Record-setter Cherokee's Boy rarin' to go

A week ago, trainer Dale Capuano entered Cherokee's Boy in both the Maryland Million Classic on Saturday and a minor stakes at Charles Town a day later.

The $250,000 Classic was postponed for a week when 7 1/2 inches of rain fell at Laurel Park, so Cherokee's Boy ran last Sunday in the $50,000 HBPA Governor's Cup at Charles Town.

The 5-year-old Cherokee's Boy broke a 32-year-old track record for 1 1/8 miles, winning by seven lengths and earning a 108 Beyer Speed Figure

The effort apparently didn't take much out of him because, when entries were taken Wednesday for Saturday's Maryland Million, Cherokee's Boy showed up in two of the races.

Capuano cross-entered Cherokee's Boy in the featured Classic at 1 3/16 miles and the six-furlong Sprint. He's considered a contender in both.

By winning the Governor's Cup, Cherokee's Boy moved into 20th place on the all-time Maryland-bred earnings list with $876,286.

His time of 1:49.88 broke Charles Town's nine-furlong record of 1:50.20 set by Lexington Park in 1973. In 37 career races, Cherokee's Boy has failed to pick up a check just once, in the 2003 Preakness.