Kenny Had a Notion Aims to Extend Streak in James Lewis

Louis Ulman and Neil Glasser's Kenny Had a Notion, who has won back-to-back stakes on different surfaces against restricted company, gets his biggest test to date in the Nov. 14 James F. Lewis III Stakes at Laurel Park.

The ninth running of the $100,000 Lewis for 2-year-olds co-headlines a nine-race program with the 24th renewal of the $100,000 Smart Halo Stakes for 2-year-old fillies, both sprinting six furlongs.

Kenny Had a Notion will be facing open company for the first time since his July 30 debut at Delaware Park, where the son of Great Notion  came rolling from off the pace to get up by a head sprinting six furlongs as the favorite in a maiden special weight.

"We'll see what he's made of now. There's no restrictions on this one," trainer Dale Capuano said. "I think he'll run his race. If he's good enough, he should be tough. We'll see."

Kenny Had a Notion returned to Delaware Park to run sixth in his stakes debut in the Sept. 26 First State Dash, contested on a sloppy track. Back at his home track of Laurel, the bay rolled past fellow Virginia-breds in the Jamestown Stakes Oct. 9 on the turf, returning three weeks later to cruise by the same five-length margin in the Maryland Million Nursery.

Stablemate Alwaysinahurry, second in the Nursery and nominated to the Lewis, came back to beat winners by a neck in a seven-furlong allowance optional claiming race Nov. 7 at Laurel.

"After the Maryland Million, he's done so well, and this is the next race for him. So we'll see how he does," Capuano said of Kenny Had a Notion. "I was very impressed with him last time. He showed good speed, he was on the bit the entire race, and when he got through on the inside, he just opened up in the stretch. Alwaysinahurry, who he beat and who I still say is a pretty nice horse as well, came back to win the allowance race on Saturday. That just flatters his performance a little bit more, I would think."

Also entering the Lewis off two consecutive wins is Lugamo Racing Stable's eponymous Chitu  colt, whose lone loss came when second behind undefeated Jaxon Traveler in his Sept. 25 unveiling at Pimlico Race Course.

Lugamo romped by six lengths in a seven-furlong maiden special weight Oct. 16 and came back two weeks later with a 4 1/4-length allowance optional claiming win going one mile, both at Laurel.

"I wasn't going to run him, but the way he's acting he's telling me he's ready to go again. My only concern is the distance," trainer Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon said. "That's the thing. It's cutting back, but, you know, he's going to run his race. He's putting himself pretty much on the lead on the time without even being asked, so I hope he can do the same thing again."

Colts Neck Stables homebred Dalton will be making his Laurel debut for trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. after alternating his first four starts between Delaware and Monmouth Park. Last out, the Kantharos  chestnut stalked the pace before taking a short lead into the stretch and wound up second to Pickin' Time in the Smoke Glacken Stakes. Pickin' Time came back to win the Nashua Stakes (G3) Nov. 8 at Aqueduct Racetrack.

Completing the field are Singlino, No Cents, Ain't Da Beer Cold, Fearless Fly, Heir Port, Texas Basin, and Xtreme Mayhem.

Out of Sorts, Prodigy Doll Seek Stakes Success in $100,000 Smart Halo

Juvenile fillies Out of Sorts and Prodigy Doll, impressive last-out winners on Laurel's main track, will square off for the first time as they make their stakes debut in the Smart Halo Stakes.

Respect the Valleys' Out of Sorts, a $1,000 yearling purchase last fall, is taking the step up to stakes company off a 10 3/4-length maiden special weight romp Nov. 1 at Laurel. The Dramedy filly ran a half-mile in :46.73 before being geared down in the stretch by jockey Sheldon Russell, completing six furlongs in 1:11.62.

"I know it's back kind of quick, but I think her maiden win she did it easy enough and she's come right out of it, so we'll give it a shot," trainer Brittany Russell said. "I think she ran a pretty good number. Naturally, I wish she would have broken her maiden a few weeks earlier so we could have given her a little bit more time. She won by a lot, but she did it easy. She did it within herself and she's come out of that race bouncing and doing well, so that's kind of all you can ask for when you're trying to wheel one back quick."

Sheldon Russell will ride back from post 2 of eight. All fillies will carry 122 pounds.

HnR Nothhaft Horse Racing's Prodigy Doll enters off two sharp wins, the first coming in a 5 1/2-furlong maiden special weight on her home track of Penn National Race Course Oct. 2. Trainer Bernie Houghton shipped her to Laurel for an entry-level allowance optional claimer going six furlongs 20 days later, and she cruised by nine lengths in frontrunning fashion.

"She's a nice one. She certainly surprised the heck out of me the other day. I talked the owner into letting me run her," Houghton said. "She won the first time at Penn National and did it pretty easy, so you couldn't really gauge her. It's a big jump going from a maiden race at Penn National to an allowance race at Laurel. I really liked her and I thought she would run well. Did I think she would run like she did? Not exactly. That shocked me a little bit."

Prodigy Doll, by Shanghai Bobby, made two starts in Kentucky in June for trainer Paul McEntee before being sold privately and moved to Houghton's barn.

Lucky 7 Stables' stakes winner Street Lute suffered her first loss when she finished second, a neck behind Miss Nondescript, in the Maryland Million Lassie Oct. 24. She won the 5 1/2-furlong Small Wonder Stakes Sept. 26 at Delaware Park.

Be Sneaky, Supreme Blessing, Swirling Dancer, Docs Seven, and Donnybrook Girl round out the field.