Karamanos Extended Win Streak to Five with Emotional Victory
Rainbow 6 Carryover for Saturday’s Live Nine-Race Program
De Francis Day Stakes July 29 to Feature Tacos and Tequila

BALTIMORE – Frank Sample’s Zabracadabra tracked multiple stakes winners Cordmaker and Ournationonparade into the far turn before sweeping past both and going on to a popular 3 ½-length victory in Friday’s stakes-level allowance feature at Laurel Park.

It was the second straight win, third in five starts this year and eighth overall for 6-year-old Zabracadabra ($4.20), who captured the open allowance for 3-year-olds and up in 1:44.71 for 1 1/16 miles over a main track rated good.

“He’s an amazing horse. He does everything by himself,” winning jockey Carlos Lopez said. “You just point him in the right direction, and he does it.”

Breaking from the inside post following early scratches of Yodel E.A. Who and Vance Scholars, Zabracadabra settled in the clear in third as 8-year-old millionaire Cordmaker was eager for the lead under Victor Carrasco and pressed by 2022 Maryland Million Classic winner Ournationonparade through a quarter-mile in 24.81 seconds and a half in 49.54.

Making his 39th career start and first in 224 days, Cordmaker – a 10-time stakes winner including the 2022 General George (G3) at Laurel – began to tire as Zabracadabra moved to even terms with Ournationonparade midway around the turn. Zabracadabra straightened for home in front and extended his lead through the final furlong, while Ournationonparade held on for second by a length over stakes winner Everett’s Song, who passed Cordmaker late for third. American d’Oro completed the field.

Lopez has ridden Zabracadabra in six of his last seven starts for trainer Gary Capuano, with four wins and two seconds. Bred in Washington state, the gelding now has six wins and five seconds in 14 races at Laurel.

“The trainer told me, ‘Carlos, you know what to do. You’ve done a good job with the horse,’” Lopez said. “It had been a long time for [Cordmaker]. He hadn’t raced in eight months, so maybe he was not yet 100 percent.”

Rainbow 6 Carryover for Saturday’s Live Nine-Race Program

While the $1 Jackpot Super High Five was solved Friday by one lucky bettor for a $13,884.20 payout, there will be a carryover of $17,384.72 in the 20-cent Rainbow 6 for Saturday’s live nine-race program at Laurel Park.

First race post time is 12:25 p.m.

The Rainbow 6 spans Races 4-9 and includes the Saturday feature in Race 8, a third-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up going about 1 1/16 miles on the main track. The 2-1 program favorite is Built Wright Stable’s Galerio, a 7-year-old gelding that won the 2022 John B. Campbell at Laurel and has placed in eight other stakes including the 2021 Salvator Mile (G3). Galerio is 10-for-41 lifetime and has been first or second in 22 of 30 starts at Laurel, eight of them wins.

Also entered are Southern District, fourth to Elite Power in the 2022 Vosburgh (G2) now trained by Horacio DePaz; Yodel E.A. Who, placed in four Laurel stakes this year including runner-up behind Eastern Bay in the Feb. 18 General George (G3); All Threes, a winner of his last two starts at Laurel, each going one mile; Highway Bound, racing first time for Monmouth Park-based trainer Kelly Breen; and Wish for Peace.

Race 7 is a maiden special weight for horses ages 3, 4 and 5 scheduled for one mile over the All Along turf course that drew 12 entries, two for main track only. Sheriff Ronnie, fourth to subsequent Grade 1 winner Arabian Lion in the May 20 Sir Barton at historic Pimlico Race Course, was second last out in a seven-furlong maiden special weight over Laurel’s main track and will be racing first time on turf. Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey will unveil The Jackal, a 3-year-old first-time starter by Medaglia d’Oro that fetched $300,000 as a yearling in 2021. His mare, Sweet Assassin, was unraced after setting for $500,000 as a yearling and $750,000 as a 3-year-old.

Also in the race is Feral’s Joy, a $200,000 yearling trying to break his maiden in his fifth attempt. The son of Kitten’s Joy is out of Hungry Island, winner of the Churchill Distaff Turf Mile (G2). Farringdon, another $300,000 yearling, was ninth in his debut on the turf May 25 at Delaware Park for trainer Jimmy Toner.

Maryland-bred/sired 3-year-olds and up are scheduled to go 1 1/8 miles over the Dahlia turf course in Saturday’s Race 5 allowance. Among the field are Crabs N Beer, third by a length in the 2022 Maryland Million Turf, and Riccio, three times stakes-placed on dirt, who respectively ran 2-3 in a 1 1/16-mile allowance June 17 at Laurel; Take Charge Too, a front-running 5 ½-furlong waiver maiden claiming winner in his turf debut May 4 at Laurel; and Circling the Drain, who in his first try on grass ran third behind Nagirroc’s track-record performance in the one-mile James W. Murphy May 20 at Pimlico.

The Jackpot Super High Five, which began Friday with a carryover of $11,237.43, starts anew Saturday in Race 6, a starter optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up sprinting seven furlongs on the main track. The 8-year-old gelding He Hate Me, winner of the 2017 Tremont and placed in six other stakes from 2018-20 including a third in the 2019 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3), has placed in five of his last six starts for trainer and co-owner Jamie Ness. Military Hop has five wins and five seconds in 12 career tries at Laurel.

Karamanos Extends Win Streak to Five with Emotional Victory

Journeyman Horacio Karamanos extended his individual win streak to five races with a hat trick Friday at Laurel Park, including one very special victory.

Karamanos won two of three races run at Laurel Thursday before lingering lightning forced the cancellation of the balance of a card that had been rescheduled from June 30 due to poor air quality stemming from wildfires in eastern Canada.

Friday began with Karamanos sweeping the early daily double aboard Beverly Steinman homebred Dyna Mast ($10.60) in Race 1 and Ronald Cuneo and Dilodovico Racing’s Patriotic Party ($3.80) in Race 2. His next mount came in Race 5, when he piloted 5-year-old gelding Aesthetically ($6.20) to a 1 ¾-length victory in the 5 ½-furlong claimer over the Dahlia turf course.

“The groom in that race [Alvaro Barajas], his father is so sick. He has terminal cancer and he asked me to try to win. [He said] ‘I want my dad to see me on TV,’” Karamanos said. “That’s why it was so emotional for me. He was crying when he was talking to me. I never do that, but I told him that one was for him.”

It was also the first start for Aesthetically following the June 30 death of owner Rosalee Davison at the age of 92. A longtime owner-breeder in Maryland, Davison’s father, Ben Cohen, owned historic Pimlico Race Course from 1952 to 1986 and with his wife, Zelda, owned 1965 Belmont and Travers winner Hail to All.

Both Aesthetically and Patriotic Party are trained by Damon Dilodovico.

Now fourth in Laurel’s summer meet standings with nine wins, Karamanos had his personal win streak snapped when he finished off the board with Mizwarrior in Race 6, then ran third with his final mount, Translate, in Race 7.

De Francis Day Stakes July 29 to Feature Tacos and Tequila

In addition to a live race program featuring five stakes worth $500,000 in purses, led by the $150,000 Frank J. de Francis Memorial Dash, Laurel Park will serve up Tacos and Tequila Saturday, July 29.

Tacos and Tequila will be held starting at 1 p.m. in Laurel’s apron tent. Individual tickets cost $50 and include all you can eat tacos, margaritas, non-alcoholic beverages, $2 betting voucher, daily program and a front-row seat to live racing action.

Persons must be 21 and older to attend. For more information or to purchase tickets, click here.

The six-furlong De Francis for 3-year-olds and up is joined on the July 29 program by the $100,000 Alma North for fillies and mares 3 and older sprinting 6 ½ furlongs and $100,000 Deputed Testamony at 1 1/8 miles for 3-year-olds and up, as well as a pair of seven-furlong, $75,000 stakes restricted to Maryland-bred/sired 3-year-olds – the Miss Disco for fillies and Star de Naskra.

Nominations for all five stakes close Saturday, July 15. To nominate email stakes coordinator Eleanor Albert at Eleanor.Albert@marylandracing.com or call 800-638-1859.

Notes: A powerful thunderstorm swept through the Mid-Atlantic region early Friday afternoon, causing post time to be pushed back from 12:25 to 1:10 p.m. … Jockey Carlos Lopez had two winners Friday, Nick’s Little Boy ($14.20) in Race 6 and Zabracadabra ($4.20) in Race 8 … Apprentice Axel Concepcion also doubled, with Canadian Ginger ($13.20) in Race 7 and Red Wind ($5.20) in Race 9.