The older turf sprint division at Laurel Park has become so strong that inconspicuous allowances are turning into stakes-quality events. In the third race on Friday, a 5 1/2-furlong sprint, Witty, Nothing Better, and Whenigettoheaven will scrap for a $56,000 purse, but it would not have been unusual to see any of them winning on the Preakness undercard earlier this month. Trainers Elizabeth Merryman, Jorge Duarte Jr., and Nolan Ramsey were all surprised to see one another in the Friday entries. Merryman and Duarte were hoping for shallow waters to ease Witty and Nothing Better into the 2026 season, while Ramsey chose to skip the $150,000 Jim McKay Turf Sprint in search of a softer spot for Whenigettoheaven.   “I figured it would be an easier race,” Ramsey said. “That said, in 20/20 hindsight, maybe I should have just run in the stakes anyhow, but I just thought it would be a softer spot.“  Whenigettoheaven, a Maryland-bred, has won back-to-back editions of the $100,000 Ben’s Cat, which will be run at Laurel on June 20. Ramsey said he is preparing for that race again. In the $100,000 King T. Leatherbury last month, the 7-year-old broke from the 13 post and overcame traffic to finish third behind Outlaw Kid and Chasing Liberty. That pair came back to finish one-two in the McKay Turf Sprint earlier this month. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. “He definitely surprised me,” Ramsey said. “I thought it came up a pretty tough field, all things considered, and then to see him run that way off the layoff against that quality, [it] definitely gives me a vote of confidence going into here.” The allowance field might have come up tougher than he hoped, but Ramsey reasoned that he and Whenigettoheaven might have an edge. Witty and Nothing Better boast a combined 13 career stakes victories, but both are coming off long breaks and could be vulnerable. In his last start at Colonial Downs in September, Witty closed for a solid third in the $150,000 Da Hoss, but Merryman knew it might be time to wrap up his season early. In order to treat minor ankle inflammation, she decided to skip the fall races in order to rest him for 2026. He will run in his first allowance since November 2024 on Friday. “I'm very glad that we got a lot of rain earlier in the week, because the one thing he doesn't really like is a hard turf course,” Merryman said. “Normally, firm is fine. He just doesn't like it hard.”  Nothing Better, who has earned $933,182 in his career, suffered a setback behind Witty in the $150,000 Van Clief in August, but he returned late in the fall to deliver two strong allowance performances at Aqueduct and Churchill Downs. The 9-year-old could be the pacesetter at Laurel, a track he last visited in October 2022.  “Old man, a barn favorite,” Duarte said. “[He’s] close to a million, still wants to do it at 9 for what it seems on his training and overall appearance. Laurel offers great variety of spots on the turf. We feel this is a good starting point for him.”  Where’s Ray, Saxton, Gold Trust, and Incinerator complete the field. All four outsiders have run in a stakes in the past year. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.