First of Two Grass Stakes for Maryland-Breds Saturday

BALTIMORE – N R S Stable, James Chambers and Avalon Farm’s 6-year-old mare Coconut Cake, exiting the furthest finish in her 11 grass starts, will get a chance to regain her form while seeking a third stakes victory in Saturday’s $75,000 All Brandy at Laurel Park.

The 51st running of the All Brandy for Maryland-bred/sired fillies and mares 3 and older, scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the Kelso turf course, co-headlines a 10-race program with the $75,000 Find for 3-year-olds and up.

First race post time is 12:25 p.m.

Coconut Cake, trained and co-owned by Tim Keefe, sprinted twice to open her campaign, winning the six-furlong Jameela against state-breds July 1 at Laurel. Two weeks later, the daughter of Grade 3 winner Bandbox pressed the pace before tiring to sixth in the 1 1/8-mile Big Dreyfus.

“She’s coming into this race well,” Keefe said. “I was a little disappointed in the last race but we’ll throw that one out. She had a nice little work the other day on the grass, she’s happy and doing well. It’s a good distance. Running back with just the Maryland-breds makes it a little bit easier; having said that, it’s certainly not an easy spot. There’s a couple of nice fillies in there that look like they could jump up and run a big race, too.”

Coconut Cake was beaten less than a length when third in last year’s All Brandy. It was the fifth time she had placed in a stakes, three on dirt and two on turf, before breaking through with a popular head victory in the 2022 Maryland Million Ladies going 1 1/8 miles on the grass at Laurel.

“It’s a good spot for us. It’s the logical spot for us. It’s one of the races we picked out and pointed her toward in our effort to get her to the Maryland Million this year. Hopefully, she’ll run a good race for us,” Keefe said. “I know she’ll run well; hopefully, she can get the job done.”

Sheldon Russell, aboard for each of her last two wins including the Maryland Million, returns to ride from Post 11, outside all but one of her rivals, multiple dirt stakes winner Malibu Beauty, who is one of three horses entered for main track only.

“It’s a good spot,” Keefe said. “She doesn’t have to stand in the gate very long, she can break, sit on the outside and hopefully stalk and come running at the end which she likes to do.”

For her career Coconut Cake has six wins, two seconds, seven thirds and $343,723 in purse earnings from 25 starts. She is the richest mare trained by Keefe, surpassing five-time stakes winner Red’s Round Table. Keefe also had such horses as millionaire Eighttofasttocatch; Celtic Innis, a multiple stakes winner of $648,638; and Grade 2 winner Still Having Fun.

“It’s always nice to have one like her. I was lucky enough to have Celtic Innis. I was lucky enough to have Red’s Round Table, though she didn’t last quite as long as some of the others; certainly Eighttofasttocatch and now this one,” Keefe said. I wish I had a barn full of them for a lot of reasons.”

Shamrock Farm homebred Thegirlfromireland will be making her stakes debut for trainer Graham Motion in the All Brandy. Motion, who sprung a 12-1 upset with Dataman in Sunday’s Bald Eagle Derby at Laurel, previously won the All Brandy with Joy in 2015.

“We just got to thinking that it was a great opportunity for her,” Motion said. “Her last three races have been very solid. I know she’s a 3-year-old running against older horses, but we feel like this is a great opportunity to maybe get some black type.”

A bay daughter of Goldencents, Thegirlfromireland has faced elders in each of her last three starts, including a two-length maiden special weight triumph going one mile April 16 at Laurel, her sixth race. From there she was third by 2 ½ lengths at odds of 9-1 in a 1 1/16-mile allowance against winners for the first time, then prevailed by a half-length as the favorite in a similar spot going one mile June 23.

Thegirlfromireland, 2-0 at Laurel, is a younger half-sister to another Shamrock homebred, Money’s Worth, who most recently ran third by 2 ¼ lengths to Coconut Cake in the Jameela, her turf stakes debut. Feargal Lynch will ride from Post 8.

“I think she’s improved quite a bit in the last month or two. She’s just sort of put it together, so this seemed like a good progression for her,” Motion said. “Her sister is similarly on the improve. I think it will be good for her. I think she probably handles further, but the distance is good and the course definitely suits her.”

Rounding out the field are Downtown Katie, second by a head in the 1 1/16-mile Maryland Million Turf Distaff Starter Handicap last fall; Milan Milosevic-trained stablemates Amplio Esquema, third by less than a length in the 2022 Maryland Million Ladies, and Chelichna; Dry Well, Except Temptation, Police Woman and Gold Digging Broad. Intrepid Daydream and She’sarollingstone are entered for main track only.

Bred by John Manfuso Sr., former owner of the Maryland Jockey Club, All Brandy was named Maryland’s champion 3-year-old filly of 1962 and would go on to win three stakes in 1963 including the Barbara Fritchie Handicap. All Brandy was also the granddam of Maryland’s 1981 champion 2-year-old colt A Magic Spray.