MJC at Laurel: Maryland Champion Double Crown Tops Harrison Johnson Nominees

By David Joseph —-

Maryland Champion Double Crown Tops Harrison Johnson Nominees

LAUREL, MD – Built Wright Stables’ Grade 2 winner Double Crown, recently named Maryland’s champion older male of 2023, and fellow multiple stakes winner and defending champion Nimitz Class are among 30 horses nominated to the $100,00 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial Saturday, March 16 at Laurel Park.

The one-mile Harrison Johnson for 4-year-olds and up headlines a St. Patick’s Day Eve program that includes a pair of $75,000 stakes restricted to Maryland-bred/sired horses – the six-furlong Not For Love for 4-year-olds and up and seven-furlong Conniver for fillies and mares 4 and older.

Double Crown won the 1 1/16-mile Robert T. Manfuso to cap a 2023 campaign that saw him race 18 times with three wins, two seconds and four thirds, also capturing the Polynesian in the fall at historic Pimlico Race Course.. The 7-year-old gelding has already run three times this year, finishing fourth in the one-mile Jennings and beaten a nose in the 1 1/8-mile John B. Campbell at Laurel.

Most recently Double Crown ran fifth in the one-mile Stymie March 2 over a sloppy Aqueduct surface. Also nominated out of the Stymie are Rick Dutrow-trained stablemates Kinetic Sky and Petulante as well as Charles Town-based multiple stakes winner Coastal Mission, who respectively finished first, third and fourth.

Qatar Racing, Black Type Thoroughbreds, Swinbank Stables, Steve Adkisson and Campeche Stables’ Nimitz Class cruised by 6 ¼ lengths over Double Crown in last year’s Harrison Johnson, his third of four consecutive stakes wins at Laurel. Purchased privately last fall, he has run eighth in the 1 1/8-mile Pegasus World Cup (G1) Jan. 27 at Gulfstream Park and fourth in Laurel’s seven-furlong General George (G3) Feb. 17.

Morris Kernan, Yo Berbs and Jagger Inc.’s 7-year-old Magic Michael, winner of the 2021 Greenwood Cup (G3); It’s Sizzling Time, who beat Double Crown in the Campbell; and other stakes winners Ain’t Da Beer Cold, Be Better, Coffeewithchris, Ournationonparade and Threes Over Deuces are also nominated.

Nine horses including Double Crown, Coastal Mission,Coffeewithchris and Ournationonparade are among 21 nominees to the Not For Love. Other prominent horses include Post Time, Maryland’s champion 2-year-old male of 2022 that has won three consecutive stakes capped by the General George; defending champion Seven’s Eleven, Maryland’s champion dirt horse of 2023; and fellow multiple stakes winners Exculpatory and Monday Morning Qb.

Joel Politi’s stakes winner Bosserati, named Maryland’s champion female turf horse of 2023, tops 21 nominees to the Conniver. The 4-year-old daughter of Holy Boss won the 5 ½-furlong Stormy Blues on the Laurel turf last June, her third straight win since being moved to the grass, and has not raced since finishing fifth after setting the pace in the Blue Sparkler in July at Monmouth Park.

Paul Fowler Jr.’s homebred Intrepid Dream is nominated off a popular 4 ½-length comeback triumph March 2 at Laurel, her fourth straight win and first race in 476 days. Other nominees include Malibu Moonshine, Maryland’s champion 2-year-old filly of 2022 that is a three-time stakes winner in four tries at Laurel including the Jan. 28 Geisha; Northern Glow and Royal Whisper, respectively second and third in the Geisha; and 2023 Timonium Distaff winner Response Time.

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The Stronach Group is a world-class technology, entertainment and real estate development company with Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering at the core. The Stronach Group’s 1/ST business (pronounced “First”) is North America’s preeminent Thoroughbred racing and pari-mutuel wagering company and includes the 1/ST RACING & GAMING, 1/ST CONTENT, 1/ST TECHNOLOGY and 1/ST EXPERIENCE businesses, while advocating for and driving the 1/ST HORSE CARE mission. 1/ST represents The Stronach Group’s continued movement toward redefining Thoroughbred racing and the ecosystem that drives it. 1/ST RACING & GAMING drives the best-in-class racing operations and gaming offerings at the company’s premier racetracks and training centers including: Santa Anita Park, Golden Gate Fields and San Luis Rey Downs (California); Gulfstream Park – home of the Pegasus World Cup Championship Invitational Series, Gulfstream Park West and Palm Meadows Thoroughbred Training Center (Florida); the Maryland Jockey Club at Laurel Park, Pimlico Race Course – home of the legendary Preakness Stakes, Rosecroft Raceway and Bowie Training Center (Maryland). 1/ST CONTENT is the operating group for 1/ST’s media and content companies including: Monarch Content Management, Elite, TSG Global Wagering Solutions (GWS) and XBTV. 1/ST TECHNOLOGY is racing’s largest racing and gaming technology company offering world-class products via its AmTote, Xpressbet, 1/ST BET, XB SELECT, XB NET, PariMAX and Betmix brands. 1/ST EXPERIENCE blends the worlds of sports, entertainment and hospitality through innovative content development, elevated national and local venue management and hospitality, strategic partnerships, sponsorships, and procurement development. As the advocate for critical industry reforms and by making meaningful investments into aftercare programs for retired horses and jockeys, 1/ST HORSE CARE represents The Stronach Group’s commitment to achieving the highest level of horse and rider care and safety standards in Thoroughbred racing on and off the track. The Stronach Group’s TSG Properties is responsible for the development of the company’s live, play and work communities surrounding its racing venues including: The Village at Gulfstream Park (Florida) and Paddock Pointe (Maryland). For more information, please email david.joseph@marylandracing.com. visit www.1st.com or follow @1ST_racing on Twitter or @1stracing on Instagram and Facebook.