Laurel Park: Ground Transport goes wire to wire in Harrison Johnson Memorial

Trevor McCarthy was grateful for a phone call from fellow jockey Mark Guidry, offering advice on how to get the most out of Ground Transport, the 4-year-old colt who shipped from Louisiana to Maryland for Saturday’s $100,000 Harrison Johnson Memorial Stakes.

“Mark called me Friday,” said McCarthy, the son of former Mid-Atlantic star rider Mike McCarthy. “He gave me some directions on how to ride [Ground Transport.]”

McCarthy followed orders, putting Ground Transport on the front end in the 1 1/8-mile race for older horses. Ground Transport ($8.60) stayed in front through modest fractions of 49.45 seconds and 1:13.42, turned back a bid from 2-1 favorite Mr Palmer, and pulled clear in deep stretch to win by 3 1/4 lengths. The winning time was 1:52.17.

“The plan was for us to go for the lead and control the pace and we were able to slow the pace down,” McCarthy said. “That gave us lots of horse for the lane and it worked out very well. He can be a tricky horse to ride and has to have his way. Today he got it. Once we got to the three-eighths pole we were confident but when we got ^{to the eighth} pole I thought I was the winner.”

It was the first stakes win for Ground Transport, who was fifth in last year’s Louisiana Derby and second in the Tenacious Handicap at Fair Grounds in December. A son of Big Brown, Ground Transport is trained by Mike Stidham for West Point Thoroughbreds, St. Elias Stable and Get Grounded Stable

Mr Palmer, who scratched out of Saturday’s Grade 3 Excelsior in New York to run in this spot, had to settle for second. Swift Warrior, making his first start on dirt since 2012, finished third at 7-1.

More Than a Cruise goes from last to first

In the co-featured $100,000 Conniver for Maryland-bred fillies and mares, More Than a Cruise rallied from last to earn her first career stakes victory.

Last of five and eight lengths behind through the first half-mile, More Than a Cruise ($5.60) began picking up horses approaching the turn in the seven-furlong race, launched a wide move to challenge, and drew clear in midstretch to score by 3 3/ lengths. She completed the distance in 1:25.55 for her fourth win in 20 career starts.

“They were going pretty quick up front and she was nice and relaxed in the back,” winning jockey Julian Pimentel said. “I saw a couple of horses battling so I wanted to get a jump on them. They were on the turn when I asked her. She took off.”

More Than a Cruise finished second in last year’s Connive. She has been no worse than third in each of her last 12 starts.

Celtic Katie finished second, 6 ¾ lengths ahead of Brenda’s Way. Tell a Great Story, making her first start since finishing third in the Grade 2 Delaware Oaks last July, faded to last as the 7-5 favorite, beaten 23 1/2 lengths.