Coastal Mission noses Prince of Jericho in Frank Y. Whiteley Stakes

Coastal Mission faced unfamiliar surroundings immediately after his last two starts.

Instead of heading to his usual spot in the winner’s circle, the 5-year-old gelding took the long walk back to the barn without fanfare.

On Saturday at Laurel Park, Coastal Mission returned to his usual spot of center stage after a thrilling victory over a determined Prince of Jericho in Saturday’s $100,000 Frank Y. Whiteley Stakes for 3-year-olds and upward at seven furlongs.

Favored Coastal Mission worked out a very nice trip in the Whiteley, sitting in pocket position as speedy Swiftsure cut the pace while hounded from the outside by Prince of Jericho.

Those two sped through fractions of 22.92 and 45.45 seconds with Twenty Four Mamba shadowing them three wide.

Swiftsure cracked first, allowing Prince of Jericho to snatch the advantage, cut the corner, and aim for the wire. Jockey Arnoldo Bocachica found a lovely seam between horses, however, and urged Coastal Mission to go after the new leader.

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Prince of Jericho was tenacious and parried Coastal Mission’s initial thrust, but Bocachica would not be denied. He again set Coastal Mission down for a battle, and this time the gelding responded, nipping Prince of Jericho right on the line by a desperate nose in 1:23.21 over the fast track.

Union Fleet finished third, 4 1/2 lengths behind the runner-up. Then came Brilliant Ice, Dontmesawithme, Twenty Four Mamba, Swiftsure and Royal Ship. Brother Conway scratched.

Coastal Mission returned $5 to win.

After reeling off six consecutive victories at Charles Town last year, trainer Jeff Runco shipped the 5-year-old gelding to New York for the prestigious Grade 1 Cigar Mile.

Bounced around along the inside during the first half-mile, Coastal Mission then briefly reached contention before tiring to fifth, 10 lengths behind the winner.

“Personally, I think [the trouble] probably cost him third,” Runco told Daily Racing Form. “He got off bad, had to rush up and was not in a great spot.”

Coastal Mission returned from a three-month layoff to contest Aqueduct’s Stymie over an extremely sloppy track on March 2. Coastal Mission again loomed, this time after a wide midrace bid, but once more flattened out in the drive.

“The mile seems to be a tick long for him,” Runco said in a post-race interview conducted by Laurel Park. “We wanted to shorten him back to seven-eighths. He loves this distance.”

Coastal Mission, a homebred owned by Coleswood Farm and foaled in West Virginia, has won 7 of 9 starts at seven furlongs with most of those races going two turns at Charles Town.

“I love him,” Runco added. “Great horse, I love him.”

With a lifetime record that now shows 12 wins from 19 starts and lifetime earnings of $655,653, what’s not to love?

*Native Dancer

Benefiting from a wonderful front-running ride by Jevian Toledo, Ain’t Da Beer Cold iced his six rivals in the $100,000 Native Dancer for 3-year-olds and upward at 1 1/8 miles.

Ain’t Da Beer Cold hadn’t finished first since a third-level allowance over the Timonium bullring on Oct. 22, 2022, but the 6-year-old gelding was placed on top via disqualification after a speed try under Toledo in the nine-furlong Maryland Million Classic last fall.

Ain’t Da Beer Cold failed to establish the early lead in his three subsequent starts, all resulting in off-the-board finishes, but Toledo took no chances in the Native Dancer.

He gunned Ain’t Da Beer Cold to the top from the far outside post, cleared the field in a manner of strides, then dropped the anchor through fractions of 25.09 and 50.60 seconds.

As Ain’t Da Beer Cold received his midrace breather, favored Shaft’s Bullet and Vance Scholars both expended valuable energy getting closer to the pacesetter.

Just as those two got within hailing range, Ain’t Da Beer Cold let it out another notch. He drew away from Shaft’s Bullet and Vance Scholars after six furlongs in 1:14.94, then held sway to best a fast-closing Magic Michael by a head in 1:50.70.

Vance Scholars churned on for third, three-quarters behind Magic Michael. Then came Be Better, Shaft’s Bullet, It’s Sizzling Time and Hay Chief.

Ain’t Da Beer Cold, the fifth-choice on the tote, returned $26.80 to win.

“The only thing we’ve done in the last three starts, we did a myectomy on him,” trainer Kenny Cox said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park. “We think he was displacing [his soft palate]. It was something we never realized, all the time when he stopped under pressure. Since then, each race has come back to where we always hoped he could be.”

Foaled in Maryland, Ain’t Da Beer Cold is by Freedom Child, was bred by Kelly Jo Cox and Matt Spencer and is owned in partnership with Bonuccelli Racing.

He has won 7 of 37 starts for earnings of $447,359.

“When he’s at his best, he’s as game as anybody,” Cox said.

*Heavenly Cause

Intrepid Dream doesn’t race very often, but she makes her limited starts count, as she did in Saturday’s $100,000 Heavenly Cause Stakes for fillies and mares at one mile.

A 6-year-old mare by Jess’s Dream, Intrepid Dream raced only six times prior to the Heavenly Cause. She won five, but a couple of one-year layoffs interrupted her promising career. She returned from one of them to take her Heavenly Cause prep, a high-level allowance at Laurel on March 2.

“She’s had a few issues here and there that started off in her 2-year-old year,” trainer Gary Capuano told Daily Racing Form earlier in the week. “Nothing’s been major, maybe because she’s just so doggone big. She’s worth the wait and patience to get it done because she does show up and run.”

Intrepid Dream certainly is a sizable mare – she weighed in at 1,357 pounds prior to the Heavenly Cause – from a family of hulking horses.

An older sister, multiple stakes-winner Intrepid Daydream, regularly tips the scales at over 1,200 pounds while younger half-brother Intrepid’s Legacy was listed at 1,293 pounds on Friday afternoon.

After Pistol Liz Ablazen and Too Many Kisses scratched, the Heavenly Cause was reduced to a four-horse field, and stretch-out sprinter Sweet Shild O Mine expectedly made the early lead through hand-timed fractions of 24.21 and 47.04 seconds with Intrepid Dream tracking in second.

Toledo urged Intrepid Dream along on the turn, and they bid outside of the pacesetter after six furlongs in 1:11.74 flat.

From there, it was all Intrepid Dream, and she bounced under the wire 2 1/2 lengths in front of Doctor Abbie after 1:39.01. Cats Inthe Timber finished three-quarters back in third, a length in front of exhausted Sweet Shild O Mine.

Favored Intrepid Dream returned $3 to win her stakes debut.

Foaled in Maryland, Intrepid Dream is a homebred owned by Larry Fowler. She is unbeaten from three starts at Laurel, is currently riding a five-race winning streak dating back to Aug. 30, 2021, and has earned $219,035.

*Primonetta

The $100,000 Primonetta for fillies and mares at six furlongs also scratched down to four, and Disco Ebo’s early speed was too much for the others to overcome.

Trained by Butch Reid and ridden by Sheldon Russell, Disco Ebo plucked the early lead from favored Centre Court Champ, then carved out fractions of 23.02 and 46.33 seconds while pressured from the outside by Beneath the Stars.

This pace scenario was the same as in the last meeting between Disco Ebo and Beneath the Stars when they dueled each other into defeat in Laurel’s Grade 3 Barbara Fritchie Handicap at seven furlongs on Feb. 17.

Perhaps the Primonetta’s shorter distance helped Disco Ebo survive this pace skirmish. She turned for home with the lead, repelled a solid midstretch challenge from Centre Court Champ, then drove to the wire two lengths in front in 1:11.34. Anonymously placed third, 1 3/4 lengths behind the runner-up. Beneath the Stars finished last.

Kant Hurry Love, Secret Love and Photo Finish scratched. Kant Hurry Love, the morning line favorite, was found to be in season earlier this week, suffered cramping, and underwent bloodwork according to trainer David Duggan.

Disco Ebo returned $4.20 as the second choice.

A 5-year-old mare by Weigelia, Disco Ebo was bred in Pennsylvania by St Omer’s Farm, and was purchased for $52,000 as a yearling by LC Racing and Cash Is King.

Disco Ebo won Penn National’s Shamrock Rose Stakes as a 2-year-old, grabbed Mahoning Valley’s Youngstown Oaks at three, and Parx’s Penn’s Landing in 2023. In the Penn’s Landing, she handled runner-up Centre Court Champ by 6 3/4 lengths.

Overall, Disco Ebo has won half of her 22 starts for earnings of $658,544. Out of Katarica Disco, by Disco Rico, Disco Ebo is a full sister to stakes winners Fore Harp, Smooth B and Fat Kat. Other full siblings include Grade 2-placed Disco Rose and stakes-placed Pink Princess.

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