3YO Maryland Homebred Beats Elders in Turf Sprint Allowance
Post Time for Saturday’s 10-Race Card Pushed Back to 1:50 P.M.

BALTIMORE – Big Lick Farm’s 3-year-old Maryland homebred filly Cavalier Cupid, racing for just the second time this year, returned to her stakes-winning form of last summer with a front-running 1 ½-length triumph over her elders in Friday’s Race 7 feature at Laurel Park.

Ridden by Horacio Karamanos for owner-trainer Sarah Nagle, Cavalier Cupid ($5.80) covered 5 ½ furlongs in 1:02.63 on an All Along turf course rated firm in the second-level optional claiming allowance for fillies and mares 3 and up that included fellow stakes winners Puppymonkeybaby, her Big Lick Farm stablemate, and Epic Idea.

“We were [expecting better] last month and she ran really flat. We just sort of banged our heads against the wall and didn’t know if she was going to return to last year’s form,” Nagle said. “We wanted it, but we honestly didn’t know what to expect today.”

Cavalier Cupid broke sharply from her rail post and quickly took command, racing on an uncontested lead through fractions of 22.20 and 45.17 seconds with last-out winner Catching the Wind in closest pursuit. Cavalier Cupid put away Catching the Wind once straightened for home and had enough left to hold off a late bid on the far outside from Justalittleviolent, also coming off a victory.

“We had talked about her hopefully sitting behind the speed, but then she broke sharp and nobody went with her so I think Horacio did the right thing and just kept going,” Nagle said. “She seems very versatile, so it just depends on how much speed is in there.”

Justalittleviolent held second by a length over Puppymonkeybaby. It was 2 ¾ lengths back to Epic Idea, last year’s Maryland Million Ladies winner, followed by Foggy Dreams and Catching the Wind.

Cavalier Cupid broke her maiden and won the Keswick sprinting five furlongs on the Colonial Downs turf 14 days apart last summer, earning her a shot at the $500,000 Ainsworth in September at Kentucky Downs where she finished behind Koala Princess, Grade 3-placed Mystic Eyes and Poppy Flower, winner of the June 19 Stormy Blues at Laurel. She went unraced until making her Laurel debut in a 5 ½-furlong optional claiming allowance June 4 where she rated inside before fading to be eighth of nine as the favorite.

By Quality Road out of the Big Brown mare El Vedado, Cavalier Cupid was nominated to the Stormy Blues and later scratched from a five-furlong allowance July 7 at Delaware Park when the race came off the grass.

“She breezes like the nicest horse in our barn,” Nagle said. “I guess she just needed the race last time.”

Notes: Jockey Carlos Lopez doubled Friday aboard Honor My World ($22.20) in Race 3 and Rad Paisley ($24.60) in Race 6 … Rad Paisley, racing first off the claim for trainer Keiron Magee and as a gelding for the first time, won the entry-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up in 1:10.78 for six furlongs over a fast main track … There will be carryovers of $9,030.64 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 5-10) and $6,622.85 in the $1 Super Hi-5 (Race 1) for Saturday’s 10-race program. Tickets with four of six winners in Friday’s Rainbow 6 each returned $56.20 … Due to high heat and humidity in the forecast, Saturday’s post time has been pushed back from 12:40 p.m. to 1:50 p.m.