Trip notes for Laurel Park’s two stakes races today, plus two horses to follow. Good luck!
Make sure to check out the fantastic daily handicapping guide put together by the MJC Team via THIS LINK.
Race 8: Smart Halo Stakes, 2YOF, 6F, Dirt
| HORSE | RACE | TRIP NOTE |
| JUST PHILTORED | Matron S. (G3), BAQ, 6F, Firm Turf, 10/02/25 – 5th | ‘JP’ broke alertly from gate 2 and showed good early speed; settled into a tracking position on the rail, sharing 3rd, ~2L off the even pace early; traveled well in this position to ~7/16 pole, then came under a hand ride to hold her position on the bend; responded to pressure and did so, passing the ¼ pole still just 2L off the lead; then angled out into the clear 2-3W off then bend, came under a stronger ride, dove back to the inside and finished evenly without ever landing a blow. Clean trip. Ran with credit but lacked the required closing punch (indicating she might be better suited to the dirt). Result/speed figure a fair reflection of her ability, making her very live as she drops in class. Player. |
| HOLLEN DRIVE | MSW, IND, 5 1/2F, Fast Dirt, 10/01/25 – 1st | ‘HD’ was hustled into stride following a slight slow break and worked forward to the front; traveled well vying for the lead through slow fractions in the 2P to ~1/4 pole; edged into a slim lead at the top of the lane, then came under a strong ride and powered away for a visually impressive win. Was forwardly placed in a slow run race (DOWNGRADE); still, it was difficult not to be impressed with how she responded to pressure and put the race to bed in the lane; passed the eye test; entitled to improve second out; player. (Could be vulnerable if breaking slightly slow again from gate 2, though). |
| SWEET SHENANIGANS | Small Wonder S., DEL, 6F, Fast Dirt, 09/14/25 – 5th | ‘SS’ broke okay from the outside gate, then sped forward to take a clear 1L lead on the rail racing into the turn; traveled well setting even fractions in front to ~3/8 pole, then began dropping back and came under a ride; straightened for the drive fully extended ~7L off the lead, then weakened further in the lane. Clean trip. No excuse just unable to carry her speed far enough at this level. This race looks tougher again and she’ll need more to factor. |
| PROSECCO RITA | MSW, LRL, 7F, Fast Dirt, 10/10/25 – 1st | ‘PR’ showed good speed under minimal urging and sped to lead on the rail from gate 2; took a strong hold and traveled powerfully setting honest fractions with ~1L advantage to ~1/4 pole; widened in hand approaching the top of the lane; straightened for the drive ~3L up, then came under a stronger ride and powered 9L clear in the stretch to ~1/16 pole before coasting home late. Very nice performance (quickened impressively off a fast early pace and seemingly had more to offer late). Worthy of the utmost respect as she makes her third start today. Cut back to 6F should be fine. |
| WESAWTAYLORINPARIS | PA MSW, PRX, 5 1/2F, Fast Dirt, 10/13/25 – 1st | WESAWTAYLORINPARIS broke alertly form the inside gate; dueled through honest fractions to ~3/8 pole; came under pressure to hold her position racing to the top of the lane and did so; straightened for the drive still head to head for the lead, then came under a stronger ride and edged away in the lane, despite drifting out a touch. Game effort; not much to dislike visually and she could be better again third out at 6F. Speed did hold well in this race, though, and today’s rivals are much tougher (this was a restricted MSW). |
| BEACH HEIST | MSW, KEE, 5 1/2F, Firm Turf, 10/17/25 – 1st | ‘BH’ broke alertly from gate eight and sprinted forward to lead on the rail early; traveled well setting an even, uncontested pace with ~1.5L lead to ~5/16 pole, then opened up slightly while in hand racing to the top of the lane; straightened for the drive ~3L clear, then came under a stronger ride and held safe to the wire, despite only changing leads ~1/8th pole and shortening stride late on. Never gave the others a chance with a smart debut performance that entitles her to major respect today with another step forward possible. Action did look ‘turfy’ though and her stride did shorten late, raising slight concerns about her getting 6F on the dirt. |
| SLEWPERSTITUS | MD Million Lassie S., LRL, 6F, Fast Dirt, 10/11/25 – 1st | SLEWPERSTITUS was unhurried following a clean break; chased the honest pace from ~3L back while in the clear 4-5W racing into the turn; came under a hand ride and began advancing around horses in the 4P racing to ~5/16 pole, then came under a stronger ride and continued her forward progress; straightened for the drive fully extended ~1/2L back in the 5P, then battled very gamely down the center and collared the stubborn leader in the final few jumps. Overcame a very wide trip but also benefited from having a fast pace to run at and that the track was presenting a closer bias. Whatever the case, this was still a very game effort that entitles her to respect again today given there’s so much speed signed on. Contender. |
| DOC’S MIRACLE | MD Million Lassie S., LRL, 6F, Fast Dirt, 10/11/25 – 2nd | ‘DC’ was hustled forward following an okay break; vied for the lead through fast fractions on the rail to ~7/16 pole, then stuck her neck in front and took sole command; continued traveling well in front to ~1/4 pole, then received a shake of the reins and opened up by ~3/4L at the top of the lane; came under a stronger ride ~3/16 pole and from there, gamely held on to her lead from the fast finishing 4/5 fav (well clear of 3rd) until just three jumps from the wire where she was nailed. A very game effort in defeat that entitles her to respect today. Was racing against that grain of the track (closer bias) too (UPGRADE). Saved ground throughout, though, whereas the re-opposing winner was very wide; might struggle to reverse form. |
| TIPMANEE | Maiden Claiming 45k, LRL, 5 1/2F, 09/26/25 – 1st | TIPMANEE was ridden hard from the rail; gradually worked forward into the lead racing into the turn; traveled well enough setting a pressured pace with ~1/4L advantage to the top of the lane, then came under a strong ride when challenged strongly ~3/16 pole; battled gamely head-to-head with the eventual runner up to ~1/16 pole, then edged away late. Showed great determination to break her maiden. Track was very speed favoring, though, (DOWNGRADE) and today’s rivals are much tougher. Needs more. |
Race 9: James F. Lewis III Stakes, 2YO, 6F, Dirt
| HORSE | RACE | TRIP NOTE |
| STAR SWEEPER | Rocky Run S., DEL, 1M, Fast Dirt, 10/11/25 – 5th | ‘SS’ broke slowly from the the inside gate; tracked the modest pace on the rail from ~3L back in behind horses racing to ~5/8 pole, then found an inside opening and advanced in hand to take a share of the lead racing to the far turn; traveled well in this position to ~5/16 pole, then began struggling to hold his position, dropped back under a ride and gradually weakened to the wire. No real excuse, just failed to stay this distance/was outclassed at this level. Cut back to 6F today should help but really needs a big step forward to factor. |
| GURNEY HALLECK | WVVMM Breeders Classic S., CT, 6 1/2F, Fast Dirt, 10/11/25 – 2nd | ‘GH’ hesitated slightly at the break, took a slight bump and got away last; advanced into the clear 3-4W and settled into a tracking 3rd, ~2-3L off the honest tempo; traveled well in this position to ~5/16 pole, then came under a ride and advanced into 2nd but struggled to close in on the clear leader; hit the top of the lane fully extended still ~2-3L off the lead, the stayed even to the wire. Beaten at a very short price but ran his race; just beaten by a better horse on the day. Clean trip; result/speed fig a fair reflection of his ability; expect similar today (making him live against this group). |
| CHANNEL THE MUSIC | Futurity S. (G3), BAQ, 6F, Firm Turf, 10/03/25 – 6th | ‘CTM’ broke cleanly but was out-footed early; chased the even pace on the rail from ~5L back racing to ~5/16 pole, then came under came under a strong ride but failed to find the required turn of foot and remained at ~ an even pace to the wire, despite trying hard. Ran his race at 33/1, just wasn’t quite good enough. Still put in a determined effort that makes him a live contender against today’s easier competition. Lack of a turn of foot on the turf suggests return to dirt is a good move. Player. |
| BIG CUDDLE | MD Million Nursery S., LRL, 6F, Fast Dirt, 10/11/25 – 1st | ‘BC’ was bumped at the break and got away last; quickly found his stride after the break, angled outside and rushed up to chase the hot pace from the rear of mid-pack, ~8L off the lead 4W racing to the turn; gradually advanced in hand racing to the 3/8 pole, then came under a strong ride and maintained his forward momentum in the 6P to reach the top of the stretch just ~4L back; shifted further out into the centre of the track after straightening and continued closing stoutly through the lane; got up in the final few jumps. Very wide trip – BIG UPGRADE. Loved his attitude and passed the eye test; impossible to ignore again with another step forward possible and pace signed on today. Track did favor closers this day, though. |
| WILDNCRAZYGUY | Allowance, CD, 6F, Fast Dirt, 09/12/25 – 4th | WILDNCRAZYGUY broke sharply and sped forward to lead on the rail early; traveled well setting an even pace with ~1/2L advantage into the turn, then received pressure and was joined for the lead ~3/8 pole; came under a ride to hold his position racing to the ¼ pole and just about did so; cut the corner into the lane when still head to head for the lead, then came under a stronger ride but could not go on and weakened into 4th, despite continuing to try hard. Ran his race at 6/1 but just wasn’t good enough. Good trip; result/speed fig a fair reflection of his current ability; expect a similar effort today, meaning he likely needs more. |
| MAX CAPACITY | Allowance, LRL, 5 1/2F, Fast Dirt, 10/26/25 – 1st | ‘MC’ broke a half step slow from gate seven but found his stride quickly after and sped forward to take command early; crossed to the rial entering the turn and traveled well setting an honest pace with ~1.5L advantage to ~5/16 pole; came under a hand ride racing to the top of the lane and edged further clear into a 2.5L lead upon straightening, then came under a stronger ride and held firm to the wire for a solid 1.5L victory. Very nice effort at 11/1 (looked no fluke about it either). Heading in an upward trajectory and passed the eye test; needs more on figs to score today but is certainly worth a second look, especially for exotic purposes. Extra distance should be okay, based off this effort. |
| LUNDI LOOT | MD Million Nursery S., LRL, 6F, Fast Dirt, 10/11/25 – 3rd | ‘LL’ broke alertly from the rail but wasn’t rushed; settled into a tracking position ~2L off the pace racing into the far turn; came under pressure to hold his position rounding the bend and did so; tipped off the rail passing the ¼ pole and angled out into the clear 4-5W; straightened for the drive just 2L back in 3rd, then came under a strong ride and stayed on well to then wire but could not match strides with the winner or get by the longtime leader. Ran his race at 5/1; didn’t disgrace himself but just wasn’t quite good enough. Good trip/setup; result/speed fig a fair reflection of his current ability. Respected but might find it difficult to reverse form with BIG CUDDLE. |
| SOMETIME | Allowance, KEE, 6F, Fast Dirt, 10/04/25 – 3rd | SOMETIME wasn’t rushed after taking a slight bump from the gate; didn’t look in love with the kickback and found himself being scrubbed on when outpaced after the first furlong; chased the even pace from a detached last ~8L off the lead in the 2P racing to the top of the lane, then shifted towards the center, came under a stronger ride and offered a mild late rally into 3rd but never truly threatened. Didn’t travel well in behind kickback, then finished okay when in the clear. Suspect he can build on this effort if staying out of the dirt but would still have really liked to have seen more to endorse him strongly as a win contender. |
| HOLLYWOOD IMPORT | MSW, DEL, 6F, Fast Dirt, 10/09/25 – 1st | ‘HI’ was ridden hard following a clean break but lacked speed and dropped back; resented the kickback strongly and climbed while dropping himself further back to race in last, ~7L off the even tempo passing the 1/2m pole; shifted out into the clear 5-6W entering the bend, then regathered his stride and began to regain lost ground racing to the top of the lane; straightened for the drive just 4L back with strong momentum behind him in the 6-7P, then continued finishing well down the center and got up late. Very wide trip – UPGRADE. Clearly green and resenting kickback early; impressive that he could give the field a head start and still get up to win; suspect he’s capable of much more than the result/fig suggests; wide post today is a positive; leading player. |
| BALBOA | American Pharoah S. (G1), SA, 1 1/16M, Fast Dirt, 10/04/25 – 5th | BALBOA broke a beat slowly from gate five and lacked speed; chased the even pace from ~7L back in a detached last while ~3-4W racing to ~1/2m pole; crept a little closer under a mild hand ride as the field bunched racing into the bend but then found himself outpaced again as the race heated up approaching the top of the lane; straightened for the drive fully extended, ~5L off the lead in last, then weakened while drifting in through the stretch. Never traveled without blinkers on (removed for this race, back on today). Tough to rule out having shown much more speed and talent in his prior starts, even if this was an underwhelming effort, now dropping out of G1 company. |
| SPRINGHAWK | Maiden Claiming 30k, KEE, 6F, Fast Dirt, 10/15/25 – 1st | SPRINGHAWK showed good speed from his wide post; traveled well (best) contesting the lead through even fractions in the 2P racing to ~5/16 pole, then edged forward to take sole command approaching the top of the lane; straightened for the drive ~1L up, then came under a strong ride and kicked away into a 4L lead ~1/8th pole before holding firm to the wire. A solid debut success he’s entitled to improve on second out. Today’s rivals are much tougher, though, and having sat a perfect trip/been fully extended late, he may lack the scope to become a legit win contender today. |
Horses to Follow
R8: SLEWPERSTITUS (4/1 ML)
If you’re someone who places a lot of stock in Beyer speed figures, the 4/1 morning-line odds being offered about SLEWPERSTITUS for today’s Smart Halo Stakes probably seem unattractive, with her recent 64 Beyer falling well short of what the morning-line favorites — JUST PHILTORED, BEACH HEIST, and PROSECCO RITA — have recently achieved. And sure, the Robbie Bailes-trained daughter of GREAT NOTION was the beneficiary of a closer-friendly track and a fast early tempo when winning the Maryland Million Lassie Stakes at odds of 4/5 last time, so that effort probably needs some downgrading. But still, given how this race shapes up on paper, it could be very dangerous to leave her out of any horizontal or vertical wagers.
The rail-drawn JUST PHILTORED, who returns to dirt after a decent effort in the G3 Matron Stakes on turf last time, seems almost certain to send forward from the gate; it would be a surprise if connections picked this spot as the time to experiment with rating her behind kickback for the first time. But neither BEACH HEIST nor PROSECCO RITA have ever passed a horse in their careers either, and they’ll also be gunning for the lead early along with several of the longer-priced contenders. This pace looks as if it could become supersonic — playing right into SLEWPERSTITUS’ hands, and hers only.
What’s more, if you look back to her second career start going 5½ furlongs in Colonial’s Keswick Stakes, when she finished a neck second to JUST PHILTORED — the only time the pair have met on dirt — she closed stoutly in the final furlong and was in front two jumps past the wire, which is encouraging given today’s contest is over six furlongs. And one final point: this filly always shows up. In four lifetime starts, she’s never missed the exacta, and if you watch her replays, it’s clear to the eye that she’s as game as they come. Fast pace, slow pace, wide trip, inside trip — she knows where the wire is, and it’s hard to believe that with the setup she’s likely to get today, she won’t be involved at the finish again. A must-use in any multi-race or vertical ticket, and if she floats up off her 4/1 ML, she might even be worth a small win bet too.
R9: HOLLYWOOD IMPORT (9/2 ML)
It wouldn’t be a shock if the former Bob Baffert-trained BALBOA proved too much for his rivals in today’s James F. Lewis II Stakes, now getting blinkers back on and dropping out of G1 company in his first start for trainer Brittany Russell. However, his last two efforts—albeit against tougher—don’t particularly set him as far apart from this field as his post-time odds are likely to suggest, and there are others who demand respect in this race, notably HOLLYWOOD IMPORT.
This Gary Capuano-trained son of HONOR A. P. took down a Michael Stidham-trained, Godolphin-owned and -bred 9/5 favorite on debut at Delaware 30 days ago by just a head; however, he was much better in doing so than the margin of victory and speed figure would suggest. As highlighted in the trip notes, he strongly resented the kickback early, having broken from gate two, and climbed greenly in the air while dropping himself right back to race in a detached last. But having then shifted out into the clear seven wide on the turn, he regathered his stride and made a relentless charge around horses to get up on the wire.
Essentially, he gave the entire field a large head start, then raced much wider than everyone else, and still managed to win. It was impressive stuff that—despite leaving so much room for improvement you could drive a bus through it—earned him a 72 Beyer, one of the fastest figures on offer.
At this point, it’s worth rehashing what I wrote in these lines last week: “Trainer Gary Capuano has an exceptional record with first-out 2-year-olds (14-for-47, 30%), but it’s not as good as his record with second-out 2-year-olds (15-for-34, 44%).” With the natural improvement expected of a second-time starter, Capuano’s strong record with second-out juveniles (he’s also 3-for-4 (75%) with second-out 2-year-olds in stakes who won on debut), and a wide post that should allow him to avoid kickback and secure a closer position from the start, HOLLYWOOD IMPORT looks set to build on his upgradable debut victory—which could be good enough for him to get the job done again.
