Laurel Futurity Attracts 33 Nominations

BALTIMORE – G Laurie, third in the Sept. 17 Natalma (G1) at Woodbine, and stakes winners Be Your Best, Chop Chop and Determined Jester are among 36 2-year-old fillies nominated to the $150,000 Selima Saturday, Oct. 1 at Laurel Park.

The Selima and $150,000 Laurel Futurity for 2-year-olds, both scheduled for 1 1/16 miles on the grass, co-headline a program featuring five stakes worth $575,000 on opening weekend of Laurel’s calendar year-ending fall meet.

Madaket Stables’ G Laurie, trained by Graham Motion, was a six-length debut winner going 1 1/16 miles on the turf at Colonial Downs Aug. 23 before heading to Canada for the one-mile Natalma, where she was beaten less than two lengths.

Be Your Best is undefeated through two starts for trainer Horacio DePaz, winning the P.G. Johnson Sept. 1 on the turf at Saratoga. Later that week, Chop Chop captured the Juvenile Fillies at Kentucky Downs and Determined Jester won the Rosies at Colonial Downs.

Trainer Chad Brown won the 2021 Selima with Consumer Spending, who would go on to be sixth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf (G1) and this year win the Memories of Silver and Wonder Again (G2). Brown nominated four horses this year including Free Look and Pink Hue, both 1 1/16-mile maiden special weight winners at Saratoga, and Tax Implications, a 6 ¾-length maiden special weight winner at Monmouth Park.

The Laurel Futurity attracted 33 nominations including Rarified Flair and Free Soul, respectively 2-3 in the Kitten’s Joy Sept. 6 at Colonial; Honed, second by a length in the Sept. 17 Iroquois (G3); Aug. 20 Soar Free runner-up Smoke Lighening; and Riccio, second in the restricted Dover Sept. 1 at Delaware.

Also nominated are Roan Burgundy, a professional maiden special weight winner in debut Sept. 17 at historic Pimlico Race Course for trainer Brittany Russell, and Lachaise, a maiden special weight winner Aug. 4 at Saratoga that is a half-brother to stakes winners Runaway Rumour and Myhartblongstodady.

Most popular among horsemen with 39 nominations was the $100,000 Japan Turf Cup for 3-year-olds and up going 1 ½ miles. Prominent among nominees are July 23 United Nations (G1) winner Adhamo, May 14 Man o’War (G1) winner Highland Chief, 2021 Turf Classic Invitational (G1) winner Rockemperor; multiple graded-stakes winner Admission Office; Next, 18 ¼-length winner of the Sept. 8 Cape Henlopen at Delaware Park; Vance Scholars (2022) and Indian Lake (2021), the past two winners of the Bald Eagle Derby in Maryland; and multiple Grade 1-placed Soldier Rising.

The $100,000 Twixt for fillies and mares 3 and up going about 1 1/16 miles drew 23 nominees including Acadian Girl and Intrepid Daydream, both riding three-race win streaks; Jan. 16 Ladies winner Battle Bling, runner-up in the July 9 Delaware Handicap (G2); Aug. 27 Timonium Distaff winner Breviary; multiple stakes winners Coach, Leader of the Band and Malibu Beauty; Hybrid Eclipse, winner of the July 2 Caesar’s Wish at Laurel; and fellow stakes winners Jilted Bride, Love in the Air, Music Amore and The Grass Is Blue.

Rounding out the Oct. 1 stakes action is $75,000 Challedon for 3-year-olds and up which have never won an open sweepstakes sprinting seven furlongs. Among the 32 nominees are Wudda U Think Now, a two-time New York-bred stakes winner that ran third in the Sept. 10 Lite the Fuse at Pimlico; Tappin Cat, a winner of two restricted stakes for Laurel trainer Gary Capuano; and stakes-placed Al Loves Josie, My Boy Tate, Wait for It and Youngest of Five.