Limited View wins Maryland Million Lassie despite antics

LAUREL, Md. – Limited View is extremely talented but can be her own worst enemy at times. On Saturday in the $100,000 Maryland Million Lassie, she was fractious in the gate and then lunged and broke outward to trail the field by a handful of lengths. She was still good enough to win.

This isn't the first time Limited View has misbehaved. Following her 3 3/4-length debut win at Laurel, trainer John Salzman Jr. took her to Saratoga for the Schuylerville Stakes. She became so upset in the paddock that she could not be saddled and had to be scratched.

"She had to walk through the crowd up there, and then someone knocked a tent over," Salzman said. "I couldn't get close enough to her to saddle her. When she gets scared, she just can't control it."

In the Lassie, Limited View became upset in the gate, and jockey Edgar Prado had to dismount. When the gate opened, she broke outward, spotting the front-runners a huge lead.

Prado let her settle before asking Limited View for her run. She commenced a wide bid nearing the far turn of the six-furlong race that carried her to a three-quarter-length victory.

Salzman said that during training hours, Limited View is a professional. Race days are another matter.

"You never know what she's going to do," he said. "We'll keep working with her. She's one of the best I've ever had.”

Limited View paid $7.60 as the second choice in the 11-horse field. She was timed in 1:12.15, more than two seconds slower than Clever Mind took to win the Nursery two races earlier.

Salzman said he would point for local stakes with Limited View so he wouldn't have to ship her. The $100,000 Smart Halo at six furlongs Nov. 11 is the next Laurel stakes for 2-year-old fillies. The $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship for Maryland-breds will be run at seven furlongs Dec. 9.

Pikachu Princess, 5-1, won the pace battle in the Lassie and opened up a clear lead but was outfinished by the winner. Buffs in Love, 19-1, rallied from eighth to be third, three-quarters of a length behind Pikachu Princess.

Margie's Money, the 9-5 favorite, fought for the early lead but tired to finish seventh.

Sprint: Blu Moon Ace overcomes poor start

Blu Moon Ace was nailed on the money in the Grade 3 De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park in September, losing by a neck to Chublicious. He rebounded Saturday in the Maryland Million Sprint, overcoming a slow start to win by 2 3/4 lengths.

Blu Moon Ace usually goes to the lead, like he did in the De Francis, but on Saturday, he didn't get away well under jockey Julian Pimentel and had to work his way through traffic. Blu Moon Ace lodged a four-wide bid nearing the stretch and proved clearly best. He paid $2.80 as the favorite in the seven-horse field and was timed in 1:09.06.

"We were hoping to be closer than we were," Pimentel said.

Trained by Kevin Patterson and owned by Robert Cole Jr., Blu Moon Ace has won two stakes in three starts since being claimed for $30,000 at Delaware Park in July.

Cole said Blu Moon Ace likely will make his next start in the $200,000 Fabulous Strike Stakes at Penn National the day before Thanksgiving.

"He broke kind of sloppy, which isn't really like him," Cole said. "Pretty much any race outside of the Breeders' Cup, he'll fit in."

Rockinn On Bye rallied from far back to be second, a length ahead of Struth, who came away with the lead after battling several rivals.

Nursery: Clever Mind wins career debut

Clever Mind began his career in style by finishing strongly to overpower the favored Jamaican Don and pull off to a two-length victory in the $100,000 Nursery, the first stakes on Maryland Million Day.

Clever Mind races for his breeder, Richard Golden, the president and chief executive of Northview Stallion Station in Maryland. Clever Mind is by first-crop sire Buffum, who stands at Northview.

Clever Mind was slow away from the gate and trailed early. Jockey Nik Juarez took him wide for the stretch run, and he took command in midstretch.

Clever Mind is trained by Graham Motion. He paid $16.80 to win and was timed in 1:10.05 for six furlongs.

"He got away a little slow, but Graham told me ahead of time not to rush him," Juarez said. "Once I tapped him at the five-sixteenths pole, I felt like I had a lot of horse."

Pacesetter Jamaican Don, the 11-10 favorite, finished second, four lengths in front of Onemoregreattime, who made a menacing three-wide move into the stretch but flattened out.