Unbridled Juan horse to beat in John B. Campbell; Discreet Lover scratched

The Barbara Fritchie and General George, which top the Winter Carnival card Saturday at Laurel Park, are supported by a trio of $100,000 stakes, the Miracle Wood and Wide Country for 3-year-olds, and the John B. Campbell, which matches 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles.

The one-mile Miracle Wood is race 5 on the 10-race program and begins the Rainbow 6, which encompasses the five stakes and concludes with a first-level allowance. The seven-furlong Wide Country, for fillies, kicks off the late pick five in race 6. Those races are followed by the Campbell, the 14-horse General George, and the 11-horse Fritchie.

The Campbell, which is one lap around the Laurel oval, has a well-matched field topped by Unbridled Juan, Johnny Jump Up, and Monongahela. Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup winner Discreet Lover, the 3-1 morning-line favorite, has been scratched by trainer Uriah St. Lewis, who instead worked the 6-year-old three furlongs in 38.56 seconds Saturday morning at Parx.

The work is only the second for Discreet Lover since his eighth-place finish in the Breeders' Cup Classic.

Colonel Juan, Forewarned and Liberty Lane also have been scratched from the Campbell, leaving a field of eight.

Unbridled Juan comes into the Campbell on three weeks’ rest following a fourth-place finish in the Grade 3 Fred Hooper at Gulfstream Park for trainer Jose Corrales.

Unbridled Juan dropped too far back early over a sloppy track in that one-mile race but finished well. He was beaten two lengths by Aztec Sense, who has now won nine straight races dating to January 2018. Unbridled Juan missed second place by a head and a neck.

Prior to the Hooper, Unbridled Juan had won three of his prior four starts, including the Richard Small Stakes going 1 1/8 miles at Laurel.

Alex Cintron will ride Unbridled Juan for the fifth straight time.

Penn National-based trainer Kimberly Graci claimed Johnny Jump Up for $16,000 in June. He has since won 3 of 4 starts, including the Swatara Stakes at Penn on Thanksgiving Eve. Johnny Jump Up led throughout in the Swatara over a surface that was playing kind to speed.

Monongahela, who is trained by Jason Servis, has finished a close second in each of his last two starts. He rallied from eighth to miss by three-quarters of a length to Johnny Jump Up in the Swatara, and then was beaten a half-length by Name Changer in the Queens County at Aqueduct.

In the six-horse Miracle Wood, Alwaysmining figures to be a heavy favorite as he seeks his fourth straight win for trainer Kelly Rubley. In his last two starts, he has beaten Our Braintrust in the restricted Maryland Juvenile Futurity and Win Win Win in the Heft Stakes.

Our Braintrust has since finished second in the Jerome and third, beaten a neck, in the Grade 3 Withers. Win Win Win came back to win the Pasco Stakes at Tampa Bay Downs by 7 1/4 lengths.

Gray Magician, whom Peter Miller has shipped in from Southern California along with Barbara Fritchie contender Spiced Perfection, figures to be the second betting choice. He won a Del Mar maiden race in November by 9 1/2 lengths and has since finished fourth in the Grade 3 Sham and fifth in an optional claimer over a sloppy track.

In the eight-horse Wide Country, Our Super Freak is the horse to beat. She won a Delaware Park maiden race and a Laurel optional claimer last October for trainer Jamie Ness. She has since finished second to the talented Congrats Gal in the Smart Halo Stakes and third to undefeated Please Flatter Me in the Gin Talking Stakes.