Sunday Marks Return of Sharp Debut Winner Mo Money Mo Honey
Laurel Concludes Penultimate Weekend With Eight Races Sunday

BALTIMORE – Standout 3-year-old filly Luna Belle returned to the work tab Saturday morning at Laurel Park for the first time since having her five-stakes win streak snapped in the May 20 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) at historic Pimlico Race Course.

Campaigned by Deborah Greene and trainer Hamilton Smith and bred by Smith, Greene and her late father, Fred Greene Jr., Luna Belle went three furlongs in 37.60 seconds over a fast main track with regular exercise rider James ‘Bobo’ Brigmon up.

“That was her first work so we just let her go along pretty easy, three-eighths of a mile, and see how she handled it,” Smith said. “She did everything fine. The [rider] said she felt good underneath him so we’ll pick her up from here, I guess, and keep going.”

Maryland’s champion 2-year-old filly of 2021, Luna Belle returned to Smith’s barn last month after getting a well-deserved vacation at Chanceland Farm in West Friendship, Md., owned and operated by fellow Laurel trainer Katy Voss.

Luna Belle debuted last July and took three tries to break her maiden, racing at least once a month leading up to her graded debut in the Black-Eyed Susan, her first loss as a 3-year-old.

“I’ve had her back well over a month,” Smith said. “She got turned out for about a month. She looks like she’s about the same size. I didn’t see that she’d grown much but she was able to just relax and be a horse for a change. It looked like she handled it all right.”

By Great Notion out of the Mojave Moon mare Heavenly Moon, Luna Belle capped her championship season with a win in the Maryland Juvenile Fillies and strung together victories in the Xtra Heat, Wide Country, Beyond the Wire and Weber City Miss – all at Laurel at progressively longer distances – the latter earning her an automatic berth in the Black-Eyed Susan.

“Hopefully everything will hold together and she’ll come back as good as she was the first part of the year,” Smith said. “We’d be in pretty good shape if that’s the case.”

The connections don’t have a target race in mind for Luna Belle’s return. She was fourth in the Maryland Million Lassie last fall, and the 37th Jim McKay Maryland Million program is scheduled for October 22 at Laurel.

“I’m just playing it week by week and see how she does. If she progresses strong enough, I can better tell in a couple weeks what’s happening in that respect,” Smith said. “Everybody’s happy.”

Sunday Marks Return of Sharp Debut Winner Mo Money Mo Honey

Robin Doser and Metropolitan Thoroughbreds’ 3-year-old colt Mo Money Mo Honey, impressive in his debut triumph last month, will face several new challenges when he returns in Sunday’s feature at Laurel Park.

Mo Money Mo Honey drew outside Post 6 and is the narrow 5-2 program favorite in Race 7, an entry-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up sprinting six furlongs. The son of champion Uncle Mo raced at 5 ½ furlongs in his July 16 unveiling at Laurel, and will be facing winners and his elders for the first time. His five rivals have combined for 91 previous starts.

“He’s got to go up against the older horses this time,” trainer Ben Feliciano Jr. said. “I would have liked to have one more straight 3-year-old a-other-than. You look at the race and you see how much experience all the other horses have, and we’ve run only the one time. On the other hand, talent-wise I think he’s just going to take off and go again. I don’t even think [the rider] asked him last time. He might have to ask him a little bit more this time but, talent-wise, I think he’ll be fine.”

Jockey Horacio Karamanos rides back after Mo Money Mo Honey was a step slow breaking from the rail in his unveiling but quickly assumed command and went on to a popular front-running six-length triumph in 1:04.62.

“It’s funny you look and he’s favored, but the other horses have the better numbers,” Feliciano said. “He’s just 3 and he’s going to have to step it up, and that’s no easy task. The horses that are in there are OK. There is some speed in there, but what I love is we did draw the outside post. Last time we were inside and didn’t break too good.”

The only other 3-year-old in the field is Rominski, winless in four tries since capturing a maiden claimer in debut last November. Magic Mule, a 5-year-old veteran of 28 starts, has been no worse than fourth in five of six starts for ex-jockey Kerry Hohlbein, seeking her first win as a trainer. Three of those losses have come by two or fewer lengths, including a neck defeat when second to next-out winner Shacks Way in a six-furlong allowance May 21 on the undercard of the 147th Preakness (G1) at historic Pimlico Race Course.

Mo Money Mo Honey has one timed work since his maiden special weight victory, a five-furlong move in 1:01.80 August 4 at Laurel.

“We breezed him about eight days ago and he breezed great again, nice and easy, nothing spectacular,” Feliciano said, “just something to keep him moving forward.”

Notes: Jockey Carlos Lopez and trainer Dale Capuano teamed up for two winners Saturday, Drive By Layover ($3.80) in Race 3 and Stay Out ($13) in Race 5 … Jockey William Humphrey and owner-trainer Norman ‘Lynn’ Cash also doubled together with Nathan Detroit ($17.80) in Race 6 and Eastern Bay ($13.20) in Race 9 … Jockey Horacio Karamanos visited the winner’s circle twice on Papal Law ($26.40) in Race 4 and Evangeline Allons ($4.20) in Race 8 … Built Wright Stables’ Nathan Detroit, third in the 2020 Bourbon (G3), went from last to first to run down four-time stakes-placed Cannon’s Roar and win the third-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up in 1:44.37 for 1 1/16 miles over a Bowl Game turf course rated good. Also in the field were 2021 Transylvania (G3) winner Scarlett Sky racing first time since April 2 for Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey, June 19 Find winner Nick Papagiorgio, 2019 Howard County winner So Street and Summer to Remember, third in the 2020 Kitten’s Joy (G3) at Gulfstream Park … Eastern Bay powered through the stretch to earn his 17th lifetime victory in the third-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up, going six furlongs in 1:09.42 over a fast main track and defeating stablemate Kadri, fellow stakes winners Karan’s Notion and Alwaysinahurry and favorite Yodel E.A. Who. The 8-year-old gelding won the Polynesian and was second by a nose in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) in 2020 … Jockey J.D. Acosta was unseated when his mount, Pensively, appeared to clip heels leaving the far turn of Saturday’s Race 10 finale. Acosta walked off under his own power … The penultimate weekend of Laurel’s summer meet wraps up with a live eight-race program Sunday starting at 12:40 p.m.