Forty Crowns tries Find Handicap off upset win

Forty Crowns, a decisive wire-to-wire winner when he made his grass debut in last month's Maryland Million Turf, will seek to prove his 13-1 upset was no fluke when he heads a field of 12 Maryland-breds in Saturday's $50,000 Find Handicap at Laurel Park.

Forty Crowns was ridden for the first time by Luis Garcia in the $190,000 Maryland Million Turf. Garcia fractured his right wrist in a spill on Wednesday, however, and Mario Pino has picked up the mount.

Like the Maryland Million Turf, the Find will be contested at 1 1/8 miles. But while Forty Crowns, a 4-year-old trained by Eddie Gaudet, found himself alone on the lead last time, he may find himself pushed by the 8-year-old turf veteran Wooden Stone in the Find.

Wooden Stone, who drew poorly in post 13, is a nine-time winner on grass and shows no signs of slowing down, winning 5 of 9 starts this season. He most recently won a high-priced optional claimer at Delaware Park, earning a career-best 94 Beyer Speed Figure.

Closers such as Dr Rico and Irish Osprey will be hoping Forty Crowns and Wooden Stone duel each other into defeat.

The 3-year-old Dr Rico has 2 wins and 2 seconds since he was switched to the turf in early August. He came from 10th to finish second, four lengths behind Forty Crowns, in the Maryland Million Turf.

Irish Osprey, beaten slightly more than two lengths while sixth in last year's Find, will be making the second start of his form cycle. He closed well to miss by a half-length five weeks ago in a 1 1/8-mile optional claimer on the Laurel turf.

The field also includes Maryland Million Classic winner Evil Storm. Seven of his eight wins have come on dirt, however, and he was beaten more than 19 lengths in each of his last two starts on grass.