Piece of Cake in $125,000 Ladies

BALTIMORE – R. Larry Johnson and RDM Racing Stable’s Sky’s Not Falling, making just his second start of the year, raced near the lead approaching the stretch before taking over the top spot and holding off Rock the Boat through the lane for a half-length victory in Saturday’s $100,000 Maryland Million Turf Sprint.

The 5 ½-furlong Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds and up was the first of three grass stakes on the 37th Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program of eight stakes and four starter stakes on ‘Maryland’s Day at the Races’ celebrating the progeny of stallions standing in the state.

Also on the grass were the $125,000 Turf for 3-year-olds and up and $125,000 Ladies for fillies and mares 3 and older, both at 1 1/8 miles. Serving as the headliner was the $150,000 Classic for 3-year-olds and up going nine furlongs on the main track.

With Paco Lopez subbing for jockey Victor Carrasco, injured in a spill Friday, Sky’s Not Falling completed the distance in 1:02.75 over a firm All Along Turf Course to avenge his 1 ½-length defeat in last year’s Turf Sprint to Grateful Bred. Favored at 3-5 to defend his title, Grateful Bred got squeezed back out of the gate and raced near the back of the pack before finishing a non-threatening fifth.

“Michael he told me he’s a nice horse and put him right there,” Lopez said. “The favorite was outside of me. I don’t know what happened to the favorite, if he stumbled in the gate at the break. Around the three-eighths [pole] I figured [I] was in a little tight and took him to the middle. This is a little longer straight. I move a little early, but this is a nice horse and he made it to the wire.”

Sky’s Not Falling broke sharply but was outrun for the lead by Boss Man JJ and Cynergy’s Star, who raced together through a quarter-mile in 21.12 seconds as Sky’s Not Falling settled in third. Cynergy’s Star began to drop back as Lopez shifted off the rail into second midway around the turn, ranged up on Boss Man JJ and edged past once straightened for home for the long run to the second wire.

“That wire has been my enemy for quite some time,” Trombetta said. “It usually winds up hurting you more than it helps you.”

Rock the Boat was a clear second, 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Showtime Cat, who edged Cynergy’s Star by a neck for third. They were followed by Grateful Bred, Boss Man JJ, Pickin Sea Glass and Island Philo. Maryland-breds Can the Queen, Justwaveandsmile, B Determined, Monster Mason and Where Paradise Lay were scratched.

Sky’s Not Falling had two wins and four seconds from nine starts in 2021, but went to the sidelines over the winter after ending his sophomore season running second in an optional claiming allowance at Laurel. He returned 10 months later in the Sept. 24 Laurel Dash at historic Pimlico Race Course, running last of seven.

“He wasn’t quite screwed down tight enough to compete at that level against those horses, but this was the obvious call. We wanted to get this one in,” Trombetta said. “We brought him in here in February and out of nowhere he popped a really nasty shin splint that just needed time. I figured, ‘Gosh, this is going to be tough. We got him going in enough time to at least get the one race. I would have loved to have had two, but there just wasn’t enough time.

“He hasn’t missed much since he’s been back at it pretty good here. I knew the race at Pimlico he had no chance. We told Victor to try to make the best of it and do the best you can,” he added. “They scooted away from him and he chased them all the way around and that was about all that we could get. I would have loved to have another one, but maybe it was better I didn’t.”

It was the second Maryland Million win for Lopez, who captured the 2019 Classic with Forest Fire. Trombetta moved into a tie with Hall of Fame horseman King T. Leatherbury for second all-time with his 10th Maryland Million victory.

Piece of Cake in $125,000 Ladies

Coconut Cake, nearly two years since she last visited the winner’s circle, held off a game Double Fireball to win the $125,000 Maryland Million Ladies by a head. It was three-quarters of a length to Amplio Esquema in third.

A 5-year-old mare by Bandbox, Coconut Cake has been competitive from five furlongs to Saturday’s 1 1/8-mile distance, but she hadn’t won since Dec. 31 of 2020. But the gray mare had competed during that time in nine stakes races and had been close a number of times, including a third-place finish in the All Brandy and a fourth-place finish in her last start in July in the Big Dreyfus.

Despite the lack of winner’s circle photos, trainer Tim Keefe never lost confidence in her ability.

“My biggest concern was figuring out what she liked,” Keefe said. “She’s such a racehorse and tries every time I’ve run her. She’s won short, long, dirt and turf. I finally come to the realization her preference is running long on the grass, and that’s what I’ve tried to focus on.”

Jockey Sheldon Russell, who picked up the mount when regular rider Kevin Gomez was injured Friday, said he got the perfect trip.

“She broke and she put me in a great spot. I knew going around the first turn, she was just traveling so smoothly,” Russell said. “I was able to just tuck her behind and around the second turn she was really eager…If anything, I just jumped on her at the top of the stretch, and she just battled; fair play to her. She was well-prepared.

“I feel very bad for Kevin Gomez. This one is for him. I’ll make sure to take care of him and give him 50 percent of the purse because he’s done all the work with her. Today, I just got lucky to ride her.”

Coconut Cake covered the firm course in 1:50.22

Wicked Prankster Wins $125,000 Turf

Wicked Prankster, who raced six days earlier after coming off a three-month layoff, led gate-to-wire to win Saturday’s $125,000 Turf over Street Copper.

Owned and trained by Samuel Davis, Wicked Prankster, a 4-year-old gelding by Mosler, covered the firm 1 1/8-mile course in 1:49.44 under jockey Richard Monterrey. The gelding had won at a mile over a good turf course Oct. 16 at Laurel after having last raced in July.

The gelding set fractions of :23.42, :48.28 and 1:11.91 Saturday while being pressed a bit down the backstretch and around the turn by Nick Papagiorgio and then Crabs N Beer.

“I figured a week would not hurt him [between races],” Davis said. “Instead of breezing him last week we would run him and just get ready for this race.”