Laki, Amy's Challenge look tough in Laurel sprint stakes

Laki, Taco Supream, Amy’s Challenge, and Chalon are among some of the notable sprinters that have descended on Laurel Park for a program that features four stakes races Saturday.

Laki will be looking for his sixth stakes win when he runs in the $100,000 Polynesian, while Amy’s Challenge and Chalon meet in the $100,000 Alma North.

There also are a pair of route stakes on the card, with Group 1 winner Juliana going in the $100,000 Twixt and Awesome D J landing in the $100,000 Deputed Testamony after failing to draw into the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic.

The stakes highlight an 11-race program that starts at 12:10 p.m. Eastern.

Laki won the Polynesian, a six-furlong race for 3-year-olds and up, in 2018. He’s made three starts this year, winning the Oceanport Centennial in July at Monmouth Park in his first start since October, then finishing second in a pair of seven-furlong allowances at Laurel.

“We kind of struggled with him at the end of the year last year and we thought we’d give him a couple of months off,” trainer Damon Dilodovico said. “When COVID hit, he ended up having a few more months off, but it’s really done him well. He’s been super sharp at the start of his races. He’s coming out of these races unbelievably well.

“It’s our home court, and he likes it here, and we’re excited about running.”

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Laki is 8 for 17 on the main track at Laurel. He has tactical speed and will be shortening up a tad in distance from seven furlongs for the Polynesian. Horacio Karamanos has been named to ride Laki, who starts from post 5 in the field of 8.

“I like his post,” Dilodovico said. “I think it gives Horacio more options. Like I said earlier, he’s just been breaking so well. If things go well, maybe we find ourselves” with the pace.

Taco Supream, also trained by Dilodovico, is shortening up from a mile for the Polynesian. He won at this distance last October, when he captured the $100,000 Maryland Million Sprint at Laurel.

“Taco Supream is coming back off the long race, and he’s going to give these horses fits,” Dilodovico said.

Meru, a stakes winner at Monmouth, will be making his first start against older rivals when he breaks from the rail Saturday.

Amy’s Challenge is seeking the fifth stakes win of her career in the Alma North, which is for fillies and mares over six furlongs. She enters off an allowance win Aug. 8 at Delaware Park. She rolled by 5 1/4 lengths, and the Beyer Speed Figure of 87 that she earned is the best last-race number in the field of seven Saturday.

“She’s doing really well,” trainer Mac Robertson said. “She ran a big race at Delaware, got to win again.”

Amy’s Challenge was winning for the first time since taking the $100,000 Spring Fever at Oaklawn in April 2019. In between, there were a number of close calls, including finishing second by a neck in the Grade 1 Madison at Keeneland and running third in the Grade 1 Humana Distaff at Churchill Downs.

“She was running against some of the fastest fillies in the world,” Robertson said. “It hurt her feelings a little bit. She got back to her winning ways and that helped her confidence. Laurel is a short trip from Delaware, so it made practical sense to send her.”

Amy’s Challenge, who has excellent speed, will break from post 4 under Jevian Toledo.

“She’s always ready for a fight,” Robertson said.

Chalon is looking for her eighth stakes victory, with her most recent coming last out in the Incredible Revenge Aug. 16 at Monmouth. Trevor McCarthy has the mount from post 3 for Lael Stables and trainer Arnaud Delacour.

Juliana is looking for her first U.S. stakes win after winning a pair of Group 1 races in her native Peru. She is part of a five-horse field for the Twixt, which is for fillies and mares at about 1 1/16 miles. Others set to start include Tasting the Stars, who is an up-and-coming stakes winner, and Artful Splatter, who is a half-sister to Taco Supream.

Juliana was second in a conditioned allowance at Woodbine July 11 in her last race. She was always prominent in the 1 1/8-mile race and could be sitting on a peak effort Saturday in what will be the third start of her form cycle. Victor Carrasco has the mount for trainer Ignacio Correas.

Grumps Little Tots goes first off the claim for trainer Saffie Joseph Jr. in the Deputed Testamony, which is for 3-year-olds and up at about 1 1/16 miles. He was third in a $50,000 claiming route over 1 1/8 miles on Aug. 5 at Saratoga and was taken out of that race by Sonata Stable. Grumps Little Tots earned a Beyer Speed Figure of 92, the field’s second-best last-race number behind the 95 earned by Infuriated for an allowance win at Parx Racing.