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BALTIMORE – South Branch Equine homebred Who’s Counting, twice stakes-placed over hurdles, looks to make the successful transition to the flat for the second time in seven weeks in Sunday’s allowance feature at Laurel Park.

The open entry-level event for 3-year-olds and up, scheduled for one mile on the Kelso turf course, is carded ninth on a 10-race program that begins at 12:25 p.m. Post time for Race 9 is 4:38 p.m.

Based at Maple Springs Farm in Monkton, Md. with trainer and steeplechase rider Sean McDermott, Who’s Counting did not start at 2 and raced his entire 3-year-old campaign on the flat with one win from seven starts, a one-mile maiden claimer over elders on the Laurel turf.

Last year Who’s Counting raced primarily over jumps with two wins from five tries and seconds in the Sport of Kings at Great Meadow and Harry E. Harris Hurdle at Far Hills, both going 2 1/8 miles. He ran twice on the flat, finishing second in a 1 3/8-mile allowance at Laurel last June before a subsequent victory going a mile at Colonial Downs.

Who’s Counting opened his 5-year-old campaign running fourth in the April 1 Carolina Cup Hurdle at Camden, winning by a length four weeks later at Laurel in a 1 1/16-mile allowance for Maryland-bred/sired horses.

While each of his recent flat starts have come on firm turf, Who’s Counting has done well over soft, good and yielding courses while racing over flats. Rain has led the Laurel turf to be rated good Friday and Saturday.

“It won’t bother him. It’ll actually help him a little bit, adding a little bit more stamina into the race. If everything goes as planned, he’ll be hard to beat,” McDermott said. “He's a very cool horse. He tries very hard. Everybody loves him in the barn. He’s very honest. He always runs his race. He wants distance but he’ll give his all at a mile anyway.”

McDermott, a 40-year-old native of County Kerry in Ireland, earned his first career training victory July 26, 2021 at Laurel with Favorite Image. He has more than 100 wins riding steeplechase in Europe, Australia and America and has been up for each of Who’s Counting’s jump races. Depending on the horse, he has no qualms alternating flats and hurdles.

“I’ve done that with a few horses. It’s no big deal, really. People I guess over here don’t do it as much,” McDermott said. “It’s just key to keep them nice and fresh between racing and don’t overdo it. With the jumping schedule and the flat schedule, I try to blend the two in. At the track we know we can be off the turf so quickly, I guess it helps to have a horse like that where I can just flick him across to a hurdle race around the same time so I’m getting a run in.

“Some of these hurdle races are so competitive now. You’ve got Group 2 or some Grade 1 flat horses coming in. You can bump into them in a maiden hurdle, and it’s actually sometimes easier on the flat,” he added. “It’s cool to have the option and try and utilize it to make the most prize money we can for his owner.”

Who’s Counting was entered to run at Delaware Park when the track was forced to close June 7 and 8 due to air quality concerns stemming from the wildfires in eastern Canada. He drew Post 7 in an overflow field of 12 under jockey Victor Carrasco and topweight of 126 pounds, and is the 3-1 second choice on the morning line behind Wish Me Home (5-2), twice stakes placed and racing first off the claim for Maryland’s leading trainer, Brittany Russell.

Among other contenders are 3-year-old Libraryofcongress, a waiver maiden claiming winner going 1 1/8 miles on the grass May 26 at historic Pimlico Race Course in his first race on grass and against elders; and stakes-placed No One to Blame, making his first start in 21 ½ months.

“Hopefully things go well and it’ll open things up for him down the line,” McDermott said. “Maybe we’ll even keep him on the flat a bit longer.”

McDermott continues to combine training and riding, and often uses a hybrid method of flat and jump workouts to keep the horses fresh. Who’s Counting is his lone win from just 16 flat starters this year.

“I should be riding more but I’m just so busy with the horses we have in training I can’t seem to do both, logistically. I still ride the bigger races when I can,” McDermott said. “[Who’s Counting] really loves to jump. Sometimes horses get bored with the mundane training so we try to keep it a little bit different here on the farm every day.

“One thing he loves to do is jump school. Sometimes, as crazy as it sounds, maybe four or five days before a race I’ll just let him pop over a hurdles and it’s like Christmas morning to him,” he added. “He gets so excited, he’ll be bucking and playing. He loves it, and he comes out with a pep in his step. It seems to work for him.”

By Group 1-winning Australian millionaire Vancouver out of the Henrythenavigator mare Counter Measure, Who’s Counting was bred to be sold but has turned out to be a pleasant surprise for the connections.

“He’s an overachiever. He’s bred cheap. He went unsold for $14,000, I believe, before he came to us. He was kind of overlooked most of his life,” McDermott said. “All these horses were for sale at one stage, and he was one of the ones that didn’t sell for the owner. We had to race what was left. Nobody put their hand up for him, but certainly plenty of people want him now, I think, for a jumping career.”

Notes: Five-pound apprentice Axel Concepcion rode back-to-back winners Saturday, Summer Silence ($11.80) in Race 2 and Dancer’s Melody ($5.40) in Race 3 … Jockey Victor Carrasco matched him aboard Bourbon Ready ($4.60) in Race 4 and Charge to Victory ($20) in Race 5 … Michael Dubb and Michael Caruso’s stakes winner Doctor Jeff ($6) led from start to finish and turned back a late bid from 2022 Maryland Million Turf runner-up Street Copper, making his 8-year-old debut, in Saturday’s Race 8 feature, a second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs on a Fort Marcy turf course rated good. The winning time was 1:09.08 … Morris Kernan and Jagger Inc.’s Eldest Son ($3.60), fourth by two lengths in the April 18 Federico Tesio, reeled in stakes-placed pacesetter Feeling Woozy in the shadow of the wire to win Race 9, an optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up, in 1:45.98 for about 1 1/16 miles on the main track … There will be carryovers of $8,581.43 in the $1 Jackpot Super High Five (Race 6) and $8,345.88 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 5-10) for Sunday’s 10-race card. Tickets with five of six winners Saturday were each worth $82.10.