It’s Maryland Million Day
At 0h02, on October 23, 2021 • By LAUREL PARK
Laurel Park will open its doors at 10 a.m. Saturday for the 36th Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program consisting of eight stakes and four starter stakes starting with a first-race post of 11:30 a.m.
The richest race on the program is the $150,000 Classic (Race 11), with a scheduled post time of 4:57 p.m. Non Stop Stable’s Tappin Cat, third in 2019, is the 6-5 program favorite to extend his win streak to four and earn a second straight stakes triumph following the Governor’s Day Handicap Sept. 25 at Delaware Park.
In the $100,000 Distaff (Race 7, 2:54 p.m.), Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables and Magic City Stables’ Hello Beautiful will attempt to join an elite group with three Maryland Million wins. The 4-year-old filly captured the 2019 Lassie and 2020 Distaff and can join Ben’s Cat, Countus In, Docent, Eighttofasttocatch, Mz. Zill Bear and Hall of Fame mare Safely Kept as three-time winners.
Two-time stakes winner and twice Grade 3-placed Double Crown returns to Maryland for the $100,000 Sprint (Race 10, 4:27 p.m.), where he’ll face defending champion Karan’s Notion. Juveniles will be in the spotlight in the $100,000 Lassie (Race 3, 12:41 p.m.) for fillies, Sparkle Sprinkle will look to give trainer John ‘Jerry’ Robb his ninth overall Maryland Million victory, and $100,000 Nursery featuring stakes winners Cynergy’s Star and Local Motive.
Going 1 1/8 miles over Laurel’s world-class turf course are the $100,000 Ladies (Race 4, 1:15 p.m.) for fillies and mares 3 and up and $100,000 Turf (Race 9, 3:57 p.m.) for 3-year-olds and up.
Maryland Million Day will also feature a special ceremony honoring No Guts No Glory Farm’s homebred mare Anna’s Bandit, winner of the 2019 Distaff who was retired in August after winning 17 races, 11 in stakes, and $806,655 in purse earnings from 39 starts from 2016-2021. In 2019, Anna’s Bandit tied for the most wins of any horse in North American with nine, from 11 starts.
