Horses owned by their breeders swept all eight of the stakes on the 39th annual Jim McKay Maryland Million program Saturday at Laurel Park.
Brilliant Ice, a 5-year-old gelding owned and bred by Crystal Park Stables, marched up on the outside from mid-pack, then slipped through at the rail to seize the lead at the head of the lane before drawing away to a 5 1/4-length victory in the featured $150,000 Classic S. at 1 1/8 miles.
The 5-1 win by Brilliant Ice represented the second Maryland Million stakes score of the day for his sire, Great Notion, who increased an already remarkable streak to 15 years. His offspring have now won at least one Maryland Million Day stakes in every running of the event since 2010.
Great Notion has been the state's leading stallion by progeny earnings every year since 2018, and is once again the leader so far this season.
Trained by Annette Eubanks and ridden out at the 1:50.19 finish by jockey Jeiron Barbosa, the 5-for-26 Brilliant Ice had never won a stakes before–and neither had his owner/breeder despite decades in the racing business.
“He is the great-grandson of the first horse that we ever owned,” said Phil Bartz, a principal of Crystal Park Stables. “I didn't know he had this in him, but we gave it a shot and he was really good today.”
The 2.1-1 favorite Mosler Time (Mosler) was second in the Classic. Mugatu (Blofeld) ran third.
Course conditions were fast and firm throughout the day.
The most intriguing result of the afternoon came in the $100,000 Turf Sprint S. over 5 1/2 furlongs when Bosserati (Holy Boss), the lone filly in a stakes against nine males, assumed command straight out of the gate and swatted back several serious stretch bids to win at 5-1 odds in 1:02.04.
Joel Politi owns and bred the 4-year-old, who is a front-running specialist who had performed well against (bit did not beat) open-company stakes distaffers all season long. Jockey Sheldon Russell rode for his wife, the trainer Brittany Russell.
“She's had a big year. She's been knocking on the door, a couple of tough beats, and, look, we took a swing here today [running] the filly against the boys,” said Brittany Russell. “But we felt like we had a shot, and she ran her race. She didn't know she was running against a bunch of boys. She's just been a whole lot of fun, and for her to win a race on Maryland Million Day, this is why we do this. This is huge.”
Owner/breeder Dianne Stern articulated similar sentiments after her 4-year-old filly Foxy Junior (Cuba) captured the $100,000 Distaff S. at seven furlongs.
“It means so much, because I'm from Maryland, and this is something I've dreamed of,” said Stern. “We had her mother and grandmother, who ran here.”
Jomar Torres rode Foxy Junior for trainer Bernie Houghton. Her victory might have been the most tenacious of the afternoon, considering she stalked behind a brisk speed duel, clawed back the lead when confronted by fave at the top of the stretch, then held off another late charge to win by three-quarters of a length in 1:23.86.
In the $125,000 Turf over nine furlongs, Starstruck Notion (Great Notion) avenged a second-place finish in last year's edition of the same stakes, in which the gelding was beaten three-quarters of a length.
Under deft handling by Forest Boyce, Starstruck Notion secured a primo stalking position inside and bided his time third or fourth for most of the trip. The 3.3-1 shot briefly lost momentum entering the far turn when the pack shifted, then regained his stride to split horses at the quarter pole before tipping out to the three path and closing with a surge to nail a tiring favorite at the wire in 1:47.84.
Pat McBurney trains the 4-year-old for owner/breeder Kenneth Garcia. Starstruck Notion is a New Jersey-bred with a Maryland sire, so that gives him dual access to Maryland Million conditions and New Jersey-bred opportunities.
The two juvenile stakes, both carded at six furlongs, were each decided by neck margins.
In the $100,000 Nursery S. for 2-year-old males, Do It for Michael (Uncle Lino), led from the outset and stayed on under constant pressure despite drifting out late in the lane in 1:10.57. The 5-2 second choice, ridden by Xavier Perez and trained by John Robb for owner/breeder No Guts No Glory Farm, now sports a 3-1-0 record from four starts, with all of his wins at Laurel.
In the companion $100,000 Lassie S. for 2-year-old-fillies, jockey Angel Cruz rallied from 12th and last at 8-1 odds with Shkhara Fire (Friesan Fire) to win in 1:11.24 for trainer
Jose Corrales and the owner/breeder partnership of Barak Farm and Dino's Thoroughbreds.
Barak Farm and Corrales also ran third in the Lassie with the 22-1 Safe Trust (Mosler).
In the $125,000 Ladies S. at nine furlongs on the lawn, favored Circle Home (Bodemeister), a 5-year-old mare owned and bred by Dark Hollow Farm, raced last or next to it for most of the nine-furlong journey, then lived up to her name by looping the field four wide around the far turn and uncorking a gradual grind-down to reel in the 9-1 pacemaker, scoring by a neck at 19-10 odds in 1:48.10. Jevian Toledo rode for trainer Miguel Vera.
In the $100,000 Sprint S. at six furlongs, Celtic Contender (Irish War Cry) sat well behind a trio of speedsters in fourth, picked them all off from the far turn to mid-stretch, then repulsed a stern late charge from the even-money favorite to win by half a length at 9-2 odds in 1:09.87. Victor Carrasco rode for trainer Hamilton Smith and owner Lewis Family Racing (bred by the late Fred T. Lewis, DVM).
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