Foxy Junior continues love affair with Maryland, takes Twixt Stakes

Foxy Junior, a 5-year-old mare trained by Bernie Houghton, returned to Laurel Park on Saturday and delivered another sparkling effort in Maryland to win the $100,000 Twixt Stakes by 4 3/4 lengths. The Pennsylvania-bred is now undefeated in three starts at the track.

In fall 2024, Houghton shipped Foxy Junior to Laurel for the first time and was rewarded with two $100,000 stakes victories in the Maryland Million Distaff and Thirty Eight Go Go. She entered the Twixt off an errant attempt on turf at Penn National last time out, but an allowance victory at Parx Racing in July can now be understood as a hint that she was rounding back into stakes-winning form.

Bettors at Laurel backed her heavily in her return to Maryland, and though she opened at 20-1 on the morning line, she left the gate as the 5-2 favorite and paid $7 to win.

Wild Bout Hilary set the early pace, completing the opening quarter-mile in 24.35 and the half-mile in 48.11, while stakes-debuting filly Low Country Magic and Linda Rice mare St. Benedicts Prep tracked close behind. As the field rounded the far turn, however, it quickly became clear that the top flight was not going to slip away. Several runners made strong bids from farther back and sustained momentum into the stretch.

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For a brief moment turning for home, it seemed like anyone’s race when St. Benedicts Prep challenged Wild Bout Hilary while Central Avenue slipped through along the rail. But just as her rivals began gearing up for the run to the wire, Foxy Junior quickly surged down the center. The mare emphatically kicked away to lead by 4 1/2 lengths in the stretch and cruised home from there, completing the mile in 1:40.07.

Runaway Diva, a 4-year-old filly trained by Michelle Hemingway, closed from sixth and prevailed by a neck for second over Central Avenue, who finished 2 1/4 lengths clear for third for trainer Michael Stidham. Both fillies went off at 11-1 odds.

Barring two races on turf and synthetic, Foxy Junior has now won eight of her last 10 starts on dirt and racked up four stakes victories in that span. If last year’s Maryland Million Distaff winner returns to her found home later this meet, the morning line is sure to tell a different tale than it did Saturday.

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