Dynamic Strike wins Miracle Wood Stakes

Dynamic Strike made his stakes debut a successful one when he rallied to defeat Where's Dominic by a length in the $125,000 Miracle Wood Stakes at Laurel Park.

With jockey Julien Pimentel aboard, Dynamic Strike settled back in fourth place early on in the one-mile race, about four or five lengths behind pace-setting Yougotthatgoinforu. Alpha Mike Foxtrot and Vegas No Show were tracking the pace in second and third, while Where's Dominic and Lunar Rock were the trailers.

Through fractions of :24.02, :47.28, and 1:13.55 seconds, Yougotthatgoinforu continued to lead the way, but turning for home Vegas No Show slipped through along the rail to grab the lead and appeared to be on his way to victory. However, Yougotthatgoinforu had something left in the tank, and gamely clung to his advantage as the eighth pole neared.

But then, in the blink of an eye, the rest of the field had caught up with them. For a few moments, all six of the runners were spread across the race track with little more than a length between them. But coming down to the finish, Where's Dominic and Dynamic Strike pulled clear of the rest, with the latter eventually edging the former to win the race in 1:40.58 seconds.

Lunar Rock rallied up the fence to finish third, followed by Yougotthatgoinforu and Vegas No Show. Alpha Mike Foxtrot stumbled and fell in deep stretch. Unfortunately, he was too severely injured to save, and had to be euthanized.

The winner is trained by Dick Small and owned by Fitzhugh LLC. A son of Smart Strike out of the Deputy Minister mare Dynamic Deputy, Dynamic Strike has now compiled a record of 3-0-0 from 4 starts.

-Keelerman

Ben's Cat wins third straight Maryland Million Turf Sprint

Heavily favored Ben's Cat won his third straight Maryland Million Turf Sprint Handicap this afternoon at Laurel Park, closing strongly in the stretch and holding off a late run from Heros Reward to win the 5-1/2 furlong sprint by three-quarters of a length.

With Julian Pimentel aboard, Ben's Cat got off to a good start and settled into the third position while tracking Boltin' Out and Steady Warrior through fractions of :21.43 and :44.16. Colony Club and Wire Funds were next in line, with A P Elvis and Dr Disco racing in mid-pack. Heros Reward and Houston Bull were the trailers.

Turning into the homestretch, Ben's Cat made his bid for the lead, surpassing Boltin' Out and opening up a 1 1/2 length advantage passing the eighth pole. But his crushing weight assignment of 128 pounds seemed to be wearing him down, and the six-year-old gelding was unable to shake clear of the field. Then, from out of the clouds, came the ten-year-old veteran gelding Heros Reward, with a feathery 116 pounds on his back. Suddenly, victory was no longer a given for Ben's Cat. Heros Reward was closing ground with every stride, flying home furiously under Elvis Trujillo.

The wire was nearing. Ben's Cat dug deep. And somehow, the son of Parker's Storm Cat was able to find another gear, courageously stemming off Heros Reward to win the race by three-quarters of a length in 1:01.64 seconds. In doing so, he entered the history books as only the fourth horse to win a Maryland Million race on three straight occasions, and the first to do so since Mz. Zill Bear won the Maryland Million Ladies from 1993 to 1995.

Trained by King Leatherbury, who was winning his tenth Maryland Million race, Ben's Cat brought his record to 18-2-1 from 27 starts, with earnings of $1,216,090.

Colony Club finished three-quarters of a length behind Heros Reward in third, followed by A P Elvis, Boltin' Out, Wire Funds, Dr Disco, Houston Bull, and Steady Warrior.

-Keelerman