Eighttofasttocatch ends career with sights set on fourth Jennings win

There are many reasons to pay attention to the Saturday card at Laurel Park, which includes four $100,000 stakes and a fourth-level optional-claiming race:

* The 8-year-old Eighttofasttocatch will make the final start of his career while trying to go over $1 million in earnings in the Jennings Handicap.

* Hear the Chatter, who has been beating up on West Virginia-bred 2-year-olds at Charles Town, steps out of his comfort zone to take on open company in the Marylander.

* And Lucy’s Bob Boy, who is 21 for 28 at Charles Town but 0 for 3 elsewhere, ships in to try optional-claiming company.

Jennings Handicap (race 8)

If Eighttofasttocatch is to be beaten, first he will have to be caught, and that doesn’t figure to be easy.

The Jennings is a one-turn mile for Maryland-breds. The purse is $100,000, but if a horse is Maryland-sired, as Eighttofasttocatch is, he will run for a $125,000 purse.

Eighttofasttocatch, a three-time winner of the Maryland Million Classic, has gone wire to wire to win the last three editions of the Jennings.

“He likes to run free on the front end, and we let him do it,” trainer Tim Keefe said.

Forest Boyce, now riding at Fair Grounds, will be in for the mount. Boyce has been Eighttofasttocatch’s regular rider since April 2013 and is 5 for 8 on him.

Eighttofasttocatch needs to finish fifth or better to go over $1 million in earnings.

Eighttofasttocatch easily is the class of the Jennings Handicap, but the weight assignments help level the playing field. Eighttofasttocatch will carry 123 pounds and concede five to 13 pounds to his eight rivals.

Second in the weights is Concealed Identity, who finished second, beaten 4 1/2 lengths by Eighttofasttocatch, in the Maryland Million Classic in October. But Concealed Identity is a late runner and is at a pace disadvantage when facing Eighttofasttocatch.

If anyone can spring an upset, it might be the Maryland Million Sprint winner D C Dancer. The one-mile distance of this race should be within his limits, and he will be racing close to Eighttofasttocatch early.

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Marylander (race 6)

Hear the Chatter, the top 2-year-old in West Virginia, has won four stakes in a row, including the statebred West Virginia Futurity last Saturday night.

Trainer John Casey said Thursday this will be the last race of the year for Hear the Chatter, and he indicated he is interested to see how his horse stacks up against a new set of rivals.

“Last race didn’t seem to take anything out of him. He should be fine coming back in seven days,” Casey said. “It’s hard to tell if he’s that good or the West Virginia crop this year is that bad.”

Hear the Chatter’s last two starts have been at the same seven-furlong distance as the Marylander. Hear the Chatter will be cutting back from two turns to one.

Gin Talking (race 4)

Lake Sebago added blinkers and scored a 27-1 upset Nov. 15 in the Smart Halo Stakes at Laurel. She faces a deeper field here for trainer John Robb.

Her chief rivals in the seven-furlong race for 2-year-old fillies appear to be the recent allowance winners Comforter (Scott Lake) and Darling Sky (Butch Reid) and the five-length debut winner Toast of Mayfair (Graham Motion).

Toast of Mayfair will get first-time Lasix on Saturday.

Willa On the Move (race 7)

Winning Image has won three stakes this year for trainer Michael Aro and will be a top player if she runs in this six-furlong sprint for fillies and mares.

Aro has cross-entered her Saturday in the Garland of Roses at Aqueduct and is considering his options with an eye on the weather forecast as rain is probable on the East Coast from Friday night into Saturday.

Other contenders in the field of 13 include the last-out winners Lady Sabelia (Robin Graham) and Disco Chick (Mario Serey Jr.).

Joya Real also is cross-entered in the Garland of Roses for trainer Kathleen DeMasi.

** Lucy’s Bob Boy has been almost unbeatable at her home track of Charles Town but has not fared as well out of town. He should be winging on the lead in this 1 1/16-mile race.

South Andros finished well to be second Sept. 6 in the Thirty Eight Go Go Stakes at Laurel in his last start and could be the upsetter.