Virginia-bred stakes top Saturday card at Laurel

Saturday’s card at Laurel Park is evidence that racing in Virginia is gone but not entirely forgotten. Although Colonial Downs in New Kent, Va., ran its last meet in 2013, horses continue to be raised in the state, and on Saturday in Laurel, Md., four stakes restricted to horses Virginia-foaled or -sired headline the day’s action.

Fittingly, since Colonial Downs ran the majority of its races on turf, all four stakes Saturday are on the grass. Up first in race 4 is the Hansel for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles, followed immediately by the 5 1/2-furlong Camptown for fillies and mares. The Meadow Stable, also at 5 1/2 furlongs, goes as race 8, and the last of the stakes, the William M. Backer for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles, goes as the 10th on an 11-race card.

The stakes, all of which carry a $75,000 purse, drew many of the same horses who raced at Laurel on June 24, another day featuring Virginia-bred races.

Seemingly due to the presence of Special Envoy, who is heavily favored at 2-5 on the morning line for the Hansel, that race was placed as the first stakes on the card. Special Envoy won the Edward Evans for Virginia-breds at Laurel on June 24, and though he prevailed by only a nose, the horse he narrowly beat, Rose Brier, is not back for this go-around.

That leaves Special Envoy as a class and form standout, having finished 5 1/4 lengths in front of third-place Speed Gracer in the Edward Evans, his next-closest pursuer that day.

Four of his six Hansel foes, including Speed Gracer, have won just a single race apiece. By comparison, Special Envoy has six victories.

Daniel Centeno rides Special Envoy, a 6-year-old gelded son of Stroll trained by Arnaud Delacour and owned and bred by Mr. and Mrs. Bertram Firestone.

The Camptown drew a more contentious group. The grass sprint is essentially a rerun of the M. Tyson Gilpin Stakes from June 24, a race Do What I Say won at 10-1 odds. Facing her once again are the five fillies and mares who finished immediately behind her in positions second through sixth, plus some new shooters. Rapid Rhythm, the beaten favorite in the Gilpin, is not returning.

Do What I Say is expected to be a far shorter price Saturday and is 7-2 on the morning line.

A trio of fillies and mares in the Camptown Stakes – Awake the Day, Why Not Be Queen, and Tiz Our Time – were cross-entered against males in the Meadow Stable, and it would not be surprising to see the connections of one of the female competitors opt to try the boys.

The Meadow Stable morning-line favorite, Homespun Hero, ran 11th in his only turf start, though it came long ago at Gulfstream when racing around two turns going 7 1/2 furlongs. Since that time, he has carved out a niche as an effective dirt sprinter.

Tiz Our Time, who already beat males in the White Oak Farm Stakes on June 24 over this course and distance, seems like the most likely candidate to race in the Meadow Stable.

The final stakes, the William M. Backer, is the most intriguing due to its quality field. Eight fillies who raced in the Nellie Mae Cox Stakes on June 24, including the top four finishers, are back, along with one newcomer in Well Blessed.

The presence of Well Blessed – a speedy claimer who shares the same owner and trainer as fellow entrant Armoire, though they are uncoupled – likely will ensure that 7-5 morning-line favorite Queen Caroline does not get away to an easy lead, as she did in the Nellie Mae Cox Stakes. That day, she set an easy half-mile in 49.75 seconds going a mile on the grass and had enough to repel the late charge of Armoire.

Queen Caroline is not a need-the-lead front-runner, however, having scored four earlier victories from pressing or stalking positions.

Dry conditions are expected for Laurel on Saturday after a 40 percent chance of Friday evening showers, according to a Thursday forecast from Weather.com.