Ellen Jay Chases Fourth Straight Win in $100,000 Safely Kept

BALTIMORE – Resolute Racing’s stakes winner Lucky Jeremy, Grade 3-placed while on the early Triple Crown trail, returns to the dirt for his first start in nearly three months in Saturday’s $100,000 City of Laurel at Laurel Park.

The 14th running of the City of Laurel for 3-year-olds and 34th renewal of the $100,000 Safely Kept for 3-year-old fillies, both sprinting seven furlongs, co-headline a nine-race Thanksgiving weekend program that begins at 12:25 p.m.

Lucky Jeremy, a gelded bay son of two-time champion Lookin At Lucky, will be racing for the fourth time since joining trainer Mike Maker in late spring. He ran sixth in the 1 1/16-mile Texas Derby May 27 at Lone Star, then was a front-running winner of the one-mile Caesars Handicap July 13 at Horseshoe Indianapolis in his turf debut.

Maker kept Lucky Jeremy on the grass for the Sept. 8 Gun Runner at Kentucky Downs, also going one mile, where he pressed the pace and got within a neck of the lead after six furlongs but tired to sixth behind subsequent Grade 3 winner Brilliant Berti.

“His first race for us we tried to run him further than he wants to go and it didn’t pan out. We got him to a mile the next time and he ran a good race to win the stake,” Maker said. “Last time I think the waters were a little too deep.”

Lucky Jeremy won the Riley Allison Derby and was third in the Sunland Derby (G3) at Sunland Park over the winter for previous trainer William Morey, then was off the board in the Jeff Ruby (G3) on Tapeta and Lexington (G3) at Keeneland before changing barns. Laurel will be his eighth track in 10 starts.

“He’s versatile. He can be on the lead if it’s there or sit back if it’s not,” Maker said. “Obviously it’s a big advantage when you can have a horse that can travel the way he has. We’re looking forward to it.”

Horacio Karamanos has the call on Lucky Jeremy, rated at 10-1 on the morning line in a field of 10, from the rail.

“There wasn’t anything really ideal out there for him. He handles both surfaces,” Maker said. “He’s a first-time gelding and I don’t think he can go more than a mile so we thought the distance suited him well, also.”

The narrow 5-2 program favorite is Linda Merritt homebred Love Me Tender, a winner of his first two starts sprinting at Colonial Downs for trainer Michael Trombetta that exits a fifth-place finish, beaten less than three lengths, in the Keeneland’s seven-furlong Perryville (G3) Oct. 19 at odds of 55-1.

Second choice at 3-1 is Morris Kernan and Jagger Inc.’s stakes winner Speedyness, who returned from nearly five months away to register a front-running optional claiming allowance triumph going 1 1/16 miles Nov. 15 at Laurel in his first try against older horses. All six of his wins have come at Laurel, including the Feb. 24 Miracle Wood, and he ran third in the Private Terms and second in the Federico Tesio behind Copper Tax, beaten less than a length combined.

“Everything went perfect last time. We gave him the time off [and] the race came up right when he was about ready,” trainer Jamie Ness said. “As a trainer you always think they’re going to come up a little short and sometimes you’re wrong. He drew the rail, he’s got speed and he lived up to his name. He’s just got a high cruising speed and he can carry it.”

Jaime Rodriguez has the call on Speedyness from Post 9, outside all but fellow stakes winner Circle P.

“This race really wasn’t on my radar but I don’t really have anything else for at least another month. He’s Maryland-bred, it’s in Maryland, let’s go,” Ness said. “I’m a little reluctant to go seven furlongs. I think cutting back is not his thing but it’s a 3-year-old race, he’s 3 and there isn’t going to be many more of them. We drew a good outside post, so let’s do it.”

Lewis Family Racing Stable’s Celtic Contender takes a two-race win streak into the City of Laurel, both over older horses, the most recent a determined half-length triumph in the six-furlong Maryland Million Sprint Oct. 19. Rated at 6-1 on the morning line, the Irish War Cry colt breaks from Post 8 with Victor Carrasco.

“He’s doing well. I like the post for him and everything. He’s been training good and I’m looking for him to run his race. If he does, I think he’s got a good shot,” trainer Hamilton Smith said. “He’s a pretty damn nice 3-year-old. You’ve got to perform and see what happens. He’s coming into the race good and I expect him to run good.”

Winterfell is a $400,000 son of champion Arrogate that has won two straight races since joining fall meet-leading trainer Brittany Russell and is entered to make his stakes debut. Stakes-placed Had to Have Him, Play Like a Raven, Petingas Twin and Deposition complete the field.

Ellen Jay Chases Fourth Straight Win in $100,000 Safely Kept

LNJ Foxwoods’ Ellen Jay, riding a three-race win streak, looks to make it four in a row and two straight in a stakes heading a field of 10 in the $100,000 Safely Kept for 3-year-old fillies Saturday at Laurel Park.

Ellen Jay went unraced at 2, made her debut May 24 and faced older horses in each of her first four starts, graduating in a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight July 15 at Ellis Park in her turf debut.

The bay daughter of Constitution remained on turf for her last two races, capturing an open allowance by 5 ¾ lengths Aug. 10 at Ellis and returning from a brief freshening to win the six-furlong Glen Cove against her own age group Oct. 18 at Aqueduct. Junior Alvarado is named to ride from the rail.

Favored at 2-1 on the morning line is Sonata Stable’s Dazzling Move, who returns to face 3-year-old fillies after back-to-back races with older horses. Bred in Ontario, the Not This Time filly won a one-mile allowance Sept. 28 at Laurel, where she is a perfect 2-0 for trainer Michael Trombetta, and was second at odds of 16-1 in the seven-furlong Pumpkin Pie Nov. 3 at Aqueduct.

Mens Grille Racing’s Roanan Goddess makes her return to action for the first time since finishing third, beaten a length, in Laurel’s six-furlong Weather Vane Sept. 22. This will be the ninth straight stakes start for the Leofric filly, including other Laurel victories in the Jan. 27 Xtra Heat and Aug. 4 Searching.

“Roanan Goddess is doing fine from a training aspect. She worked real good here last week and she looks good,” trainer Hamilton Smith said. “The competition is pretty tough. The race came up pretty strong, I thought, so she’ll have to run her best to be able to participate in that one. But, we’re going to take a shot at it anyway and see how good we can do.”

J.G. Torrealba gets the call for the fourth straight race. Third or better in six of eight career starts at Laurel, Roanan Goddess breaks from Post 4.

“She tries all the time, I’ll give her credit for that,” Smith said. “It did come up tougher than I expected but that’s all right. Stakes are supposed to be tough. She’s done good for us and we’re proud of her. We’ll see how much speed is in there and how we want to have her run and hope for the best.”

Looking for her first stakes win after running second in three previous tries is Sheilahs Warcloud, a daughter of Madefromlucky co-bred, owned and trained by Justin Nixon. Out of the Sky Mesa mare Sky Lani, she closed her 2-year-old campaign as runner-up in the Maryland Million Lassie and Maryland Juvenile Filly, did not make her sophomore debut until Aug. 31 and last out was beaten less than a length by multiple stakes winner Foxy Junior in the Maryland Million Distaff.

“It was a tough beat but she got beat by an awful good horse. She got close and was making a run at her and that mare came back to win the Thirty Eight Go Go, so that kind of flattered the performance. Hopefully we can build on that a little bit and get the job done,” Nixon said.

“Her last two starts were against older horses. This is kind of her last chance to run against straight 3-year-old fillies so we thought we’d give it a whirl at a distance where she’s been running,” he added. “I think ultimately she’d like to go a little further but I’m not concerned about seven-eighths. She’s been running pretty solid her last two going seven-eighths so we don’t need to get too creative.”

Kissedbyanangel, winner of the 2023 Maryland Juvenile Filly and placed in three other stakes; Discreet Ops, third in the May 17 Miss Preakness (G3); Don’t Tell Kelly, Home Game, Goodnightgodbless and Ringy Dingy are also entered.

The Safely Kept honors the champion sprinter of 1989 and member of the National Museum of Racing’s Hall of Fame Class of 2011. The daughter of longtime Maryland sire Horatius was the first sprinter to top $2 million in earnings, the first Maryland-bred to win a Breeders’ Cup race in the 1990 Sprint (G1), a four-time Maryland-bred champion including Horse of the Year twice (1989,1990) and is one of only seven horses to win three Maryland Million races. She won 24 races, 22 in stakes, from 31 lifetime starts.