Special Reserve Will Return to the Track at Laurel Park

Paradise Farms and David Staudacher's claimer turned multiple graded stakes winner Special Reserve , unraced since a troubled trip in the Qatar Racing Breeders' Cup Sprint (G1) last fall, will face seven rivals, including grade 3 winners Wondrwherecraigis  and Pickin' Time  for his 6-year-old debut in the July 16 $150,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park.

The 31st running of the six-furlong De Francis for 3-year-olds and up headlines four stakes worth $450,000 in purses on an 11-race program that includes the $100,000 Alma North, the $100,000 Prince George's County, and the $100,000 Big Dreyfus.

Special Reserve, by Midshipman  , has been working steadily for his return with trainer Mike Maker in Kentucky, most recently breezing an easy half-mile in :50.20 July 11. Victor Carrasco is named to ride from post 6.

"He's been training forwardly and we're anxious to see him come back," Paradise Farms' Peter Proscia said. "He had a little rest. It's a little more than I expected, but Mike wanted to make sure that everything is well with him. We want to make our best efforts moving forward."

Maker claimed Special Reserve for $40,000 last February out of a win at Oaklawn Park. Beaten by 1 1/4 lengths in the Commonwealth Stakes (G3) at Keeneland in the spring, he became a graded winner with a 1 3/4-length triumph in the Maryland Sprint Match Series Stakes (G3) at Pimlico Race Course.

A gutsy neck victory over Maryland-bred Aloha West  in the Stoll Keenon Ogden Phoenix Stakes (G2) last October at Keeneland punched Special Reserve's ticket to the Breeders' Cup at Del Mar where he ran fourth behind Aloha West in the Sprint.

Madaket Stables, Michael Dubb, The Elkstone Group, and Bethlehem Stables' Wondrwherecraigis finished first by three-quarters of a length in last year's De Francis, then a grade 3, but was disqualified to second behind Jalen Journey  for drifting out in the stretch. He won the Bold Ruler Handicap (G3) at Belmont Park in his subsequent start, the first graded stakes triumph for trainer Brittany Russell.

The De Francis will be the first start for Wondrwherecraigis following his return from Dubai, where he ran 10th in the $2 million Dubai Golden Shaheen Sponsored by Atlantis Dubai (G1) March 26.

"I feel like he's doing great. Off the trip to Dubai and everything, you wonder if you have him as good as you can and you question a lot of things, but he's a smart horse," Russell said. "We just try to keep him happy and stay out of his way and just let him tell us when he's ready, and all the signs are pointing in that direction."

Trainer Kelly Breen enters the pair of Pickin' Time and Royal Urn . Roseland Farm Stable's Pickin' Time won the 2020 Nashua Stakes (G3) as a 2-year-old at Aqueduct and had a pair of stakes wins at 3, including locally in the seven-furlong City of Laurel last November. He has made one start this year, running third in the six-furlong John J. Reilly Handicap at Monmouth Park behind Royal Urn, who was most recently third in the one-mile Sunny Ridge Handicap.

St. Omer's Farm and Christopher Feifarek's homebred Beren  is a five-time stakes winner that has run second in each of his last three starts.

"He certainly doesn't need to take his racetrack with him. He runs pretty well over any kind of surface," trainer Butch Reid Jr. said. "At some point we'd like to try him on the turf, too, but not right now."

Stakes-winning Threes Over Deuces , graded stakes-placed War Tocsin , and stakes winner Karan's Notion  round out the field.

Entries: Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash S.

Laurel Park, Saturday, July 16, 2022, Race 10

• STK
• 6f
• Dirt
• $150,000
• 3 yo's & up
• 5:45 PM (local)

PP	Horse	Jockey	Wgt	Trainer	M/L
1	1Royal Urn (NJ)	UNKNOWN	122	Kelly J. Breen	20/1
2	2Pickin' Time (NJ)	Charlie Marquez	120	Kelly J. Breen	8/1
3	3War Tocsin (KY)	Dexter Haddock	120	Uriah St. Lewis	15/1
4	4Karan's Notion (MD)	Alberto Delgado	120	Nancy B. Heil	30/1
5	5Threes Over Deuces (KY)	UNKNOWN	120	Gary Capuano	10/1
6	6Special Reserve (KY)	Victor R. Carrasco	120	Michael J. Maker	8/5
7	7Beren (PA)	Frankie Pennington	120	Robert E. Reid, Jr.	9/2
8	8Wondrwherecraigis (KY)	Sheldon Russell	124	Brittany T. Russell	2/1