Saratoga Bob Aims for More Maryland Million Success

Trainer Katy Voss acknowledges that Saratoga Bob will not enter the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic Stakes Oct. 19 at Laurel Park under perfect circumstances, but she believes the 5-year-old Friesan Fire  gelding deserves an opportunity to defend his 2018 victory in the 1 1/8-mile test.

The Classic is one of seven stakes and four starter allowance races with total purses of $1.02 million scheduled for Saturday's Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program.

Saratoga Bob opened the year with an open allowance-level score in February going seven furlongs at Laurel. He lost his next four starts, all at the open allowance level at Laurel, but earned two placings in those efforts. Saturday's test will mark his first race since finishing fifth in a June 1 turf effort.

Saratoga Bob—campaigned by Voss, Robert Manfuso, and Wayne Harrison—has been prepared for this year's test off eight workouts at Laurel since Aug. 23. Last year's Maryland Million Classic win has been a highlight for his connections.

"That was fantastic. It was very special," Voss said. "I don't know how tough a race it was last year, and I don't know that it'll be much tougher this year. I think we've got a shot, but we don't have any grand expectations with him not having a race under his belt for 4 1/2 months. We'll just have to see."

Bred in Maryland by Manfuso and Voss, Saratoga Bob isn't the only returning winner. John and Cheryl Banner homebred My Sistersledge will try for a third straight victory in the $125,000 Ladies Stakes at 1 1/8 miles on the Laurel turf.

A 5-year-old daughter of Etched, My Sistersledge last year became the first back-to-back winner of the Ladies since Hail Hillary in 2003-04. She can join Countus In (1989-91) and Mz. Zill Bear (1993-95) as the only three-time Ladies winners.

"We're hoping to be fortunate enough to do it … to show up on the day and be ready to go and run a good race and hopefully have some good luck. We'll see what we can do," trainer Mike Trombetta said. "Obviously, winning the Maryland Million or having a shot at it would be huge."

Meanwhile, Lewisfield, a multiple stakes winning-homebred son of Great Notion  for Linda Zang, will try to defend his victory in the Maryland Sprint Handicap. Lewisfield boasts six wins, three seconds, and a third from 12 starts at Laurel.

In the day's other four stakes races:

• Port Lairge Stables' Tommy Shelby, who won his first two starts at Laurel, returns to the track off a runner-up finish in the Sept. 28 First State Dash Stakes at Delaware Park to contest the Maryland Million Nursery Stakes at six furlongs for 2-year-olds. A son of Super Ninety Nine , Tommy Shelby was bred in Maryland by Country Life Farm and Moon Map Broodmare;
• No Guts No Glory Farm's Anna's Bandit, a West Virginia-bred daughter of Great Notion, will try to secure a fourth straight stakes win and fifth straight victory when she starts in the seven-furlong Maryland Million Distaff Handicap for fillies and mares;
• In the six-furlong Maryland Million Lassie Stakes for juvenile fillies, Rashid's Thoroughbred Racing, Linda Walls, Rick Wallace, and Kingdom Bloodstock's Gifted Heart enters off a runner-up finish in the Dickie Moore Stakes Sept. 21 at Hollywood Casino at Charles Town Races. The daughter of Super Ninety Nine was bred in Maryland by Wilbur and Joan Everett;
• With one win and five placings from six starts this year, the consistent Cannon's Roar, campaigned by Taking Risks Stable, will try to improve on last year's fourth-place finish in the Maryland Million Turf Stakes when he starts in this year's edition of the mile test for 3-year-olds and older. The son of Orientate was bred in Maryland by Mrs. P. Frank Wright.

Entries: Maryland Million Sprint H.

Laurel Park, Saturday, October 19, 2019, Race 9

• STK
• 6f
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 4:00 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Confessor (MD)	Daniel Centeno	113	Carl Doran	30/1
2	2Taco Supream (MD)	Sheldon Russell	118	Damon R. Dilodovico	10/1
3	3Lewisfield (MD)	Trevor McCarthy	124	Jeff C. Runco	2/1
4	4Onemoregreattime (MD)	Xavier Perez	113	John J. Robb	15/1
5	5Fearless Terp (MD)	UNKNOWN	110	Noah Abramson	30/1
6	6Laki (MD)	Horacio Karamanos	124	Damon R. Dilodovico	5/2
7	7Call Paul (PA)	Paco Lopez	123	Jason Servis	9/5
8	8Hall Pass (MD)	Jorge A. Vargas, Jr.	113	Hamilton A. Smith	15/1
9	9Pete's Play Call (MD)	Victor R. Carrasco	116	Michael J. Maker	8/1
10	10Sonny Inspired (MD)	UNKNOWN	115	Phil Schoenthal	20/1
11	11Showalter (MD)	UNKNOWN	114	Gary Capuano	10/1