Laurel: Multiple Stakes Winner Phlash Phelps Targeting Laurel Stakes

By David Joseph —-

Multiple Stakes Winner Phlash Phelps Targeting Laurel Stakes Sept. 29

G3 BWI Turf Cup, Find Stakes Possible Preps for Maryland Million Turf

LAUREL, MD – Both the $200,000 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup (G3) and $75,000 Find Stakes Saturday, Sept. 29 at Laurel Park are on the radar for multiple grass stakes winner Phlash Phelps as the 7-year-old gelding gears up for another run at the Maryland Million.

Hillwood Stable’s Phlash Phelps has run just twice this year, both at Laurel. He finished third in the Henry S. Clark Stakes April 21 – 1 ¾ lengths ahead of Glorious Empire, who has since gone on to take a pair of graded-stakes at Saratoga this summer including the $1 million Sword Dancer (G1) Aug. 25.

Last time out, Phlash Phelps ran third in a one-mile allowance Aug. 3 in a race originally carded for 1 1/16 miles on Laurel’s world-class turf course, beaten two heads after stalking the pace and taking a short lead into the stretch.

“He’s doing great. We’re waiting for the fall with him,” Laurel-based trainer Rodney Jenkins said. “They have a couple of turf stakes for him, and our main goal is the Maryland Million. We’d like to try to win that a third time. There’s a couple races in the book to get him ready and that’s what we’re looking forward to.”

The BWI Turf Cup for 3-year-olds and up is contested at one mile, while the Find Stakes for Maryland-bred/sired horses 3 and older is run at 1 1/16 miles, also on the grass. Phlash Phelps earned his first career stakes win in the 2015 Find and was third in 2016.

A Great Notion gelding out of the Not For Love mare Love Me Twice, Phlash Phelps won the one-mile Maryland Million Turf in 2015 and 2016 but missed last year’s race with bruising in his cannon bones following a victory in the six-furlong Mister Diz Stakes on grass in late June.

“Last year I couldn’t get him in a race and then I sprinted him and he won but it cost us because we didn’t get to the Maryland Million,” Jenkins said. “We’ll look at the Find against Maryland-breds and I will definitely consider the [BWI Turf Cup]. The mile is what he really likes and that would set him up for the Maryland Million, hopefully.”

The 33rd Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program will take place Saturday, Oct. 20 at Laurel.

Both the BWI Turf Cup and Find are among six stakes worth $650,000 in purses Sept. 29, along with the $75,000 Challedon and $75,000 Shine Again for non-winners of a sweepstakes at seven furlongs; the $75,000 All Brandy for Maryland-bred/sired fillies and mares 3 and up at 1 1/16 miles on turf; and the inaugural $150,000 Bald Eagle Derby for 3-year-olds going 1 ½ miles on the grass.

Jenkins said he is pointing Hillwood’s Grade 2-placed Top of Mind to the $100,000 Laurel Turf Cup for 3-year-olds and up at 1 ½ miles Saturday, Sept. 15, part of a card that includes seven stakes worth $900,000 in purses led by the 27th running of the $250,000 Xpressbet Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3).

A gelded 6-year-old son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin, Top of Mind returned to racing for the first time in 53 weeks victory over 2017 Maryland Million Classic winner Bonus Points in a third-level, 1 1/16-mile dirt allowance July 14 at Laurel.

Top of Mind won three of seven starts in 2016 and was second by a half-length to multiple graded-stakes winner Blacktype in the Commonwealth Derby (G2) contested at a mile on grass.

“He hadn’t run in a year and we brought him back on the dirt and he beat that horse of [trainer Todd] Pletcher’s that came out of New York,” Jenkins said. “He’s doing real well. He ran well in the Commonwealth race last year and didn’t get beat very far. I’m real pleased with this horse.”

Jenkins is also looking forward to running 4-year-old multiple stakes-winning filly Shimmering Aspen and promising 3-year-old Moonlight Shadow, both owned by Ellen Charles of Hillwood, during Laurel’s calendar year-ending fall meet, which opens Friday, Sept. 7.

Maryland racing is currently being conducted at the State Fairgrounds in Timonium through Labor Day, Sept. 3.

Shimmering Aspen is coming off a one-length victory in the $75,000 Timonium Distaff Aug. 25, run at about 6 ½ furlongs. Because Timonium’s main track is five furlongs, the race was contested around two turns.

Jenkins plans to enter Shimmering Aspen for main track only in the $100,000 Sensible Lady Turf Dash at six furlongs on the grass. Also on turf that day for fillies and mares 3 and up is the $150,000 All Along Stakes at 1 1/16 miles.

“She ran a brave race last time. It was a rough-run race but she tried real hard. She’s such a good filly. She came out of perfect,” Jenkins said. “We have a program for her. She’s doing real well and she tried like the filly I knew she was, so we’re going forward with her. She’s lovely to be around.”

Moonlight Shadow, a half-brother to Phlash Phelps, broke his maiden at first asking March 30 and has three wins – all at Laurel – from four career starts including back-to-back allowance triumphs, the most recent coming July 15.

“He’s one that wants to go long. He won an a-other-than at Laurel and beat a couple pretty nice horses in there. He’s a nice horse,” Jenkins said. “He’s a dirt horse. I’ve never tried him on the turf but in that family they’re usually better when they get older. He broke his maiden as a 3-year-old. We were very surprised, and he broke it on the dirt, so it turned out a little different than Phlash. Phlash was 4 when he came around.”

Laurel Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida and is one of North America’s top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world’s largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.