Page McKenney, Miss Mischief in Laurel Stakes

Hard-knocking campaigner Page McKenney hopes to keep alive his streak of finishing in the top three in 21 consecutive races, mostly stakes, when he tops the field for the Native Dancer Stakes at Laurel Park Jan. 2.

The Native Dancer, at the distance of about 1 1/16 miles, is one of three stakes each worth $75,000 on the Saturday card at Maryland.

Highweighted at 124 pounds, Page McKenney is coming off a game half-length victory over grade III winner Kid Cruz in the Swatara Stakes at Hollywood Casino at Penn National Race Course Nov. 25. The Swatara, in which the gelded son of Eavesdropper recorded a career-best Equibase Speed Figure of 124, was the second stakes win in 11 days for Page McKenney.

Trained by Mary Eppler for Adam Staple and Jalin Stable, Page McKenney won the Richard B. Small Stakes by a widening 4 3/4 lengths at Laurel Nov. 14. With a record of 14-12-4 and earnings of $976,978, Page McKenney last finished worse than third when fifth in an allowance at Pimlico Race Course in April 2014.

Assigned second highweight of 120 pounds was Bellarmine, a stakes-winning son of Magna Graduate   now racing for Aaron Racing Stables after being claimed for $32,000 at Belmont Park in October. With a 32-8-3-5 record and a bankroll of $329,675, Bellarmine is coming off a driving 9 1/4-length triumph in an allowance/optional claimer over a muddy Laurel track at the Native Dancer distance.

Diane Manning's multiple stakes-winning mare Miss Mischief tops the nine-horse field of older fillies and mares going forward in the Nellie Morse Stakes, also at the about 1 1/16-mile distance.

The 124-pound highweight trained by Dale Capuano, Miss Mischief won or placed in seven of nine 2015 starts, including the Besarabian Stakes (Can-II) at Woodbine Nov. 15 to conclude her season. The daughter of Into Mischief   bred in Kentucky by Allen Poindexter has earned $522,980, with nine wins and four placings from 23 starts.

The third stakes on the card, the $75,000 What a Summer Stakes, drew a field of seven older fillies and mares sprinting six furlongs, including stakes winners Eddy Gourmet and Raging Smoke.

An Eddington   mare trained by Mary Eppler, Eddy Gourmet last visited the winner's circle following a 7 3/4-length victory in Laurel's Conniver Stakes last March. She has subsequently finished third twice in eight starts.

A Pennsylvania-bred daughter of More Smoke   trained by Michael W. Salvaggio Jr., Raging Smoke has earned $310,732 while finishing in the top three in 14 of 18 career starts.