Spring Meet Jockey, Trainer Titles Going Down to the Wire
Watch and Wager on Kentucky Derby, Oaks at Laurel Park

BALTIMORE – Super C Racing Inc.’s Classier, whose victory in an off-the-turf Henry S. Clark April 29 pushed his win streak to three races, could find himself back in against graded-stake company for his next start.

Trainer Kieron Magee said among the considerations for the 5-year-old Classier is the $100,000 Maryland Sprint (G3) for 3-year-olds and up going six furlongs May 20 on the undercard of the 148th Preakness Stakes (G1) at historic Pimlico Race Course.

“I might run him at Pimlico. I’m thinking the three-quarter race,” Magee said. “The way he ran the last 100 yards of the last race, I’m thinking of shortening him back up a little bit. He got just a little late the last part of it. He obviously had a breathing issue before that he had surgery for, so I’m thinking about shortening him up to three-quarters or seven-eighths. I wouldn’t go any shorter than that.”

Magee spent $40,000 to claim Classier out of a 2 ¾-length victory going six furlongs March 19 at Laurel. He later brought in Mike Coombs of Super C Racing as a partner and ran Classier back in a seven-furlong optional claiming allowance that he won by 5 ¼ lengths.

Last out, Classier was a main-track-only entrant in the one-mile Clark, a race where he led from start to finish, taking a four-length lead into the stretch and holding off late-running Yodel E. A. Who by 1 ¾ for his second career stakes win and first since the 1 1/8-mile Los Alamitos Derby (G3) in July 2021 for Hall of Fame trainer Bob Baffert.

“We just got lucky. It just worked out well,” Magee said of the Clark. “The weather was good for us. The horse that finished second, he looks like he needs a mile and a sixteenth. I thought he might be able to get to us, but it worked out perfect.”

By Empire Maker out of the Bernardini mare Class Will Tell, Classier fetched $775,000 as a yearling in September 2019 for a partnership led by SF Racing, Starlight Racing and Madaket Stables. He raced twice at 2, finishing eighth in the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile (G1), won one of three starts at 3, all in graded-stakes including a third in the Affirmed (G3), and had one race in nearly 12 months before returning Jan. 2 at Santa Anita. Following that race, the connections sent him east to trainer Brittany Russell.

“My wife was the one that picked him out,” Magee said. “We were going to do it for ourselves and when I got to the races I got scared so I called Super C and said, ‘You want to go partners on one?’ He took one look at him and said, ‘Hell yeah, I’m in.’ So we went partners on the horse, and it’s been fun. It’s definitely been fun.

“We made our money back, which is always nice,” he added. “You look back and coming off the breaks and everything, it was a gamble. But, you have to take a shot sometimes.”

Magee, who is approaching his 1,000th career training victory, has yet to win a graded-stakes. In his two starts since being claimed, Classier has earned $94,800.

“We’ve had some offers to sell him. I’m not going to do it,” Magee said. “He’s doing good right now. He doesn’t owe us anything. The rest of is gravy, as they say.”

Spring Meet Jockey, Trainer Titles Going Down to the Wire

The race for leading jockey and trainer will heat up as live racing returns to Laurel Park Thursday to kick off the final weekend of the spring meet.

Five-pound apprentice Axel Concepcion tops the jockey standings with 12 wins, one more than Jevian Toledo. Jaime Rodriguez, Jeiron Barbosa and seven-pound apprentice Luis Rivera Jr. are tied for third with seven wins apiece.

Concepcion won 21 races in his native Puerto Rico after turning pro Jan. 1, earning his first domestic victory Feb. 19 at Fair Grounds aboard Smokey Harbor. He made his Maryland debut Feb. 24 and picked up his first winner, Shinelikeadiamond, the next day at Laurel Park in his fifth U.S. mount.

Having turned 18 on March 16, Concepcion is attempting to follow in the footsteps of Barbosa, who won two riding titles last year in Maryland and was a finalist for the Eclipse Award as champion apprentice. Prior to Barbosa, the only apprentices in the past decade to win a meet title at Laurel were Yomar Ortiz (winter 2013) and Julio Correa (summer 2019). Correa was also an Eclipse finalist.

Concepcion has 44 wins from 227 mounts in the U.S. this year. He is named in five of eight races Thursday and five of nine races Friday at Laurel. Toledo, Maryland’s four-time overall leading rider including 2021 and 2022, is named in four races Thursday and five races Friday at Laurel.

Toledo earned his first career Grade 1 victory April 8 aboard Doppelganger in the Carter Handicap at Aqueduct. He won four of six starts April 22 at Laurel including three stakes – the Henry S. Clark with Classier, Native Dancer on Nimitz Class and Primonetta with Princess Kokachin.

Kieron Magee holds a 9-7 advantage over Hugh McMahon in the trainer standings with Jamie Ness sitting third with six wins. Both Magee, who sits 25 wins away from 1,000 for his career, and McMahon, who earned his 1,000th victory Nov. 22, 2020 at Laurel, have horses entered in three races Thursday and two Friday.

Magee, 62, is a native of Ireland that worked as an exercise rider for recently retired trainer Dale Capuano after coming to the U.S. Magee led all Maryland trainers in wins from 2014-2016 and owns or shares a total of nine meet titles at Laurel and historic Pimlico Race Course.

Laurel Park’s spring meet is scheduled to run through Sunday, May 7 before live racing moves to Pimlico for the 15-day Preakness Meet starting Thursday, May 11 and ending Sunday, June 4.

Watch and Wager on Kentucky Derby, Oaks at Laurel Park

In addition to its own live race programs, Laurel Park will be the place for fans to watch and wager on the Kentucky Oaks (G1) and Kentucky Derby (G1) this weekend from Churchill Downs.

The Oaks for 3-year-old fillies will take place Friday as Race 11 with a scheduled post time of 5:51 p.m. First post at Laurel is noon, and advance wagering will be offered for Churchill’s entire Derby Day card.

The Triple Crown series for 3-year-olds opens with Saturday’s Derby, which goes off as Churchill’s Race 12 with a post time of 6:57 p.m. Laurel will have a special 12:10 p.m. first post Saturday.

Laurel will open its doors at 10 a.m. both Friday and Saturday. Post time at Churchill is 10:30 a.m. both days.

The 148th Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown, will be run Saturday, May 20 at historic Pimlico Race Course. Preakness Eve marks the 99th running of the $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) for 3-year-old fillies.