Bosserati Determined Winner of $100,000 Turf Sprint

LAUREL, MD – Joel Politi homebred Bosserati, Maryland’s 2023 champion 3-year-old filly facing males for the first time, led every step of the way and held off a prolonged challenge from Great Idea in deep stretch to capture Saturday’s $100,000 Maryland Million Turf Sprint by a neck at Laurel Park.

The Turf Sprint, a 5 ½-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up, was among eight stakes and four starter stakes on the 39th Jim McKay Maryland Million program, ‘Maryland’s Day at the Races’ celebrating stallions standing in the state.

Ridden by Sheldon Russell for his wife, trainer Brittany Russell, Bosserati ($12.60) covered the distance in 1:02.04 over a firm Dahlia turf course to win for the first time in six starts this year. Two of her losses, both in stakes, have come by a neck.

“It’s unfortunate she hadn’t won a race. She does all the dirty work and I think the last few times they sort of nailed her right on the line,” Sheldon Russell said. “She sort of puts separation on her opponents and I don’t know if she switches off and thinks she’s won the race.

“She’s really fast. She broke alertly and I tried to sort of control her as much as I could. I didn’t know if we were going to get there in time or if they were going to nail me again, but fair play to her. She ran hard all the way to the line, and that second wire is a long way to go. She runs so hard the early on in the race she’s going to pay for it late, but she’s got a big heart.”

Breaking from outside all but one of her nine rivals, Bosserati was urged to the lead by Russell and able to cross over and establish herself up front while going the opening quarter-mile in 21.82 seconds with 15-1 long shot Fun Notion and fellow stakes winner Whenigettoheaven giving closest chase. Defending champion Witty, the 8-5 favorite, broke slowly and trailed the field.

Bosserati went a sharp half-mile in 44.63 seconds to maintain her advantage straightening for home, with Fun Notion on the outside and Great Idea along the rail in threatening positions. Bosserati dug in gamely as Great Idea inched closer approaching the wire but was unable to get past the stubborn leader.

“She’s quick. When you looked at the race that’s kind of what you’re going off of, hopefully she can get out there and do her thing. You know that something’s going to be running at her late,” Brittany Russell said. “I was in the paddock going crazy. I was with [trainer] Anthony Farrior and I’m like, ‘I don’t know if you’re good luck or bad luck.’ But, it turns out I might watch a few more races with him.”

It was 1 ½ lengths back to Had to Have Him in third, with necks separating the next three finishers – Katie’s Notion, Whenigettoheaven and Fun Notion. Blame the Tux, Witty, Tiz No Clown and Beltane completed the order of finish, while Benny Havens, Sue Loves Barbados and Maryland-bred also-eligible S S Sinatra were scratched.

“She’s a stakes winner and she’s a turf sprinter so you’ve just got to go with those opportunities sometimes,” Brittany Russell said. “We were looking at a three-other-than for her and that didn’t go, so here we are. Sometimes those are the things that are like, ‘You know what, maybe this will work out,’ and it did.”

Bosserati won her first three races including the 5 ½-furlong Stormy Blues last summer after being switched to the turf. She is the fourth Maryland Million winner for Brittany Russell following Hello Beautiful, who won the 2019 Lassie – Russell’s first career stakes victory – and 2020 and 2021 Distaff. She is one of only seven horses in history to win three Maryland Million races.

“It’s a different feeling when you don’t have a horse like Hello Beautiful,” Russell said. “I always felt like there was a little bit of pressure when we would walk her over here, and today there was less pressure, obviously hoping to win a race. It feels just as good either way.”

From Laurel Park.