Trio of rivals get another rematch in Maryland Million Turf Sprint
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All of the usual suspects in one of the Mid-Atlantic’s strongest divisions will knock heads again in the $100,000 Maryland Million Turf Sprint on Saturday at Laurel Park. The rivalry between Witty, Whenigettoheaven, and Had to Have Him has carried on for years and shows no signs of stopping any time soon.
“Each horse individually has accomplished a lot,” said Nolan Ramsey, trainer of Whenigettoheaven. “It seems like, through this season and even towards the end of last year, it’s been the three of us. I think each of us have gotten a piece of the pie at one point in time.”
In last year’s Turf Sprint, Had to Have Him denied Whenigettoheaven by three-quarters of a length, getting the last laugh after coming up short to him early in the year. If the John Salzman Jr. trainee is to win his second straight edition, he will have to do so off a four-month layoff.
Salzman said he intended to run his gelding in the $150,000 Van Clief at Colonial Downs and $100,000 Laurel Dash over the summer, but running in the heat without Lasix was at least partially to blame for those scratches.
Ramsey said he seriously considered sending Whenigettoheaven to Woodbine for the Grade 2 Nearctic in September, but he later backed off those plans after the 7-year-old gelding developed an abscess. He last ran in mid-August, when he earned a breakthrough victory in the $100,000 Meadow Stable Handicap.
Witty, the 2023 Turf Sprint winner, earned his last victory when he squared off with Whenigettoheaven and Had to Have Him in June, defeating those two rivals in the $100,000 Ben’s Cat. The Elizabeth Merryman trainee has since overcome a tough start in the Van Clief to finish a game fourth in the Laurel Dash.
“In the Laurel Dash, there wasn’t quite enough speed,” Merryman said. “They set really slow early fractions, and that doesn’t really set up well for him.”
There may be a clear top trio in the main field of 11, but trainer T.J. Aguirre Jr. stands by the notion that Tidewater is the fourth member of the band. With two career near-misses in this race and a close fourth behind the big three in the Ben’s Cat, the 6-year-old gelding can never be counted out at 5 1/2 furlongs.
Turf
Earlier this year, Derek Ryan said he was only entering Thundering in stakes company because he lacked eligible allowance conditions. A lot can change in a few months, and in the $125,000 Maryland Million Turf, the 4-year-old gelding is the 4-5 morning-line favorite in search of his third stakes victory.
“I deliberately kept him for this one, since he’s a Maryland-bred,” Ryan said. “Those other ones in New York were coming up very, very salty and I wanted him to be 100 percent for this one.”
In his last trip to Laurel in June, Thundering delivered a breakout effort in the $125,000 Japan Racing Association Turf Cup, winning in gate-to-wire fashion with an 89 Beyer Speed Figure. He finished third in the Grade 2 United Nations next time out and scored an easy victory in the $125,000 Find at Colonial Downs in August, his last prep before the 1 1/8-mile Maryland Million Turf.
Distaff
Trainer Mike Moore said he did not know what to expect from Takethemoneyhoney off a nearly eight-month layoff, but if the 5-year-old mare returns with anything near her best, she will cut a daunting figure in the $100,000 Maryland Million Distaff.
“It happens this time that the timing works for her to come back in the Maryland Million, which certainly looks like a good spot,” Moore said. “But you can’t discount that she’s been off seven months.”
In 10 career starts, the 5-year-old mare has never finished worse than second, and at 6-5 on the morning line on Saturday, that streak is likely to continue if she can run back to form.
Sprint
Celtic Contender needed time at the end of the summer to deal with an infection in his leg, but the 5-year-old will get back to business in the $100,000 Maryland Million Sprint. Trainer Hamilton Smith said he was encouraged by his workouts ahead of his return.
“We’ve got him back going after 10 days off, and he’s been working well,” Smith said. “I’m looking forward to him running good.”
Before his setback in mid-September, Celtic Contender was enjoying a resurgent 2026 campaign in which he has won two allowances and run on gamely in three stakes. In August, he battled the Brad Cox-trained colt Verifire and held on for second with a 97 Beyer.
Celtic Contender is expected to receive stiff competition from Haileysfirstnotion, who drew the far outside post in the main field of eight. In September, the Gary Capuano-trained gelding returned from a three-month break to win the $125,000 New Castle Handicap at Delaware.
Lassie
Talking Foolish took some time to straighten out in her stakes debut earlier this month, but Hamilton Smith expects more from the juvenile filly in the $100,000 Maryland Million Lassie. A zippy four-furlong workout in 47.60 seconds on Oct. 18 suggests that blinkers will lead to a sharper effort on Saturday.
Her recent work might have been quicker than Smith expected, but the trainer also said the filly could use more focus coming out of the $100,000 Smart Halo. Unhurried early, she traveled wide around the turn and didn’t start making up ground until the very end, finishing third.
Nursery
Walt’s Notion, a last-out stakes winner trained by Phil Capuano, will re-enter state-restricted company with a strong chance in the $100,000 Maryland Million Nursery. He is a head short of being undefeated in three career starts, having lost a photo at Delaware in September.
Though he has taken the early lead in all three of his career starts, Walt’s Notion took full advantage on a good surface in the $100,000 James F. Lewis earlier this month, running uncontested all the way around the track. That victory has earned him 4-5 favoritism on the morning line.
Ladies
Last year, Mopo was pegged as a serious contender in the $125,000 Maryland Million Ladies, but Phil Capuano had to scratch her because of a hoof abscess. All is on track for the 4-year-old filly to make a triumphant return in this year’s edition, where she is the 9-5 morning-line favorite in the main field of 10 fillies and mares.
With strong performances between 5 1/2 furlongs and 1 1/8 miles on turf, Mopo has given her trainer a multitude of options in a solid 2026 campaign. She will stay at 1 1/16 miles after finishing 1 1/4 lengths behind at the distance in the $100,000 George Rosenberger Memorial at Delaware last month.
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