Not For Love progeny rule on Maryland Million Day

Sylvia E. Heft's Eighttofasttocatch won just as 4-5 favorite should,

running down the speed and bounding away to victory in the $150,000

Classic, the

feature race contested under rainy conditions on Maryland Million day

at Laurel Park.

The Maryland Million is the most important racing day at Laurel Park with 11

races for runners sired by Maryland-based stallions for combined purses totaling

$1.05 million. The 26th annual event drew a crowd of 20,907 Saturday afternoon.

Attendance figures have exceeded 20,000 on 22 occasions.

Introduced in 1986, the Maryland Million has been duplicated by 22 other

states. Hall of Fame TV Broadcaster Jim McKay originally proposed the Maryland

Million concept and remained the chairman of the board until his death on June

7, 2008.

Jockey Sheldon Russell was at the controls as a Not For Love offspring

captured yet another race on Maryland's Day at the Races. It was also the second

year in a row that Russell had won the Classic. Last year he guided Regal Solo

to victory in the Million's signature race.

The stakes action got started when Nona Lisa Stables LLC's Brushed By Love proved to be relentless in the one

mile, $100,000

Maryland Million Oaks, forcing the

pace down the backstretch

after breaking last, edging to the lead into the turn and then drawing

away from her four rivals in the drive to the finish line.

Under jockey Julian Pimentel for trainer Mike Trombetta, the three-year-old

daughter of Not For Love won by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:38 3/5 over the fast main

track. Blushing B. J. edged out frontrunner Love's Reason for second.

Brushed By Love, who was bred in Maryland by Bowman Higgins Stable, Thomas

Sutton & Huckleberry Farm LLC, paid $4.80. The bay lass was making her

stakes debut in the race and has now amassed $106,980 to go along with a 7-3-0-0

career mark.

"We were up a little closer today than last time," Pimentel said. "She was

going comfortably and I let her do her own thing. At the top of the lane I was

just sitting, waiting. After she switched leads is when I asked her to go and

she did that nicely."

Vicki Schowe's homebred Sloane Ranger pressed the pace before spurting away to win the $100,000

Maryland Million Sprint. The victory was the second on the afternoon for an offspring of Parker's

Storm Cat.

Every time jockey Horacio Karamanos asked Sloane Ranger for another turn of

speed, he got it. The five-year-old gelding, who is trained by Marty Ciresa, held

off last year's Maryland Million Classic winner Regal Solo to win by a

half-length. Sandbagin' Lover finished third. Defending champion Jack On the

Rocks ran fifth.

"My horse had good position all the way," Karamanos said. "He ran exactly the

way he likes to run. He likes to run a little bit clear on the outside and when

he broke clear out of the gate I put him in fourth position, then third position

to keep him ready for the moment. I waited for the right time and when my horse

changed leads, I asked him and he responded."

Sloane Ranger was timed in 1:10 for the six furlongs, contested as light

rain set in over the central Maryland track. Sloane Ranger paid $6.60 as the 2-1 favorite.

John Petrini's Love That Dance took over the lead just a few strides

after the start, then set the tempo the rest of the way to win the

$100,000

Maryland Million Distaff.

Pablo Fragoso, who has ridden Love That Dance exclusively since June,

was in the irons as the daughter of Not For Love covered the

seven-furlong distance in 1:24 2/5. The five-year-old mare won by a head

over a very game Silver Heart, while Fools In Love was another 1 1/4

lengths farther back in third.

"Did not appear to be much speed in there," Fragoso said, "so we

decided the best strategy would be to go to the lead. I was surprised

when the other horse (Silver Heart) out broke us so sharply but my mare

ran right up and took command. She relaxed very well going down the

backside after the gray horse backed off of us. I tried to save as much

as I could until inside the sixteenth-pole. I chirped to her and hit her

a couple times and she dug in and held off the other horse, who was

closing fast."

Bred by her owner in New Jersey, Love That Dance paid $5.40. The Ben

Perkins trainee was recording her second Maryland Million win in three

tries after taking the 2009 Oaks and running second in last year's

Distaff. The chestnut's scorecard now reads 30-10-6-2, $635,344.

Charles McGill's homebred Pocket Patch was the easiest kind of winner while

defending his title in the

$100,000 Maryland Million Turf.

Last year Jonathan Joyce was aboard the Partner's Hero gelding for trainer

Flint Stites. This year Forest Boyce had her turn aboard Pocket Patch and the

win marked her first score in a Maryland Million race.

Pocket Patch met with no resistance as he dragged Boyce to the lead down the

backstretch and they quickly opened a 2 1/2-length lead. At the end of the nine furlongs, which was contested over a

yielding turf course, Pocket Patch was ahead by 4 3/4 lengths and under

the finish line in 1:56 3/5, with Day Flight finishing second, and Ham and Ernie

taking third.

Pocket Patch paid $15 for this third stakes score, which improved his

line to 27-6-5-2, $321,610.

"We broke OK, not as well as some of the others," Boyce said. "He was

relaxed and running easy so I tucked in and sat off the pace. When it was time

to go he exploded down the lane and finished up great."

Richard L. Golden's Love's Blush improved one position from her runner-up

finish in last year's

Maryland

Million Ladies in her third attempt to win on Maryland Million Day. Her

victory rewarded Laurel-based trainer Rodney Jenkins with his first victory on

Maryland's Day at the Races.

Jeremy Rose held the reins as the five-year-old daughter of Not For Love

raced outside of horses from start to finish. She spurted to the lead entering

the far turn and then slowly drew away. With the win, Love's Blush was

conquering last year's winner My Sweet Nenana and eight other fillies and mares

in the nine-furlong test over the soft turf. The defending champion finished

fourth in the $100,000 contest.

"This is the first time Jeremy has ever ridden her," Jenkins said. "He

followed my instructions. I told him, if I get beat I don't want to get beat

inside. Just keep her on the outside, I told him."

Love's Blush, who was bred by Sycamore Hall Farm LLC, completed the distance

in 1:55 on the good turf and won by 3 1/2 lengths while paying $11.20 for the win. Baltimore

Belle finished a game second while Dream Louise was third.

No Guts No Glory Stable's Glib rocketed to the top of his class with an easy

score in the $100,000

Maryland Million Nursery.

A 7 1/4-length winner in his debut at Charles Town in late August, the son of

Great Notion had Eric Camacho as a passenger as he swept to the lead nearing the

far turn and galloped away to an easy score in 1:10 4/5 for six furlongs on the

fast dirt. Coach Fridge finished 4 1/2 lengths farther back in second while Won the War took third.

John Robb trains Glib, who was bred by Mr. and Mrs. Charles McGinnes and paid

$12.80.

"I've been waiting for this moment my whole life," said owner Gina

Rosenthal, the daughter of former jockey and trainer Luigi Gino. "This is a big

moment."

"The owner had the pressure on from the day we got him in the sale, we had to

win the Maryland Million," Robb joked. "Seriously, we were pointing to it all

year. It was tough getting here but it worked out. His shins have been bothering

him from day one. I bought two or three horses from Mr. McGinnes at the sale and

when I was leaving the sale he asked me if I wanted another horse. Gina was with

me and she said 'I'll take him.' If Mr. McGinnes has any more horses that he

wants to give away, I'll be glad to take them."

The Salzman family is known for having two-year-olds ready to run,

and John Salzman Jr. has conditioned the first juvenile winner in

Maryland for three consecutive years. Thus is was no surprise when

Salzman saddled Bluegrass Atatude to capture the $100,000

Maryland Million Lassie.

Owned by All the Above Racing, Bluegrass Atatude, a Two Punch filly

bred by Bowman & Higgins Stable, Anthony W. Dutrow & Rebecca Davis,

carried Jorge Chavez to the finish line in 1:12 2/5 for six furlongs. She won by three lengths after sweeping

four wide into the lane. Taxi Dancer caught Nastar Medallist in the

final jump to take second by just a nose.

"All year long we've been training for this spot," said Salzman, who

finished second in this race last year with Twelve Pack Shelly. "I

wanted her just to lay off the pace and then to get geared up coming

down the lane."

Bluegrass Atatude paid $11.40 while improving her resume to 3-2-0-1,

$77,180.

"My filly took a little funny step first jump," Chavez said. "I took a hold

of her the best I could and then she just picked it up, gaining on horses going

into the turn. When I asked her to make her move she just ran by everybody. She

was well in hand most of the trip and I had some left at the end. Young horses

like this, you don't want to squeeze everything out of them this early in their

career. She won with something left. She's a nice filly."

The victory moved Two Punch into sole possession of third place on the

all-time sire list with 12 Maryland Million winners, one more than 1983

Preakness winner Deputed Testamony.