Page McKenney eyes millionaire status in Native Dancer

With 41 starts and four seasons of competition under his belt, Page McKenney will begin his 6-year-old season Saturday at Laurel Park as the favorite in the Native Dancer Stakes, one of three $75,000 stakes on the card.

Laurel is racing five consecutive days this week – a first in Maryland since May at Pimlico – as it ran New Year’s Eve and will add Mondays beginning Jan. 4. A four-day Friday-to-Monday schedule commences next week and will stay in effect through Presidents Day, Feb. 15. The expanded race week coincides with the winter break at Parx, which is dark until Feb. 13. Laurel will take a break Feb. 16 through March 10.

The Saturday card at Laurel includes two 1 1/16-mile stakes, the Native Dancer and the Nellie Morse, and the six-furlong What A Summer. The Nellie Morse and What A Summer are for fillies and mares.

Page McKenney comes into the Native Dancer having won three of his last four starts, including his last two. He was well within himself while taking the Richard Small Stakes at Laurel on Nov. 15. He came back 11 days later to win the Swatara at Penn National.

Trainer Mary Eppler has given him three five-furlong breezes at her Pimlico base since the Swatara.

“I think he may even be a little better than he was a year ago when he turned 5,” Eppler said. “Right now, he’s training really good.”

Eppler claimed Page McKenney for $16,000 out of a sixth-place finish at Penn National in July 2013. He since has won 13 races and $950,000 for principal owner Adam Staple. A win Saturday would put him over $1 million in earnings.

Page McKenney hasn’t finished worse than third in 21 consecutive starts. Regular rider Horacio Karamanos will be aboard.

Catron, trained by Todd Pletcher, and Bellarmine, conditioned by Jeremiah Englehart, look to be the primary challengers.

Catron is coming off a solid third to Page McKenney in the Swatara. Bellarmine, claimed by Englehart for $32,000 four starts back, won a fourth-level optional-claiming race by 9 1/4 lengths at Laurel in his last start.

The Nellie Morse has lured a competitive field of nine. Miss Mischief and Samantha Nicole were both entered and scratched from last weekend’s $100,000 Thirty Eight Go Go Stakes, a one-turn mile at Laurel.

Miss Mischief has developed into a synthetic-track specialist for trainer Dale Capuano and enters off stakes wins at Woodbine and Presque Isle. Miss Mischief is 3 for 10 on dirt tracks but will be making her first main-track dirt start since February. Her last dirt win came in November 2013.

Samantha Nicole is a 5-year-old full sister to Rachel Alexandra owned by Stonestreet Stables and trained by Kiaran McLaughlin. She won a first-level allowance at Belmont Park in June. This will be her first start since she finished ninth in her turf debut at Belmont in October.

Love Came to Town is the horse to beat in the Nellie Morse. She has finished a close second in her last three starts while facing third-level company at Parx. She stretches out in distance here and should be forwardly placed from post 1.

Love Came to Town, owned by Kevin Sleeter and trained by his father, Gerald, finished a hard-trying second in her last start to Four Inch Heels, who has won five straight races. Her last four wins have come for John Servis, who claimed her for $25,000 at the start of her streak.

The What A Summer, carded as race 4, matches E Dubai’s Humor and Raging Smoke.

E Dubai’s Humor finished well to win a second-level optional race last out for trainer Donald Barr while making her second start following a 12-month layoff. She is 3 for 5 in her career.

Raging Smoke, based with trainer Michael Salvaggio at Penn National, won a third-level race at Parx two races back and was fourth to Lady Sabelia in the Willa On the Move at Laurel on Dec. 5.