betting value in the Jameela. She finished eighth in her lone career attempt on turf but was steadied several times during the 5 1/2-furlong race after breaking from the inside post.

“I think she’ll be fine on grass,” Eppler said. “She had the worst trip. It was horrible.”

◗ The Laurel summer meet concludes Sunday. Racing will be held at the Maryland State Fair at Timonium from Aug. 26 through Sept. 5 and then return to Laurel on Sept. 9.