Maryland Million Alums Battle in $150K Classic

Defending race winner Prendimi , 2020 victor Monday Morning Qb , and Ournationonparade , who tasted Maryland Million success as a 2-year-old in 2019, are among contenders for the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic on the 37th Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program Oct. 22 at Laurel Park.

The 1 1/8-mile Classic for 3-year-olds and up is the richest on a 12-race card featuring eight stakes and four starter stakes on Maryland Million Day, 'Maryland's Day at the Races,' celebrating the progeny of stallions standing in the state. 

G. J. Stable's Prendimi, making his fourth straight appearance in the Classic, is looking to become the first repeat winner since Admirals War Chest  in 2015 and 2016. He and Monday Morning Qb can also become just the sixth horse to win it twice joining Timely Warning (1990-91), Algar (1997-98), Docent (2002-03), and Eighttofasttocatch  (2011, 2013-14), the only three-time winner.

A 7-year-old Dance With Ravens  gelding, the Luis Carvajal Jr.-trained Prendimi has gone winless in just three starts this year. Listed at 20-1 on the morning line, Prendimi will break from Post 10 of 11 with Paco Lopez up.

Monday Morning Qb won the 2019 Heft Stakes at Laurel as a 2-year-old and came off the bench to run second in the 2020 Federico Tesio Stakes, delayed from April to September amid the coronavirus pandemic. Two starts later, he sprung his own 6-1 upset in the Maryland Million Classic, beating historic Pimlico Special (G3) winner Harpers First Ride  by 3 1/4 lengths.

The now 5-year-old son of Imagining   was claimed this summer for $62,500 Aug. 24 at Delaware Park.

Monday Morning Qb faded to be last of seven after setting the pace in the first start for his new connections, the one-mile, 70-yard DTHA Governors Day Handicap Oct. 1 at Delaware Park, but owner/trainer Norman 'Lynn' Cash is excited about bringing both he and multiple stakes-winning stablemate Double Crown —second in the 2021 Sprint—back to the Maryland Million.

"I'm getting jazzed about the Maryland Million," Cash said.

Cash claimed Double Crown for $40,000 out of a runner-up finish June 5 at Churchill Downs, and he has one win and three seconds from six subsequent starts. A two-time stakes winner that is twice grade 3-placed, Double Crown was second last out in the 1 1/16-mile Polynesian Stakes Sept. 24 at historic Pimlico Race Course.

Double Crown gets the services of Horacio Karamanos from post 3 and is the second choice on the morning line at 9-2, while Monday Morning Qb was made a 15-1 long shot with apprentice William Humphrey from outermost post 11.

Happy Got Lucky Stable's Ournationonparade  is the 5-2 program favorite for the Classic, racing first off the claim for trainer Jamie Ness, a career winner of nearly 3,800 races seeking his second win in the Maryland Million following Odd Gal  in the 2020 Maryland Million Distaff Starter Handicap.

Ournationonparade has yet to go the distance of the Classic and has only been around two turns once in his last 10 starts, though he was a 9 3/4-length winner of a second-level allowance optional claiming race going 1 1/16 miles Aug. 2 at Horseshoe Indianapolis.

Distance won't be an issue for Steve Newby's Vance Scholars , one of two 3-year-olds in the field attempting to become just the third sophomore to win the Classic following Monday Morning Qb and Bonus Points.