Laurel: Two nice races on Sunday card
The Sunday program at Laurel Park is anchored by two interesting optional-claiming races, one for 3-year-olds and the other for 4-year-olds and up.
Race 7, a six-furlong sprint with a $42,000 purse, has attracted nine 3-year-olds. Afleet Willy, a promising claim by trainer Claudio Gonzalez, is the likely favorite.
Gonzalez claimed Afleet Willy for $25,000 out of a front-running 6 3/4-length maiden-claiming win on Dec. 27. Afleet Willy came back to win a $25,000 optional-starter race by 6 1/4 lengths and now moves up in class in this first-level race, which has a $50,000 claiming option.
Tale of E Dubai also figures here. He earned a 72 Beyer Speed Figure – which ties Afleet Willy’s most recent figure as the highest in the field – by winning a $40,000 maiden-claiming race at Laurel for trainer John Salzman Jr. in his second start.
He has since finished fourth in the Marylander Stakes. The winner of that race, Vorticity, came back to finish second in the Grade 3 Jerome and was scheduled to run in Saturday’s Grade 3 Withers. The runner-up, Never Gone South, returned to score an easy win in the Frank Whiteley Jr. on Jan. 16 at Laurel.
Tale of E Dubai has since finished second in a Penn National allowance race for statebreds.
In race 8, the up-and-coming Kaitan will face Strong Stipulation at a mile in a second-level race.
Kaitan, 5, has made only five starts but enters off two stylish scores for trainer Katharine Voss. He earned an 86 Beyer winning a first-level allowance last time out.
Strong Stipulation, trained by Graham Motion, has made four of his last five starts in New York. He finished second to Page McKenney at Laurel two starts back in the Richard W. Small Stakes.