Forget last bad trip for La Reine's Terms

The running line for La Reine's Terms in his last race sure looks ugly. Sent off as the 2-1 favorite in the Maryland Million Turf, La Reine's Terms beat only one horse and finished 18 lengths behind wire-to-wire winner Elberton.

If you watched the replay of the Turf or read the detailed chart notes, however, it's apparent La Reine's Terms had a legitimate alibi.

A rank horse who almost wiped out La Reine's Terms on the first turn was to blame for his poor performance in the Oct. 13 Maryland Million Turf. La Reine's Terms gets a chance for redemption when he faces Elberton and nine other Maryland-bred turf runners in Saturday's $75,000 Find Handicap at Laurel Park.

La Reine's Terms was victimized by Tapaditty, who swerved and banged into several horses on the first turn of the nine-furlong Turf. La Reine's Terms was pushed to the outside fence and eliminated from contention.

Before that, the 6-year-old La Reine's Terms was in good form, winning the one-mile Bald Eagle on Pimlico's turf course on Sept. 8. He appears sharp for the 1 1/8-mile Find, based on a bullet five-furlong workout at Laurel last Sunday.

The sleeper in the field may be P Day, a consistent 6-year-old with a record of 10-6-7 in 30 lifetime starts. P Day hasn't raced on turf in more than three years, but the last time he appeared in a grass race at Laurel he won a nine-furlong stakes, in the process earning a Beyer Speed Figure of 92 that would make him competitive in this field.