Trainer Brittany Russell formally introduced two young guns in her 3-year-old crop last Saturday, as Taj Mahal and Peach Tie delivered sharp efforts to sweep a pair of $100,000 stakes at Laurel Park. Both runners could stay close to home while adding distance in the coming months. “It was a great day,” Russell said. “Look, I had confidence in both horses and I’m just glad they showed up and ran the way I thought they could.” In his stakes debut and second start, Taj Mahal earned an 85 Beyer Speed Figure in the $100,000 Miracle Wood, dueling the Gary Capuano-trained gelding Let’s Go Lando to the wire to win by a neck. Taj Mahal tried the one-mile race just two weeks after his maiden victory, giving Russell boundless hope moving forward. “Showing what he just did, it would be silly not to think about it,” Russell said of adding more distance. “It’s hard to say I set him up to succeed in a sense. He tackled it all, and imagine if I’m able to give him a little bit of time and train him a little bit more.” :: KENTUCKY DERBY 2026: Top contenders, point standings, prep schedule, news, and more Earlier on the Saturday card, Peach Tie earned her second stakes victory in the $100,000 Wide Country, winning her 3-year-old debut by three lengths over the Jamie Ness-trained filly Law School. Russell did not mention a next start for Taj Mahal, but as she was discussing Peach Tie, the trainer said the 3-year-old stakes program at Laurel provided an excellent structure for horses to gradually stretch out. For now, Peach Tie will loosely work toward the $100,000 Beyond the Wire at a mile on March 21. If Russell chooses to skip that start, she could still target the $150,000 Weber City Miss in April, a race she won with Complexity Jane last year. “I wouldn’t be afraid to skip one if I needed to because she will get everything she needs in that sense,” Russell said. “She has multiple stakes on her already, undefeated on the dirt. I’m not in a hurry to run her back in four weeks, but if she’s doing great, we will.” If Taj Mahal follows his stablemate, he could next run in the $100,000 Private Terms. The 1 1/16-mile stakes is a prep for the $150,000 Federico Tesio, historically serving as a local path to the Preakness. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.