Monday Morning Qb beats elders in Maryland Million Classic; gives Russell fourth win of the day

Monday Morning Qb dominated older rivals Saturday in the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic at Laurel Park, where he rolled to a 3 3/4-length win over 4-5 favorite Harpers First Ride. It was another three-quarters of a length back in third to Tattooed.

The Classic was the richest of eight divisional stakes on the annual Maryland Million card designed to celebrate Maryland-sired horses. The stallion Great Notion was the star in that category, as he sired the winners of this year’s Ladies, Nursery, Turf, and Sprint.

Monday Morning Qb ($15.60), a 3-year-old by Imagining, was one of four winners on the 12-race card for jockey Sheldon Russell. The pair was content to let Prendimi take the field through an opening quarter in 23.47 seconds and a half-mile in 46.81 before taking over through six furlongs in 1:10.94.

Monday Morning Qb stormed home from there, covering the mile and an eighth for 3-year-olds and up in 1:48.13 over a fast track.

“He really came home running today,” Russell said in an interview broadcast by Laurel. “He was well prepared.”

Russell went on to compliment the work of trainer Butch Reid and his team. The horse races for Cash is King and LC Racing.

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Monday Morning Qb was winning his second career stakes and overall has a record of three wins from seven starts for earnings of $225,155. Earlier in the meet, Monday Morning Qb was second in the Federico Tesio to Happy Saver, who returned in his next start to defeat older rivals in the Jockey Club Gold Cup at Belmont Park.

Russell also rode Pretty Good Year ($32), who became a stakes winner when he closed from last to capture the 12-horse Turf. He got up for a length victory over Cannon’s Roar. It was a length and a quarter back in third to Nick Papagiorgio.

Mr. d’Angelo, who won last year’s Turf, rallied for fourth.

The race was moved to a distance of a mile and an eighth this year after being run at a mile in 2019. Pretty Good Year covered the distance on a course rated “good” in 1:52.32.

Kelly Rubley trains Pretty Good Year for Bobby Goodyear. Pretty Good Year is a son of Great Notion who has now won 4 of 21 starts and earned $206,481.

Karan’s Notion captures Sprint

Karan’s Notion gave Nancy Heil a win she had been dreaming of for decades when he wired his rivals for a length victory in the $100,000 Sprint.

It was the first Maryland Million stakes victory – and entrant – for Heil. She is a longtime breeder, owner, and trainer.

“It’s surreal,” she said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel. “I’ve been training 50-something years, but I never had an eligible horse.”

Hopes were pinned on Karan’s Notion not long after the birth of the son of Great Notion.

“I always said, ‘I think he’s going to be the one,’ ” said Heil, who also bred and owns Karan's Notion.

“We just got lucky.”

Karan’s Notion led throughout, putting up fractions of 22.49 seconds for the opening quarter and 45.07 for the half-mile before going on to cover six furlongs on a fast track in 1:09.15. Yomar Ortiz was aboard Saturday.

Heil was asked by Laurel interviewer Naomi Tukker what the secret to her success was, and the horsewoman's hopeful response elicited applause ontrack.

“Never give up,” said Heil.