Maryland Million Classic Main Goal for Flash McCaul

Country Life Farm's 5-year-old Flash McCaul will look to recapture his solid early form when he takes aim at the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic Stakes for a third consecutive year Oct. 20 at Laurel Park.

The 11th race on Saturday's card, the Classic has drawn a field of 10 Maryland Million-certified horses and three Maryland-bred also-eligibles led by defending winner Bonus Points. The AE horses can only draw into the race if the main body falls below six Maryland Million-certified horses.

Trained by seven-time Maryland Million winner Mike Trombetta, Flash McCaul has won at least once in each of his first three racing seasons but is 0-for-2 in 2018 and is still seeking his first career stakes victory. The 5-year-old son of Friesan Fire  was outrun early in his most recent start in the Sept. 29 Challedon Stakes at Laurel and never threatened finishing seventh. 

"I used that as basically a vehicle to try and get here," said Trombetta. "There's so few choices of where you can run these kinds of horses because they're not turf, and (it's hard) to find a dirt race that will suit them, so that was what I kind of came up with. I liked the spacing of it. Hopefully he got enough out of his first two races this year to serve him well for this one.

"He can run," Trombetta continued. "He's always been a nice horse for us. He's been fun. He's always done his job," Trombetta said. "He's like any other horse. He had a few things where he needed a break away from the action for a while, but he's trained good to this point so we'll see what Saturday holds."

Flash McCaul will break from post 4 under Trevor McCarthy. 

Another strong contender for the Classic is likely to be Wayne Harrison, Robert Manfuso, and Katie Voss' Saratoga Bob, who ran fifth in his most recent start in the the one-mile off-the-turf Find Stakes Sept. 29 at Laurel. The race marked marked the stakes debut for the 4-year-old son of Friesan Fire and the first time he had been worse than third in eight career starts. 

Also returning from last year's Classic is Clubman. The 4-year-old Not For Love gelding was unhurried racing near the back of the field for six furlongs until being tipped out for a run through the stretch that saw him finish fourth, beaten by 5 1/2 lengths to snap a three-race win streak.

"He's doing great," trainer Jonathan Maldonado said. "To prepare a horse for (the Classic) is tough but this horse is easy to train. After the Maryland Million I ran him in the Claiming Crown and after that we gave him a break and he came back. He had a few races where I expected him to run better but the last two races he's run like I expected. I expect a big one this time. He's doing awesome."

Admiral Blue is the only horse in the Classic field outside of Bonus Points to win at 1 1/8 miles, taking an entry-level allowance Feb. 1 at Aqueduct Racetrack in his second start as a 5-year-old. Based in New York with trainer Rudy Rodriguez, Admiral Blue has raced once before at Laurel where he finished fourth behind multiple graded-stakes winner Something Awesome in the March 17 Harrison E. Johnson Memorial.

The 1 1/8 miles Classic for 3-year-olds and up is the highlight of the 33rd annual Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program, one of seven stakes and four starter stakes that comprise 'Maryland's Day at the Races'. The day kicks off with the Maryland Million and/or Registered Maryland-bred Distaff followed by the Handicap stater stakes, Distaff Handicap, Ladies Stakes, Sprint Handicap, Nursery Stakes, Turf Starter Handicap, Starter Handicap, Lassie Stakes, Turf Stakes.