Tuttipaesi, Onus square off in Lady Baltimore

The first Saturday card of the Laurel Park fall meet will offer six stakes, five of which will be run on turf. The 11-race card will offer total purses of $697,000.

The pick five with a 12 percent takeout and the Rainbow 6 will be comprised of stakes, except for the final race on the card, a $7,500 claimer.

The $150,000 Lady Baltimore, a 1 1/16-mile turf race for fillies and mares, will match Tuttipaesi, one of four runners trainer Bill Mott has entered in the day’s stakes, and Onus, who is undefeated over the local turf for Shug McGaughey.

Tuttipaesi will be making her third start following a late-spring/early-summer freshening. In July, she finished second in the Grade 3 Dr. James Penny Memorial at Parx, a race that the winner, Zipessa, controlled on the front end. Most recently, Tuttipaesi was fourth in the Grade 1 Beverly D. to Sea Calisi. Zipessa came back to finish third in that race.

Look for jockey Chris DeCarlo to keep Tuttipaesi within striking distance of the speedy Onus. DeCarlo will also ride Theophilia for Mott in the Shine Again Stakes.

Edgar Prado is named aboard Mott’s two other runners, Harlands Thunder in the Selima Stakes and Mosler in the Laurel Dash.

Onus scored three impressive wins over the Laurel turf last year. She won a one-mile maiden race in July, a 1 1/16-mile allowance in August, and the Grade 3 Commonwealth Oaks at 1 1/8 miles in September.

At Saratoga this summer, she finished sixth in the Grade 1 Diana and fourth in the Grade 2 Ballston Spa. McGaughey has given the mount on Onus to Forest Boyce, who rode her in all three of her Laurel victories.

Laurel Dash: Ben’s Cat needs best

Ben’s Cat is 8 for 13 over the Laurel grass, and that includes two near misses in the Maryland Million Turf, which at a mile is just beyond his reach. He is 2 for 4 in the six-furlong Laurel Dash, having won the race in 2013 and 2011. He finished second in the Dash in 2012 and third in 2014.

But at age 10, things aren’t coming as easily for the 32-time winner and earner of $2.6 million, and after beginning the year with two wins, he has finished third in his last three starts, the most recent while facing Maryland-breds at odds of 3-5. If he bounces back with a win Saturday for trainer King Leatherbury, you can count on the hometown fans going wild.

Spring to the Sky, 7, and Sallal may offer Ben’s Cat his toughest challenges. There is surprisingly little speed in the Dash, and Spring to the Sky may make the lead for trainer Bruce Brown.

Sallal won his U.S. debut and his first start in 10 months for trainer Graham Motion in July and has every right to take a step forward in the Dash. Although he will be facing tougher rivals than in his third-level optional-claiming victory, the 4-year-old has youth on his side.

Shine Again: Southern Girl in stakes debut

Southern Girl will make her stakes debut for trainer Larry Jones in the Shine Again, a seven-furlong dirt race for fillies and mares.

Southern Girl, a 3-year-old half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Classic winner Mucho Macho Man by Tapit, was purchased for $775,000 as a yearling at the Keeneland September sale by the Fox Hill Farms of Rick Porter. She is 3 for 4 in her career and has won both of her starts this year.

Four Inch Heels, 7 for 14 in her career and 5 for 9 since being claimed by John Servis, comes into this race off a victory in a no-conditions allowance race at Parx.

Turf Cup: Renown one to beat

Renown looks like the horse to beat in the Laurel Turf Cup at 1 1/2 miles. Trained by Elizabeth Voss, he got up to beat Street Fashion by a nose in the Cape Henlopen Stakes at Delaware Park in July. Street Fashion returned to win an optional-claiming race at Saratoga last Sunday.

Renown finished third in the 1 5/8-mile John’s Call Stakes at Saratoga in his most recent start.

Futurity, Selima: Juveniles on turf

The Laurel Futurity and the Selima are 5 1/2-furlong turf sprints for 2-year-olds.

Undulated, a $625,000 buy at the Ocala Breeders’ Sales Co. March auction of 2-year-olds in training by M M G Stables, is a player in the Futurity. A son of Curlin trained by Cathal Lynch, he closed nicely from far off the pace to win a Laurel maiden race on turf in his debut despite being shuffled back at the start.

Greatbullsoffire, trained by Hamilton Smith, won a maiden turf sprint at Laurel in his debut, then shipped to Delaware to win the Strike Your Colors Stakes on the main track.

In the Selima, the New York shippers Zero Zee and Harlands Thunder are the horses to beat.

Zero Zee comes into this off a debut turf-sprint win at Saratoga for trainer George Weaver. Harlands Thunder was third to the talented Red Lodge in the Colleen Stakes at Monmouth Park last out. The runner-up, Iron Mizz, came back to win the $200,000 Seeking the Ante Stakes for New York-breds at Saratoga.