Hugh McMahon had only a few moments to review a decades-long career in the winner’s circle at Laurel Park on Saturday. But when asked where he would place Passage East’s thrilling photo-finish victory over Takethemoneyhoney in the $200,000 Barbara Fritchie Stakes, it didn’t take him long to respond. “I think this is the best race we've ever won,” McMahon said. In December 2024, McMahon and owner Larry Rabold claimed Passage East for $30,000. It took four more starts to earn her maiden victory in April last year. Since then, she has won eight of nine starts, and with her triumph in the Barbara Fritchie, she now stands among the strongest older dirt females in the Mid-Atlantic. “You can get horses and the stars align,” McMahon said. “Conditions, they go, the races go, and the timing between the races. Everything comes together for certain horses, and their competitiveness just increases as they win more and more. I think that's the kind of ride we got today.” :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Passage East gave McMahon his first stakes victory since December 2024, when Spencerian won the $75,000 Politely at Laurel. Before that, his last stakes triumph was in December 2019. In the $100,000 What a Summer overnight handicap last month, jockey Sheldon Russell rode the filly for the first time and found the perfect trip to win by three-quarters of a length. Russell’s family is on vacation, but the jockey stayed back to get another ride aboard Passage East on the four-stakes card at Laurel. “It’s made my decision a lot better,” Russell said of the victory. Just as he did in the What a Summer, Russell settled off the pace and found the ideal stalking trip aboard Passage East. He and McMahon both said that the far outside post made a huge difference for her preferred style, which was further helped when 2-5 favorite Takethemoneyhoney and 2-1 second choice Dry Powder dueled for the early lead. The top two scrapped through a half-mile in 22.99 seconds and a half-mile in 45.93. Passage East surged forward on the far turn and might have slipped away with the perfect trip again, but she had never met a filly like Takethemoneyhoney and got a formal introduction Saturday. In nine career starts for trainer Mike Moore, Takethemoneyhoney has earned six victories and has never lost by more than a head. Her speed has carried her to many triumphs, but when that has failed, her stubbornness has been a potent reserve. When Passage East overtook a spent Dry Powder and advanced to take a short lead at the top of the stretch, Takethemoneyhoney didn’t give another inch under Eliseo Ruiz. The favorite had every reason to quit and Passage East had all the momentum on the outside, but they matched strides all the way to the wire. “I always felt like she was traveling nicely,” Russell said of Passage East. “Just following [the two leaders], but look, when she jumped on the right lead, I was in a good spot because I'm on the outside and the outside horses always get brave. I just put her in tight and hoped it was good enough.” Takethemoneyhoney, first denied the lead by Dry Powder and then Passage East, ran as honorable in defeat as a horse can, but her final surge came up just short. Passage East, once a maiden-claiming runner, had just enough to keep the three-time stakes winner at bay, prevailing by a nose in her third straight win. She completed the seven-furlong sprint in 1:24 and paid $12.40 to win. “Getting a $30,000 acquisition and winning the Barbara Fritchie,” McMahon said. “Wow. Nothing short of miraculous.” Dry Powder, who was making her 2026 debut after running eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Distaff, finished 6 1/4 lengths back in third for trainer Chad Summers. Nellie Morse Stakes It’s never a surprise these days when Gary Capuano and Yedsit Hazlewood connect at Laurel, and the trainer/jockey duo pulled off yet another brilliant collaboration in the $100,000 Nellie Morse Stakes on Saturday. Atlantis Queen, a 4-year-old filly, had run only in three stakes for Capuano in 15 starts, but she looked every bit a star under Hazlewood, cruising home to win by 4 1/4 lengths. “I told Yedsit, ‘you’ve got the outside. Try to keep her relaxed and save some horse,’ ” Capuano said. “She gradually picked it up and hooked those horses turning for home and just went on.” While Atlantis Queen and Hazlewood lagged behind entering the first turn, 6-5 favorite Complexity Jane seemed to be in the best position for trainer Brittany Russell, chasing close behind front-runner Late Nite Call through an opening quarter-mile in 23.70 seconds. The top two maintained formation through a half-mile in 48.41, but by then Atlantis Queen had advanced into third. When Hazlewood challenged the front-runners entering the far turn, they both wilted, allowing him and his filly to pull clear at the top of the stretch. “It was really nice today,” Hazlewood said. “She’s a nice filly. I asked for a little more and she stayed for the touch. Then she was going and won easy.” Atlantis Queen wrapped things up in a hurry, completing the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:46.32. After a dull effort in the $125,000 Bay Ridge at Aqueduct in December, she seemed to be comfortable back at Laurel, where she won an allowance by 5 1/4 lengths in November. “The timing fit right,” Capuano said. “It was two turns, and just seemed like there wouldn’t be any outstanding horses that were going to come in. It just seemed like a really good fit and it worked out.” Atlantis Queen paid $11.80 to win, providing bettors with a rare value play on Capuano and Hazlewood. The pair has struck at a 43 percent clip since first connecting in April last year. Sultry Lass, who was making her first start for new trainer Russell, closed from fourth to finish second. She finished 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Late Nite Call, who prevailed by a neck over Complexity Jane. After five straight victories at Laurel, the Nellie Morse marked the favorite’s first defeat at her home track. Post Time Stakes Jockey Pietro Moran and Jokestar had to adapt quickly on the rail when the horse to their outside stumbled, unseated his rider, and ran loose in the $100,000 Post Time Stakes. Moran remained patient, however, and his 5-year-old gelding proved much the best, easily clearing his two remaining rivals. Jockey Julio Hernandez, the rider who fell off Surfside Moon, was shaken up near the starting gate but eventually walked off. Moran’s first race at Laurel might have been a little more chaotic than he expected, but the reigning Eclipse Award winner for outstanding apprentice jockey was simply happy to finally be aboard Jokestar for a race. He worked with the gelding extensively while he was based at Woodbine last year for trainer Kevin Attard. “Made it worth the trip,” Moran said. “I’ve been on him thousands of times in the mornings, so I know him inside and out. He’s very easygoing, laid back, the kindest horse to ride.“ The Post Time was cut down to four runners because of two scratches, and after Surfside Moon lost his rider, Moran carried Jokestar wide to avoid trouble on the rail. Parx Racing shippers Call Me Fast and Warp Nine ran alongside him and traveled even wider around the first turn. The loose runner shot up the rail and ran clear before coming back to the field. At first, Moran made a bold move to try and overtake the riderless horse on the inside, but that proved impossible and forced Jokestar to steady. Regrouping behind Warp Nine and Call Me Fast, he then swung all the way to the four path and re-engaged his two rivals at the top of the stretch. “I was hoping maybe, going into the turn, he would go out and take those two horses with him,” Moran said. “I was going to try to hold my spot on the rail, but they got the jump. Had to take back a little, but that’s probably the best thing that could have happened.” As soon as he got clear running room on the outside, Jokestar proved to be much the best, pulling away to win by 6 1/2 lengths. He finished the 1 1/8-mile race in 1:52.66 and paid $8.20 to win. After two runner-up finishes in Grade 3 races at Woodbine and a fifth-place finish in a $100,000 handicap at Gulfstream last month, the switch from synthetic to dirt proved to be an opportune one for Attard. The trainer had never run a horse at Laurel before. Warp Nine, a last-out allowance winner in Pennsylvania trained by Harold Wyner, ran steadily behind the loose horse in the stretch and finished 4 3/4 lengths back in second. Call Me Fast faded badly in the late stages for trainer Jamie Ness. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.