Wondrwherecraigis Tops Fire Plug on Loaded Laurel Card

Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, and Bethlehem Stables' Wondrwherecraigis , unraced since giving trainer Brittany Russell her first graded stakes victory three months ago, will kick off his 5-year-old campaign at home in the $100,000 Fire Plug Stakes at Laurel Park Jan. 29.

The six-furlong Fire Plug is among six stakes worth $550,000 in purses on a scheduled 10-race program at the Maryland oval.

Russell watched from home as Wondrwherecraigis notched a front-running 2 1/4-length victory over six rivals in the seven-furlong Bold Ruler Handicap (G3) Oct. 31 at Belmont Park. The effort came six weeks after the Munnings   gelding finished first but was disqualified to second in Laurel's Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3), and one day before Russell and her husband, jockey Sheldon Russell, welcomed the birth of their second child, Rye.

Wondrwherecraigis was subsequently entered in the Dec. 17 Gravesend at Aqueduct but was forced to scratch after developing a foot infection. He has breezed three times this month for his return, most recently going a half-mile in :49 Jan. 23.

"It's just a tough time of year with these feet and he never had an issue until that point. It doesn't seem to be a big thing, it's just a timely thing. They just take time to get over it and he seems good. Everything's good now," Russell said.

"I had to work him back a little quicker one time than I wanted but that was so we didn't miss out, and then he worked again on Sunday and worked fantastic," she added. "From a fitness standpoint I think we're in a great spot. It's time to get him back racing."

Also the victor of the 2021 Tale of the Cat Stakes at Saratoga Race Course, Wondrwherecraigis is 4-for-8 lifetime at six furlongs and will be ridden by Jevian Toledo from post 2 in a field of seven at co-topweight of 126 pounds.

His main rival appears to be the Steve Asmussen-trained Jaxon Traveler , who has never been worse than third in 12 lifetime starts with five wins, four of them in Maryland. He races for owners West Point Thoroughbreds and Marvin Delfiner.

"He's what I call a partnership horse dream," West Point chief operating officer Tom Bellhouse said. "He's run at seven or eight different tracks, on dirt, on synthetic, on turf, and he tries hard every time."

Other contenders are the top-three finishers from the Dec. 26 Dave's Friend Stakes at Laurel: Threes Over Deuces , Penguin Power , and Youngest of Five , respectively.

Three races before the Fire Plug, 3-year-olds compete over seven furlongs in the $100,000 Spectacular Bid, a race led by the promising H P Moon  (Malibu Moon ). The K E M Racing Stable and Five Hellions Farm-owned colt makes his long-awaited return for trainer Lacey Gaudet after scoring on debut by 9 3/4 lengths last summer at Pimlico Race Course.

Seven of H P Moon's rivals have previous stakes experience, including stakes winners Local Motive , Shake Em Loose , and Witty . 

"We've been training him like a good horse and he's been taking it like a good horse," Gaudet said of H P Moon. "He's really handling everything that we throw at him well and I think he's telling us that he's ready, so we're going to move forward with it."

Entries: Fire Plug S.

Laurel Park, Saturday, January 29, 2022, Race 9

• STK
• 6f
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 4 yo's & up
• 4:09 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Shackqueenking (KY)	Jaime Rodriguez	124	Gary Capuano	9/2
2	2Wondrwherecraigis (KY)	Jevian Toledo	126	Brittany T. Russell	4/5
3	3Threes Over Deuces (KY)	Victor Rosales	126	Gary Capuano	15/1
4	4Youngest of Five (MD)	Angel Cruz	120	Hugh I. McMahon	8/1
5	5Studio B (ON)	Inoel Beato	120	Kimberly A Graci	20/1
6	6Jaxon Traveler (MD)	Victor R. Carrasco	126	Steven M. Asmussen	4/1
7	7Penguin Power (WV)	Arnaldo Bocachica	120	Jeff C. Runco	10/1

Entries: Spectacular Bid S.

Laurel Park, Saturday, January 29, 2022, Race 6

• STK
• 7f
• Dirt
• $100,000
• 3 yo
• 2:39 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Heffner (KY)	Horacio Karamanos	116	Emanuel J. Geralis	20/1
2	2Local Motive (MD)	J. D. Acosta	122	John E. Salzman, Jr.	8/1
3	3H P Moon (KY)	Jevian Toledo	116	Lacey Gaudet	9/5
4	4Shake Em Loose (KY)	Denis Araujo	122	Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon	15/1
5	5Coastal Mission (WV)	Arnaldo Bocachica	116	Jeff C. Runco	10/1
6	6Sharp Red Eagle (PA)	Tyler Conner	116	Fenneka T. Bentley	30/1
7	7Uncaptured Spirit (FL)	Angel R. Rodriguez	116	Mark Shuman	12/1
8	8Alottahope (MD)	Xavier Perez	116	John J. Robb	3/1
9	9Witty (PA)	Carol Cedeno	122	McLane Hendriks	10/1
10	10Last Romance (NJ)	Jaime Rodriguez	116	Cathal A. Lynch	10/1
11	11Beast Or Famine (FL)	Abner Adorno	116	Penny Pearce	15/1