Cynergy’s Electra Looks to Break Maiden in Maryland Juvenile Fillies
2YO Filly Liquidator Takes Momentum into Saturday’s Stakes Debut
Barbosa Triples Friday; Rainbow 6, Late Pick 5 Carryovers Saturday

BALTIMORE – With more than 2,100 career wins to his credit, Hamilton Smith has a track record of success in late-season 2-year-old stakes that the 77-year-old trainer hopes to continue Saturday at Laurel Park.

Smith will send out Feeling Woozy in the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile and Gormley’s Gabriela in the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Fillies, both seven-furlong sprints restricted to Maryland-bred/sired horses.

Post time for the first of nine races is 12:05 p.m.

Feeling Woozy, also owned by Smith, enters the Juvenile off a front-running four-length maiden special weight triumph Nov. 20 at Laurel going seven furlongs. It was his fourth career start and came on the heels of back-to-back runner-up finishes in similar spots 21 days apart in October.

“He’s just coming around to himself. He ran some good races earlier and ran against some pretty nice maidens, but his last race was by far his best,” Smith said. “He won pretty handily. I think we’ll have him off the pace a little bit. It looks like there’s two or three horses in there that have a little bit of speed so he should be lying back probably fourth early and make his run.”

Smith won the Juvenile in 2016 with Great Bullsooffire. Feeling Woozy, by multiple graded stakes winning millionaire Irish War Cry, drew outermost Post 7 under regular rider Angel Cruz.

“I like the post,” Smith said. “It’s a good place to be.”

The even-money favorite in the Juvenile is Hillwood Stable’s Post Time, undefeated through two starts for fall meet leading trainer Brittany Russell, with Eric Camacho riding from the rail. Also entered is Maryland Million Nursery winner Johnyz From Albany.

Smith will be going for his second straight victory in the Juvenile Fillies and sixth overall with JoAnn Smith’s Gormley’s Gabriela. The bay daughter of Grade 1-winning millionaire Gormley has two wins from five starts – a 1 ¼-length maiden claiming triumph second time out July 15 and an optional claiming allowance victory Sept. 30 where he was elevated following the disqualification of first-place finisher Tappin Josie.

Most recently, Gormley’s Gabriela ran a troubled third in the six-furlong Smart Halo Nov. 12 at Laurel, beaten 6 ¾ by Twice as Sweet though just a neck behind runner-up Miss Georgie.

“She had a little bit of a rough trip, but she’s a come-from-behind filly, anyway, and once she got clear she was running real well at the end,” Smith said. “I think she’ll love seven furlongs, even further for that matter. Same scenario, she’ll probably be lying about mid-pack and make a run the latter part of it.”

Smith previously won the Juvenile Fillies with Gin Talking (1999), True Sensation (2001), Pour It On (2003), Money Fromheaven (2018) and Luna Belle (2021).

Cynergy’s Electra Looks to Break Maiden in Maryland Juvenile Fillies

Bonuccelli Racing’s 2-year-old filly Cynergy’s Electra, beaten a neck in her third and most recent start, chases her first career victory Saturday’s $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Fillies.

Trained by Kenny Cox, Cynergy’s Electra closed to be third behind well-backed Pharoahs Baby Gyal in debut, a 5 ½-furlong maiden special weight that was rained off the turf to a good main track. A rallying fourth to Chickieness in the Maryland Million Lassie Oct. 22, she came up just short as the favorite in a seven-furlong maiden claimer Nov. 6.

“We took the Maryland Million, we hoped she could get into that. We liked her going into that spot. We were closing and finished a really good fourth that day,” Cox said. “[We] just always thought this would be the next good spot for her. We hoped she would have broken her maiden the start before but it just didn’t work out, so we’re going to still go with the plan.”

By Madefromlucky out of the Dixie Union mare Smooth Talking, Cynergy’s Electra is a younger half-sister to 2021 Timonium Juvenile winner Cynergy’s Star, also trained by Cox. She will break from outermost Post 11 with Jevian Toledo aboard.

“Love the outside post with this filly going seven-eighths,” Cox said. “The owner said to me all we can hope for is to draw an outside post, and I thought that was going to be the jinx that we draw the one hole, but we came out with it and that was exactly the spot we wanted to be. That way we can be where we want to and hopefully get a good trip.”

Cynergy’s Electra is 12-1 on the morning line and will face familiar foes in Chickieness, the 5-2 program favorite, Skylar’s Sister and Bosserati – the 1-2-3 finishers in the Lassie – and Fast Tracked, who beat her last out.

“I think it’s a very wide-open race. I like that the horse that beat me a head last time, Fast Tracked, will have some speed to maybe soften [her] up for us,” Cox said. “The one hole was drawn by another horse that shows speed [Malibu Moonshine], so I’m hoping that will just keep those horses buried down in there and maybe get in a little speed duel and set it up for one of the closers like me on the outside.”

2YO Filly Liquidator Takes Momentum into Saturday’s Stakes Debut

Not the 1 Stable Inc.’s Liquidator, on the improve with wins in two of her last three starts, aims to keep the momentum going when she makes her stakes debut in Saturday’s $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Fillies.

Bred by Country Life Farm/Stone LLC, Liquidator was off the board in each of her first two races this summer, both against maiden special weight company, including a fifth in the slop Sept. 11 at Pimlico to Malibu Moonshine, who also returns in the Juvenile Fillies.

Back at Laurel, she splashed to a 5 ¼-length maiden claiming win over a wet track third time out then found some early trouble before winding up fourth in a $40,000 claimer Nov. 7. Most recently, she dug in through the stretch to prevail by three-quarters of a length in a similar spot last time out.

“I think it helped when we dropped her down to the $20,000 [level] the first time. That gave her a little better chance up against some horses that she could compete with, and the seven-eighths seems like it’s helping her,” trainer Linda Albert said. “Even when she got beat a couple races ago, she showed a lot more energy early in the race. She’s coming around a little bit.”

Liquidator, whose sire, Divining Rod, ran third to Triple Crown champion American Pharoah in the 2015 Preakness (G1), wheels back in just eight days for the Juvenile Fillies.

“When we won the other day, I reminded myself that I had nominated for this stake. I just put her in because it doesn’t cost anything, and then I said let me go see when it is – ‘Oh, it’s next week,’” Albert said. “Well, she can do this. She’s a sturdy little horse, so she’s good. We’re excited about it.”

Liquidator drew Post 6 in a field of 11 for the Juvenile Fillies under jockey Tais Lyapustina, who has ridden the granddaughter of three-time Grade 1-winning multi-millionaire Peace Rules in each of her first five starts.

“It’s been a joy, actually from the first time I rode her,” Lyapustina said. “She’s really matured since then. She gets better with every race, learning every time she runs. It’s been very nice and I’ve been very fortunate to be on her. I’m grateful I can ride her in this race.”

Notes: Trainer Hugh McMahon swept the early daily double Friday with Stimulus Maker ($8.80) in Race 1 and Johnnyfrenchfri ($5.80) in Race 2. McMahon will send out SAB Stable Inc.’s Rowsie Express first off the claim in Saturday’s Maryland Juvenile Fillies … Johnnyfrenchfri was the first of three winners for apprentice Jeiron Barbosa, followed by Lunar Ice ($8.40) in Race 7 and Italian Dressing ($16) in Race 8 … Fellow apprentice William Humphrey doubled with Our Hoisted Mast ($9.40) in Race 4 and Blameitonthefun ($15) in Race 9 … Jockey Sheldon Russell, out since being unseated Nov. 19 at Laurel, returned to run a closing second behind 13-1 long shot Blaze On ($28.80) with betting favorite Ella Victorina in Race 5, a 5 ½-furlong maiden claimer for 2-year-old fillies. Russell is named again in two of nine races Sunday … There will be carryovers of $12,306.04 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 4-9) and $5,270.06 in the 50-cent Late Pick 5 (Races 5-9) Saturday. Tickets with four of six winners in Friday’s Rainbow 6 paid $138.52, while those with four of five winners in the Late Pick 5 were worth $19.05.