Malibu Moonshine Set to Make Return in $75,000 Miss Disco
De Francis Dash Program Features Five Stakes Worth $500,000
BALTIMORE – The Elkstone Group’s homebred It’s Viper, in for a $30,000 tag for his graduation last fall, faces eight rivals as looks to make the rise to stakes winner in Saturday’s $75,000 Star de Naskra at Laurel Park.
The 30th running of the Star de Naskra for 3-year-olds and sixth renewal of the $75,000 Miss Disco for 3-year-old fillies, both sprinting seven furlongs and restricted to Maryland-bred/sired horses, are the first of five stakes worth $500,000 in purses anchored by the $150,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash featuring seven older sprinters including Grade 3 winners Wondrwherecraigis and Lightening Larry.
In between those stakes are the $100,000 Deputed Testamony for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles and the $100,000 Alma North for fillies and mares 3 and older sprinting 6 ½ furlongs. Post time for the first of 10 races is 12:25 p.m.
It’s Viper is a chestnut son of 2010 Kentucky Derby (G1) winner Super Saver from the barn of Maryland’s leading trainer, Brittany Russell. After winning two of his first seven starts including a maiden claiming triumph last November, he put together back-to-back victories 13 days apart in May at historic Pimlico Race Course, the latter a restricted 1 1/8-mile allowance over his elders.
“He was very impressive in his two Pimlico races. He stepped forward each time, certainly what you want to see from a 3-year-old,” Elkstone’s Stuart Grant said. “We started him as a maiden 30 claimer, and then he won his allowances. Each time his numbers were getting better and he was progressing. Given his sire, you wouldn’t be surprised to see that, and we were real happy.”
The connections gave consideration to the July 8 Indiana Derby (G3) before deciding to keep It’s Viper closer to home for Monmouth Park’s June 25 Tale of the Cat, taken off the turf and run at 1 1/16 miles. He finished third, beaten 8 ¾ lengths by the Chad Brown-trained Power in Numbers.
“The last race at Monmouth was a disappointment. I don’t know why he didn’t show up, but he’s training well, Brittany’s happy and we’re going to give him a shot,” Grant said. “Originally we had pointed him to the Indiana Derby and then we said rather than ship him so far, this would be an easy spot.
“It came off the turf and I don’t know whether he didn’t like the surface or the wet track or what it was, but he just didn’t fire that day,” he added. “We’re hoping it was an aberration and he will bounce back and give us a good race.”
It’s Viper cuts back to a sprint for the first time since his second career start and will have Sheldon Russell aboard from Post 4.
“There’s sort of no excuses this time,” Grant said. “He’s going to be racing in his backyard and we’re expecting big things from him. We’ve probably got another two or three races in him and then we’ve got to give him the winter off. We’re excited. We hope he bounces back.”
John Salzman Jr., Fred Wasserloos and Anthony Geruso’s multiple stakes winner Coffeewithchris is entered to make his 15th career start in the Star de Naskra and 10th straight against stakes company. Seventh May 20 in the 148th Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, he won the 2022 Heft and Feb. 18 Miracle Wood at Laurel and exits a second to rival and It’s Viper’s stablemate Prince of Jericho in the seven-furlong Concern July 1.
Alex and JoAnn Lieblong’s Easy Action is set to make his stakes debut facing Maryland-breds for the first time. Based in the Midwest with trainer Norm Casse, the son of champion sprinter Speightstown has raced exclusively at Oaklawn Park this year with a maiden special weight win from four starts. He was the beaten favorite in each of his last two, beaten a combined five lengths while respectively second and third, the latter behind subsequent Chick Lang (G3) winner Ryvit.
Steven Walfish’s Super Accelerate, trained by Robin Graham, takes a two-race win streak into the Star de Naskra. The Accelerate colt graduated at sixth asking, a 5 ¼-length maiden special weight romp June 16 at Laurel, returning with a 26-1 upset of a restricted allowance July 1, both sprinting seven furlongs under jockey Horacio Karamanos.
“The race before, we were all kind of impressed with his race but the figures were bad and nobody knew why. I thought he showed a lot more than what the numbers said. He had the worst numbers in the field going into that last race, and we all liked him,” Graham said.
“I’ve thought from the very beginning he’s one of the nicest horses I’ve ever had, before he even ran. Karamanos, the first time he worked him, said this is going to be a really nice horse. I mean, a really nice horse,” she added. “It’s just been some little things, mostly figuring out what he needed and what he wanted. He used to worry a bit and I think that was before how we all figured out how he wanted to do things. It’s been a learning process for everyone.”
Graham is excited to see the continued improvement from Super Accelerate, who will have Karamanos back aboard from Post 2.
“I’m glad we’re in there and we’re going to do what we can,” Graham said. “He’s a big, clunky colt. He looks like a giant quarter horse. He’s kind of chunky and solid, so it’s just taken him a bit to get himself together. When we bought him last year we really liked him and all the time I’ve liked him more because he’s learned how to balance himself better and all those things. He’s got a ton of class. He likes to train in the morning. He goes and does his job and comes back. You can breeze him, he’ll work fast and then he’ll come back with his head down just walking along like a pony.”
Hamilton Smith-owned and trained Feeling Woozy ran behind Coffeewithchris in the 2022 Maryland Juvenile as well as this year’s Miracle Wood and Private Terms, and was seventh to subsequent Grade 1 winner Arabian Lion in the May 20 Sir Barton at Pimlico. In his last start June 24 at Laurel, he set the pace and took a three-length lead into the stretch but was edged to second by Eldest Son in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance.
Freeze the Fire, a debut winner June 23 at Pimlico that was beaten as the favorite by Super Accelerate last time out; May 4 maiden claiming winner Great Heavens; Parkerness, trained by Laurel’s summer meet leader Jaime Ness; and Tiz No Clown, most recently fourth in the Concern, complete the field.
The Star de Naskra is named in honor of the 1979 champion sprinter bred and owned by Carlyle Lancaster. He had a record of 15-10-4 and purse earnings of more than $580,000 from 36 starts between 1977-79, winning eight stakes and three graded-stakes, the latter during his championship season.
Malibu Moonshine Set to Make Return in $75,000 Miss Disco
Happy Face Racing Stable’s Malibu Moonshine, Maryland’s champion 2-year-old filly of 2022, will kick off the second half of her sophomore season in Saturday’s $75,000 Miss Disco at Laurel Park.
The 6 ½-furlong sprint for Maryland-bred/sired 3-year-old fillies will be the first start for the Bourbon Courage filly since having a career-opening three-race win streak snapped when third in the Feb. 5 Ruthless at Aqueduct. Two of those wins came at Laurel, both in stakes – the Maryland Juvenile Fillies and Gin Talking, each going seven furlongs.
“We gave her a little break, just to grow up a little bit. She had run some good races and we gave her a couple months off and she came back a lot better,” trainer Charlton Baker said. “She’s bigger and stronger and she’s been training great coming up to the race. She’s doing everything right. She’s coming into the race pretty fit, I think. She’s ready to go.”
Though based in New York, all three of Malibu Moonshine’s early wins came in Maryland starting with a six-length maiden special weight debut triumph going six furlongs last September at historic Pimlico Race Course.
“She’s won over the track and she ships great. Us getting down there is not a worry, it’s just a matter of getting her to do her thing,” Baker said. “I think it’s a great spot for her, distance-wise, and against Maryland-breds. I didn’t want to bring her back in a real tough race, so it seemed like a good spot to bring her back.”
Angel Cruz is named to ride from Post 4 in a field of eight. Normally a late-running horse, Baker is unsure if Malibu Moonshine will show more early foot coming off the layoff.
“When she breezes she shows good speed and everything but [in races] she breaks and kinds of lets herself get settled before she gets going. She drops back a little and that’s how she’s run all her races so far,” he said. “That’s just her style. She might be sharper this time but her first start last year she did the same thing, so it’s hard to say. We’ve got to wait and see.”
Smith Farm & Stable’s Precious Avary, seventh in the 2022 Maryland Million Lassie, returns to Laurel a different horse this year, having won three consecutive races. Each have come against fellow New Jersey-breds, two of them at one mile, including the Jersey Girl Handicap on turf July 8 at Monmouth Park for trainer Tim Shaw.
Greg Tatum Racing’s Fast Tracked ran second, beaten two lengths by Malibu Moonshine, in the Maryland Juvenile Fillies. The Arnaud Delacour trainee has one win from five starts this year, a front-running open optional claiming allowance going 1 1/8 miles June 2 at Pimlico, and exits a troubled seventh in the July 1 Delaware Oaks (G3), a race where she hit the starting gate and raced wide early.
Trainer Linda Albert will wheel Not The 1 Stable, Inc.’s Liquidator back on a week’s rest in the Miss Disco. The Divining Rod filly emerged from a stretch-long duel with a one-length win over Happy Clouds in a July 21 optional claiming allowance sprinting 5 ½ furlongs at Laurel. It was the second win in her last three races and sixth overall, all at Laurel, from 16 starts.
“She’s been facing the same horses every time we run, so you kind of get to know those guys. This will be a little different,” trainer Linda Albert said. “She’s doing great. We figured the race was there so we might as well give it a try. She looks as good as anybody right now.”
Liquidator is the most experienced filly in the Miss Disco field, and has four wins, three seconds and a third from 10 starts this year. Regular rider Tais Lyapustina gets the return call from Post 6.
“She’s nice and fit so she doesn’t have to do anything but rest up and she’s ready to go,” Albert said. “I think we can do well there. I wonder about the horse from New Jersey, she looks pretty tough to me. Looking at her she can go turf, dirt, short, long, doesn’t seem to matter with that one.”
Purchased for just $7,000 as a yearling in 2021, Liquidator has won $239,480 in purse earnings. In her only prior stakes start, she ran sixth in the Maryland Juvenile Fillies.
“We’re really thrilled with her,” Albert said. “That particular owner had never bought a yearling before. He picked her out and he got her like the first bid. He put up the first bid on her and she was his. It’s not usually that easy. We’re thinking about going back this year. It might not be that simple.”
Rowsie Express, racing second off a $20,000 claim for Laurel’s summer meet-leading trainer Jamie Ness; Solving Progress, an off-the-turf maiden special weight winner going 1 1/16 miles May 14 at Pimlico; Talk to the Judge, returning to the dirt after finishing sixth in the 5 ½-furlong Blue Sparkler on the Monmouth Park turf July 15; and Willful Desire, claimed out of a June 25 win at Laurel that extended her win streak to two races, are also entered.
Bred in Maryland by Alfred G. Vanderbilt, Miss Disco was a multiple stakes winner during her racing career but is best known as the dam of Hall of Famer Bold Ruler, winner of the Preakness (G1) and Horse of the Year in 1957 and sire of 1973 Triple Crown winner Secretariat. She was named Broodmare of the Year in 1958.