Still Having Fun, Alwaysmining return for clash in Bender Memorial

A quartet of Maryland-restricted stakes at Laurel Park on Saturday has brought out four of the most accomplished, and popular, local horses of the past two years.

The $75,000 Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial will mark a return to competition for both Still Having Fun, winner of the Grade 2 Woody Stephens Stakes in 2018, and the 3-year-old Alwaysmining, who reeled off six consecutive victories between fall 2018 and this April, topped by the Federico Tesio.

The $75,000 Politely offers a similar 3-year-old versus hardened warrior scenario as Las Setas, who won four straight races, including three stakes, earlier this season comes off the bench to take on 5-year-old Anna’s Bandit, who is riding a five-race win streak and is 8 for 10 on the year.

Those six-furlong stakes are supported on a nine-race card by a pair of $100,000 races for 2-year-olds at seven furlongs – the Maryland Juvenile Futurity and the Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship – plus three allowance or optional-claiming races. Ontrack attendees will receive a 2020 Maryland Jockey Club calendar and a chance to win a prize from the $10,000 giving tree.

Still Having Fun will be making his first start since finishing eighth in the Churchill Downs Stakes on Kentucky Derby Day. The seven-month break is his first since beginning his career in November 2017 and making 16 starts over nine different tracks during the next 19 months, all but one in stakes company.

In addition to his 13-1 win in the Woody Stephens, Still Having Fun finished third in the 2018 Malibu Stakes, was second in the 2018 Chick Lang to Mitole, and won a pair of stakes at Laurel. Though six furlongs might be a bit short for him, he has every right to come back recharged, especially as a first-time gelding.

“He took us to a lot of different places and he certainly earned his vacation,” trainer Tim Keefe said. “Talking to the three partners in the horse, the decision was made to give him the summer off, castrate him, and just let him be a horse for a while.

“This wasn’t our intention to run him back in December. We were just going to let him tell us, and with everything he’s been doing in the morning, he’s telling us he’s ready.”

Alwaysmining has been freshened on owners Gregory and Caroline Bentley’s Runnymede Farm in Pennsylvania since his last start in July. Trainer Kelly Rubley has worked him five times at Fair Hill. The Bender will be his first start against older horses.

Alwaysmining holds a tactical advantage in that he has more natural speed than Still Having Fun. The salty 10-horse field also includes the speedy Lewisfield, Taco Supream, and Clubman.

Anna’s Bandit has been so good for so long it will be shocking when, or if, anyone beats her again. She has won four straight Maryland-restricted stakes by a combined 12 lengths, all for owner-breeder-trainer Jerry Robb and jockey Xavier Perez, and comes into Saturday’s race off a five-furlong bullet workout.

Las Setas, 4 for 6 in her career, will be making her first start since finishing seventh in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan and her first against older rivals. Trained by Katie Voss, she has early speed and figures to go to the lead from her rail post. Voss scratched her out of last Saturday’s seven-furlong Safely Kept Stakes in favor of this spot.

“I thought there was too much speed in there,” Voss said.

The Maryland Juvenile Futurity will match the impressive maiden winners Monday Morning Qb and Sir Back in Black. The somewhat deeper Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship field is topped by the Cal Lynch-trained Miss J McKay and includes Project Whiskey and Hello Beautiful.