After closing 2019 with six consecutive wins, Anna's Bandit will look to extend that streak when she makes her 6-year-old debut in the $75,000 Geisha Stakes Jan. 18 at Laurel Park.
The Geisha is one of four stakes on the Laurel card, which also will feature the season debut of Alwaysmining, who last season punched his ticket to the Preakness Stakes (G1) with an 11 1/2-length victory in the Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel.
In the Geisha, a one-turn mile for Maryland-bred or Maryland-sired older fillies and mares, No Guts No Glory Farm's Anna's Bandit will try to secure a victory in a race of one mile or longer for the first time. She closed 2019 with back-to-back stakes wins at Laurel in the seven-furlong Maryland Million Distaff Handicap and six-furlong Politely Stakes, her fifth straight stakes win overall.
Anna's Bandit, who won nine of 11 starts last year, will try the mile distance for just the second time in her career. Her previous effort came in the 2018 Geisha when she finished fourth. Trainer John Robb said the daughter of Great Notion is something special.
"I'm very proud of the year she had. We're going to try to do a better one this year," he said. "We'll look at all but one or two of the same races. I'll stay away from the turf. We're looking forward to a good year."
Anna's Bandit Steals Show as Winningest Horse of 2019
After closing 2019 with a runner-up finish in the open Native Dancer Stakes Dec. 28 at Laurel, Runnymoore Racing's Alwaysmining will try the one-turn mile in the $75,000 Jennings Stakes for Maryland-bred or Maryland-sired older horses.
Alwaysmining carried a six-race win streak into the Preakness, where the son of Stay Thirsty finished off the board. The Native Dancer marked his fifth straight loss, but he ran better in that 1 1/8-mile race, earning a career-best 117 Equibase Speed Figure.
Also Saturday, the $100,000 What A Summer Stakes is an open test for older filly and mare sprinters that will feature a rematch of the Nov. 30 Imagining Safely Kept Stakes at Laurel, where Needs Supervision rallied to victory over runner-up Hey Mamaluke and Victim of Love. Those three rivals will start from the three inside posts in the expected field of six.
The day's stakes will conclude with the $100,000 Fire Plug Stakes, an open 6 1/2-furlong sprint for older horses. In that test, grade 1-placed Still Having Fun will compete with in-form sprinters Brother Chub and Arch Cat, who each boast two wins in their past three starts. Laurel Park, Saturday, January 18, 2020, Race 3 Laurel Park, Saturday, January 18, 2020, Race 4 Laurel Park, Saturday, January 18, 2020, Race 5 Laurel Park, Saturday, January 18, 2020, Race 6Entries: What A Summer S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Hey Mamaluke (PA)
Emmanuel Esquivel
120
Patricia Farro
5/2
2
2Victim of Love (KY)
Weston Hamilton
120
Todd M. Beattie
6/1
3
3Needs Supervision (KY)
Feargal Lynch
124
Jeremiah O'Dwyer
8/5
4
4Wildcat Combat (PA)
Dexter Haddock
122
Miguel Penaloza
7/2
5
5Angel At War (KY)
Sheldon Russell
120
Michael E. Gorham
6/1
6
6Last True Love (KY)
Edwin Gonzalez
120
Flint W. Stites
15/1
Entries: Geisha S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Artful Splatter (MD)
Alex Cintron
120
Kieron Magee
8/1
2
2Bunting (MD)
Victor R. Carrasco
120
Rodney Jenkins
12/1
3
3No Mo Lady (MD)
Trevor McCarthy
120
Michael J. Trombetta
8/1
4
4Anna's Bandit (WV)
Xavier Perez
120
John J. Robb
4/5
5
5Limited View (MD)
Forest Boyce
120
John E. Salzman, Jr.
5/1
6
6Enchanted Ghost (MD)
Sheldon Russell
122
Michael Stidham
9/2
7
7Le Weekend (MD)
Weston Hamilton
120
Mark J. Reid
20/1
Entries: Jennings S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1John Jones (MD)
Trevor McCarthy
120
Lacey Gaudet
7/2
2
2Toughest 'Ombre (MD)
Horacio Karamanos
120
Damon R. Dilodovico
10/1
3
3Alwaysmining (MD)
Julian Pimentel
124
Kelly Rubley
8/5
4
4Tappin Cat (MD)
Alex Cintron
120
Gary Capuano
8/1
5
5Bustoff (MD)
J. D. Acosta
120
Hugh I. McMahon
15/1
6
6Jeezum Jim (MD)
Julio A. Hernandez
120
Dimitrios K. Synnefias
20/1
7
7Bonus Points (MD)
Feargal Lynch
122
Michael J. Trombetta
6/1
8
8Pretty Good Year (MD)
Sheldon Russell
120
Kelly Rubley
15/1
9
9Clubman (MD)
Xavier Perez
120
Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon
6/1
Entries: Fire Plug S.
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Brother Chub (NJ)
Julian Pimentel
122
Michael M. Moore
6/1
2
2Arch Cat (KY)
Victor R. Carrasco
120
Daniel Velazquez
4/1
3
3Still Having Fun (MD)
Feargal Lynch
124
Timothy L. Keefe
4/1
4
4Honor the Fleet (KY)
Alex Cintron
120
Louis Albertrani
8/1
5
5Dupree (FL)
Tyler Conner
120
Hugh I. McMahon
6/1
6
6Tiz He the One (KY)
Trevor McCarthy
120
Linda Rice
7/2
7
7Threes Over Deuces (KY)
UNKNOWN
120
Gary Capuano
5/1
8
8Long May You Run (PA)
Carol Cedeno
120
Joseph Taylor
15/1