Several familiar faces made way for a gate-crashing local rival in the final stakes for 3-year-olds at Laurel Park’s fall meet on Saturday. Zero Blitz, a gelding making his stakes debut for Joanne Shankle, capped off a gritty 2025 campaign with a late-running upset in the $100,000 City of Laurel Stakes. Ahead of his second start in March 2025, Zero Blitz was about as far away from stakes glory as possible. The 3-year-old made the smallest of splashes at Laurel with an eight-length victory in a $12,500 maiden-claiming race and was claimed by Shankle for $20,000 after another win the following month. The fields kept getting tougher, but by late June, he had improved to win four straight races. Shankle tried her best to keep his form steady over the summer, but the rising star clearly struggled when the Mid-Atlantic caravan moved on to Delaware Park and Colonial Downs. He never finished worse than fourth in four starts elsewhere, but he didn’t win again until he returned to Laurel for a $53,000 allowance in October. In the City of Laurel, bettors didn’t necessarily gravitate toward class, favoring recent allowance winner Otter Mischief over last-out Preakness runner Pay Billy. Zero Blitz still flew under the radar, however, and paid $26.60 to win in his sixth straight victory at his home track. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Trainers Preciado Guadalupe and Mike Gorham were both represented by two horses in the field of nine on Saturday, and each had an early contender on the front end. Otter Mischief, Guadalupe’s 3-2 favorite, kicked away to complete the opening quarter-mile in 22.93, but the Gorham-trained gelding Chipotle was quick to advance on the backstretch through a half-mile in 45.87. While the two expected pacesetters duked it out in the early going, jockey J.G. Torrealba remained unhurried in fourth aboard Zero Blitz, who broke well from the far outside post and loped along 6 1/2 lengths behind the top flight. The jockey asked for a little more from his gelding on the far turn and he immediately began to make up ground, advancing into third entering the stretch. Otter Mischief and Chipotle both dug in on the lead as several challengers made up late ground. Outside contenders Bold Diversion and Pascaline charged home from the back of the pack, but Torrealba had found the ideal trip, and Zero Blitz had a considerably better chance of running down the stubborn front-runners. The veteran rider asked his longshot for one last surge down the center, and it proved to be just enough for him to nip Otter Mischief by a half-length at the wire. He completed the seven-furlong sprint in 1:24.65. Bold Diversion, another 12-1 shot trained by Shankle, closed from eighth to finish a neck behind Otter Mischief in third. He finished three-quarters of a length ahead of Pascaline, a West Virginia-bred trained by Arnaud Delacour. Chipotle, who had to duel for the early lead on the outside, faded to fifth in the final furlong. After the race, Shankle said that Zero Blitz will likely make his next start in stakes company as well. If she chooses to wait until January, the $100,000 Fire Plug at 6 1/2 furlongs could be an ideal next spot. Safely Kept Stakes When two key runners scratched from the $100,000 Safely Kept Stakes on Saturday, the stars seemed to be aligning for Onyx Ten. Bettors made the three-time stakes winner the 3-5 favorite, but the race instead set up for Grayson’s Girl, who paid $13.60 to win in her first stakes victory for trainer Brittany Russell. Back against 3-year-old fillies after a victory against older rivals in the $100,000 Maryland Million Distaff, Onyx Ten was expected to contend with Reputation and Mega Mil in the Safely Kept, but both fillies scratched. Onyx Ten was pegged as a runaway winner without those two challengers in the mix and, after 16-1 longshot In My Memories began to fade after an opening quarter-mile in 23.46 seconds, the heavy favorite seemed to have the race well in hand. Jockey Yedsit Hazlewood eased her to the front through a half-mile in 46.53, but two improving runners rose to the occasion to give the heavy favorite trouble on the far turn. While Think Fast, the 4-1 second choice trained by Hugh McMahon, made the first move on Onyx Ten from third, Grayson’s Girl and jockey Jevian Toledo were preparing an even bolder bid from sixth. Coming off a layoff of more than two months, Russell’s filly surged through the field of seven and was only a length behind the leader by the time she hit the stretch. The early move for the lead might have taken its toll, but when Onyx Ten encountered resistance in the stretch, the classy filly could not muster a sufficient response. Think Fast briefly took the lead in midstretch, but she lacked momentum as well, as Grayson’s Girl was motoring down the center, completely unstoppable near the wire. She pulled away to win by 2 1/4 lengths, completing the seven-furlong sprint in 1:25.01. Think Fast finished a half-length ahead of Onyx Ten for second, four lengths ahead of the next finisher in what was effectively a three-horse race. The other four runners, all 10-1 or longer, never seriously contended. When Grayson’s Girl made her 3-year-old debut off a layoff of nearly nine months, Russell said that she was ready to roll, and she pulled away to an eight-length maiden victory. With more rest after an allowance victory in September, it appears that the filly has taken yet another big step forward. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? 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