Miss Behaviour on Friday completed her serious preparations for next weekend’s Grade 2 Raven Run at Keeneland by working five furlongs in 1:01.60 at her home base of Laurel Park.
“It was just a nice, easy maintenance work,” said trainer Phil Schoenthal.
Miss Behaviour is coming off an easy 9 3/4-length victory in the Grade 3, $500,000 Charles Town Oaks. In her two prior starts, she finished second in the Grade 1 Test and Grade 2 Prioress at Saratoga.
Maryland Million Day is a highlight of the Laurel Park meeting each fall, and there will be a celebratory vibe at the track next Saturday, when the series of seven stakes and four undercard races are run.
The expected starters include Eighttofasttocatch, who will be going for his third Classic win in the last four years, and Roadhog, who will be shooting for his third straight Turf victory.
But the participation of Ben’s Cat, Maryland’s most well-known horse, is up in the air.
Nick Zito doesn’t do this very often, but after Catholic Cowboy failed to fire Wednesday in a 1 1/16-mile allowance, the Hall of Fame trainer entered the 4-year-old colt back for a seven-furlong allowance Sunday.
“He was so fired up after [the Wednesday race] that he got loose from the hot walker and was running through the stable area,” said Zito. “Luckily, we caught him right away, but that told me he barely did any running, so we’re coming right back at them. He’s better than what he showed.”
Thank You Marylou will try to stamp her ticket to the Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint when starting Oct. 18 in the Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes, the highlight of the next week of racing at Keeneland.
Owned by Ken and Sarah Ramsey and trained by Mike Maker, Thank You Marylou gave a breakthrough performance in winning the Sept. 20 Dogwood Stakes at Churchill when wearing blinkers for the first time. She is one of 29 3-year-old fillies nominated to the seven-furlong Raven Run.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Rocket Time earned an 88 Beyer Speed Figure in winning the Thursday feature at Keeneland, a victory trainer Al Stall Jr. partly credits to the 3-year-old recently having been gelded.
“I’m much happier with his attitude now,” said Stall. “He’s always been a big, physical, strong-looking horse, but he’s made some mistakes going around there. Hopefully, we’re on the right track with him now.”
ELMONT, N.Y. – Led by Noble Damsel Stakes winner Annecdote, trainer Christophe Clement entered three fillies and mares for Sunday’s Grade 3, $200,000 Athenia Stakes, scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on turf.
Twelve fillies and mares were entered in the Athenia, including Teen Pauline, who was entered for the main track.
Annecdote drew post 12. In her U.S. debut, Annecdote showed a devastating late kick to rally from last and win the Noble Damsel by 2 3/4 lengths.
ELMONT, N.Y. – There have been two equine fatalities at Belmont this week.
On Wednesday, Stenson, a 3-year-old son of Freud, was vanned off after finishing second in the first race, a maiden race for New York-breds on turf. He was euthanized after being found to have fractured sesamoids in his right foreleg. Stenson was trained by Debra Divitto, who also owned the colt along with Stephen Dyer.
ELMONT, N.Y. – Close Hatches, fourth as the 1-5 favorite in Sunday’s Grade 1 Spinster at Keeneland, returned to the track Thursday, jogging a mile around the Belmont Park main track under Leanna Willaford.
“She feels great, couldn’t fault her,” said Willaford, assistant to trainer Bill Mott. “She’s happy. Sometimes they have an off day like the rest of us. I have a lot.”
ELMONT, N.Y. – Kiaran McLaughlin says he doesn’t do it often, but in the paddock prior to Bay of Plenty’s return to the races Wednesday at Belmont Park he asked jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. to try and save something for the next race.
“I said we don’t need a hard race, just in case we want to run back in three weeks,” McLaughlin said Thursday. “It went according to plan.”
