Trombetta has solid contenders for Heft, Gin Talking

Laurel Park will celebrate the final Saturday of 2018 with six stakes, including the Heft and Gin Talking, seven-furlong races for 2-year-olds.

The program also includes the six-furlong Dave’s Friend for 3-year-olds and up, and the one-mile Thirty Eight Go Go for fillies and mares. Two Maryland-bred stakes also are on tap, the one-mile Jennings and the six-furlong Politely for fillies and mares.

Total purses on the 10-race card are $646,000. Five of the stakes are part of the Rainbow 6, and four are in the late pick five. Both wagers close with a restricted $5,000 claiming sprint.

Alwaysmining will likely be favored in the $100,000 Heft, which is named for the late Arnold Heft, a racehorse owner, real estate developer, and onetime co-owner of the Baltimore Bullets NBA team (now the Washington Wizards). Alwaysmining has scored back-to-back front-running wins, both for trainer Kelly Rubley, and three weeks ago took the statebred Maryland Juvenile Futurity by 2 1/2 lengths.

Trainer Mike Trombetta has top contenders in both the Heft and the $100,000 Gin Talking. Win Win Win is 2 for 2 and enters the Heft off an easy 6 1/2-length optional-claiming score. Trombetta will send out possible favorite Enjay’s Brass and the late-running No Mo Lady in the Gin Talking.

Win Win Win will be stretching out in distance from 5 1/2 furlongs. The 82 Beyer Speed Figure he earned last time out is the high number in the field, one point above what Alwaysmining earned in the Maryland Futurity.

“I’m anxious to see how he handles more ground to work with,” Trombetta said. “The last time, I was afraid the 5 1/2 might be too short. Looking at the horse, he’s not that sprinter type.”

Other contenders in the Heft include Press Virginia, who is 2 for 2, both for John Servis; Clench, a private purchase by owner Michael Dubb who will make his debut for trainer Jason Servis; and Be Lal, who has scored consecutive blowout wins at Penn National, both for Cal Lynch.

Enjay’s Brass has shown more ability for Trombetta than her 2-for-5 record implies. She ran very well to just miss by a nose in a Keeneland optional claimer in October, and she came out of her fifth-place finish in the Grade 3 Tempted at Aqueduct with an eye injury.

“The race just didn’t make sense to us,” Trombetta said. “She was training so good, and the horse that won she finished ahead of at Keeneland.

“I think she got hit in the eye with something. It was bugging her for a week after the race.”

Enjay’s Brass rebounded from the Tempted with a handy 4 1/4-length win in a Laurel optional-claiming sprint.

No Mo Lady isn’t as flashy as her stablemate but has put together a 4-2-2-0 record. Trombetta believes she will be better at longer distances and plans to put her on turf in the spring.

“I’d like to get something for her at a mile or 1 1/16 miles, but there’s nothing right now,” Trombetta said. “I’m hoping she gets a fast pace Saturday and can run them down. Her mother was all grass.”

The Gin Talking has a deep field of 10. Getting Warmer, based at Parx with Ed Coletti Jr., and Please Flatter Me, stabled at Pimlico with Mark Reid, are each unbeaten and untested in two starts.

The deep-closing Belial is 8-2-3-2 and is trained by Lynch, who will add blinkers to her equipment Saturday.

Kaylasaurus romped by 12 1/4 lengths for trainer Rodrigo Madrigal at Penn National in her only start, earning a 72 Beyer that puts her right in the mix.

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