Not Abroad Returns for MD Million Classic

Rebecca Davis' Not Abroad, an 8-year-old Not For Love   horse who returned Oct. 2 after almost three years away from the races, is one of 11 entered in the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic, which he won in 2012.

The Classic is the centerpiece of the Oct. 17 Maryland Million Day program at Laurel Park. First post time for the program, which celebrates Maryland-sired horses, is 12:15 p.m. ET. The Classic goes as the 10th race, with an estimated post time of 5:37 p.m.

Not Abroad, who has earned $628,955 in 35 starts, was trained for most of his career by Michael Petro, but he was prepared for his racing career by trainer Lynn Ashby at her Delaware farm and is now in Ashby's stable.

"This horse is just so amazing. He wants to be a racehorse," Ashby said. "He has just bloomed since he came back. So we're going to grant him his wish."

Following Not Abroad's 2012 Maryland Million Classic victory, his former owner, Tim Cunningham and Petro shipped to Santa Anita Park, where he ran in the Breeders' Cup Marathon (gr. II). He sustained a bowed tendon in a fifth-place finish. Davis at the time was interested in Not Abroad, who was bred by a partnership that included her father, Dr. Thomas Bowman.

"We bred him, I foaled him, and he was kind of a cool yearling with a neat personality," Davis said. "So we followed his racing career and it was fun. After he won the Classic and was going to the Breeders' Cup Marathon, I contacted the Petros and told them to keep us in mind, and we would stand him as a stallion when he is done racing."

Davis, her father, and brother, Dr. Brooke Bowman, who is currently Not Abroad's veterinarian, got the horse back and tried several new careers with him. They bred him to a few mares, tried him as a teaser, and tried turning him out. But the horse wanted to race.

"He was turned out at my place, then my dad's place, then my place again, and he just didn't seem happy," Davis said.

Not Abroad, who finished fourth in his return at the one-turn-mile distance at Laurel, was sent to Ashby, who has a history with the horse.

"I broke him originally, and I've always admired him," Ashby said. "Everybody's gaga over him; everybody loves him. He couldn't belong to a better family. He's back with the breeders, he's back with me. It is neat I get him after all this time. He doesn't know he's 8.  He's really happy."

Not Abroad will be ridden by Forest Boyce at 119 pounds from post 6 in the 1 1/8-mile Classic.

In the $100,000 Maryland Million Sprint, The Jim Stable's Ben's Cat will make a rare appearance on dirt in his sixth Million appearance. Trained by owner King Leatherbury, the 9-year-old Parker's Storm Cat gelding has raced on the turf the other five times.

Ben's Cat, who has won 30 races and earned $2,470,405, has won twice on the main track at Laurel.

"I elected to go there because the last two years I got beat right in the last 60 or 50 yards or whatever it was, so I didn't want to do that again," Leatherbury said. "I'm figuring maybe the turf might be a little soft, maybe a little tiring, so that was against him. So I'll take my shot on the dirt."

Ben's Cat has raced six times this year and has two stakes wins, including his unprecedented sixth consecutive success in the Mister Diz Stakes, which was followed with a fifth-place finish in the Turf Monster (gr. IIIT) at Parx Racing in his last start. Regular rider Julien Pimentel is named at 122 pounds from post 3 in an eight-horse field in the six-furlong event.