Courageous Girl Possible for $150K Classic or $100K Distaff
2020 Classic Winner Monday Morning Qb Breezes Half-Mile
Jevian Toledo, Kieron Magee Post Saturday Doubles

BALTIMORE – A week out from the 37th Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program, several contenders tuned up with their final works Saturday at Laurel Park including 5-year-old mare Courageous Girl, under consideration for both the $150,000 Classic and $100,000 Distaff.

The Classic for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles, first run in 1986, has never been won by a filly or mare. The Distaff for females 3 and older is contested at seven furlongs.

“I nominated to both. I just want to take a look and see which one makes more sense for her. She’s kind of like in between the distances, seven furlongs and a mile and an eighth, so it just depends on trying to get a read on entries and what would be more logical for her,” trainer Horacio DePaz said. “But she’s doing well. I’m going to target her to one or the other.”

A New York-bred daughter of Bourbon Courage, who stands at Anchor & Hope farm in Port Deposit, Md., Courageous Girl breezed five furlongs in 1:02.20 over a fast main track, ranking 10th of 27 horses. She has been training steadily at Laurel since early September for her first race since capturing an entry-level optional claiming allowance July 21 at Delaware Park by 3 ½ lengths.

At one mile and 70 yards, it was the furthest Courageous Girl has gone in victory, with her other three wins coming at one mile. She has finished third or better in 15 of 28 career starts with $328,936 in purse earnings.

“The races weren’t going for her,” DePaz said of the recent layoff. “We were trying to put her back in that two-other-than [condition] hoping that the spacing would be right, and then the races that came up were too close, schedule-wise. We figured we’d just go ahead and take a shot at one of these races and then you can always come back to the two-other-than, depending on the outcome. She’s a hard tryer.”

Claimed for $35,000 last summer at Saratoga, Courageous Girl has yet to race against males and has run fourth in two prior tries at 1 1/8 miles, coming in back-to-back starts as a 3-year-old, also at Saratoga. Both times she ran behind Grade 3-winning future stablemate Sharp Starr.

“I did run her the seven furlongs at the beginning of the year here at Aqueduct in a New York-bred stake and she finished third. I ran Sharp Starr the same day a mile and an eighth, and I think if I had them flipped around she would have done a little better with the mile and an eighth,” DePaz said.

“We thought of the Maryland Million when we claimed her because she’s Maryland-sired. She’s always run in New York and against New York-bred competition, so we’ll see how she handles it,” he said.

Courageous Girl is seeking her first stakes victory. She has placed twice, running second in the 2020 Maddie May and third in the Jan. 2 La Verdad, both against New York-breds during Aqueduct’s winter meet.

“Most of the races where she’s run really well has pretty much been close to the lead or on the lead,” DePaz said. “That’s where she runs her best, I think.”

DePaz, 37, has never won a Maryland Million race. A foreman and exercise rider for Hall of Famer Todd Pletcher from 2006-10, he worked as an assistant to Ignacio Correas IV from 2011-15 before taking over as private trainer at historic Sagamore Farm in Glyndon, Md. DePaz began taking on other clients starting in 2018 and is now based in New York.

“I think we had a few Maryland-breds when I was with Sagamore that didn’t get in because of the preferences,” he said. “It would be great to run in Maryland Million.”

Other Classic contenders on Saturday’s work tab at Laurel included Norman ‘Lynn’ Cash-trained stablemates Monday Morning Qb and Double Crown. Monday Morning Qb, the 2020 Classic winner, had the fastest four-furlong work in 47.40 seconds, while multiple stakes winner and graded-stakes placed Double Crown went the same distance in 49.80. Benandjoe, also pre-entered for the Classic, was timed in 51.60.

Trainer Jerry Robb had a pair of his Distaff pre-entrants out Saturday morning, Bandits Warrior and Princess Kokachin. Stakes-placed Bandits Warrior went a half-mile in 47.80 seconds while Princess Kokachin, winner of the 2021 Politely against fellow Maryland-bred/sired horses last fall at Laurel, was clocked in 48.40 seconds, the second- and fourth-fastest times of the day.

Jose Corrales-owned and trained Air Token breezed four furlongs in 48.60 seconds as he prepares to defend his title in the $100,000 Sprint for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs. Among other Sprint pre-entrants out Saturday were stablemate Backnthewoods, third last out in the seven-furlong Challedon Oct. 1 at Laurel, and Alottahope. Also trained by Robb, Alottahope was a 15-length winner of the July 30 Star de Naskra at Laurel followed up by a 2 ¾-length triumph in the Robert S. Hilton Memorial Aug. 26 at Charles Town, both going seven furlongs.

Tiz No Clown, a June 25 maiden special weight winner at Laurel pointed to the $100,000 Nursery for 2-year-olds, worked a half-mile in 48 seconds, ranking third.

Notes: Jockey Jevian Toledo doubled Saturday aboard Mugsy Malone ($16.40) in Race 2 and Quick Tempo ($4) in Race 8 … Charlie Marquez visited the winner’s circle twice, with Gallant Gold ($12.20) in Race 6 and Southern Lad ($26.40) in Race 9 … Quick Tempo was the second of two winners for trainer Kieron Magee, following Crimson Rocket ($4) in Race 3 … Impressive Oct. 1 Laurel Futurity winner Congruent breezed five furlongs in 1:00.98 Saturday over a fast main track at Parx, seventh-fastest of 22 horses. Tami Bobo and Lugamo Racing Stables’ son of 2003 Laurel Futurity winner Tapit is under consideration for both the $2 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1) and $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf (G1) Nov. 4 at Keeneland … 10-pound apprentice Walter Rodriguez was taken for X-rays after being unseated when his mount, Divine Law, brushed the rail on the backstretch of Saturday’s second race. Divine Mount was unhurt and completed the race … R. Larry Johnson’s True Valour, a multiple graded-stakes winner whose most recent victory came in the April 23 King T. Leatherbury at Laurel following more than a year layoff, has been retired and will stand stud at Northview Stallion Station near Chesapeake City, Md.