Cannon’s Roar Chasing Elusive Stakes Win in $125,000 Turf

Originally Published by the Maryland Jockey Club – October 21, 2022

Taking Risks Stable’s Cannon’s Roar, four times stakes-placed, looks to break through in a race where he has been closer than ever to becoming a stakes winner in Saturday’s $125,000 Maryland Million Turf at Laurel Park.

The 1 1/8-mile Turf for 3-year-olds and up is the ninth of eight stakes and four starter stakes on the 37th Jim McKay Maryland Million program, ‘Maryland’s Day at the Races’ celebrating the progeny of stallions standing in the state. Also scheduled for the grass are the $125,000 Ladies for fillies and mares 3 and older going 1 1/8 miles and $100,000 Turf Sprint, a 5 ½-furlong dash for 3-year-olds and up.

Doors open at 10 a.m. EST with a first-race post time of 11:30 a.m. Headlining the card is the $150,000 Classic for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles featuring the past two winners in Prendimi and Monday Morning Qb and program favorite Ournationonparade, the 2019 Nursery winner.

Cannon’s Roar went off as the 2-1 favorite and took a 1 ½-length lead into the stretch of last year’s Turf only to get caught approaching the wire and finish fourth, beaten a half-length. The 8-year-old Orientate gelding was second by a length in 2020 and is making his fourth straight appearance in the Turf, also finishing seventh in 2019.

Trainer Dale Capuano compared Cannon’s Roar to In the Curl, a mare he trained to seven starts in the Maryland Million with three seconds and two thirds between 1986 and 1992, sharing the record for most starts with Ben’s Cat.

“He’s always been close but no cigar. At age 8, maybe this will be his year. We hope so,” he said. “The last horse I remember having like that was In the Curl. She kept hooking Safely Kept and running second to her. She ran in umpteen Maryland Million races and ran well. There’s not very many of them that can do that but he’s been a warrior for us the whole time. Hopefully this will be his year.”

Cannon’s Roar has gone winless in five starts this year including seconds in back-to-back starts at Colonial Downs and Laurel over the summer. Sixth in the 5 ½-furlong Da Hoss Sept. 6, he was fourth last out in a one-mile optional claiming allowance Sept. 24 at Pimlico. He is 21-for-31 over his home track at Laurel, with five wins.

“He gets to walk out of his stall, which is nice, but he’s been doing that every year at Maryland Million,” Capuano said. “He had the lead last year and just got beat late. That was very disheartening because he came so close to end up fourth. But it’s another year, another race, and we’ll see what happens.”

Also in the Turf are 2019 winner Mr. d’Angelo, stakes winners Midnight Hauler and Nick Papagiorgio, as well as Johng and Street Copper, respectively second and third in last year’s race. Penny Woolley’s Mr. d’Angelo ran fourth in defense of his Turf title in 2020 but missed last year’s race, and has one win from four starts this year.

Sylmar Farm’s Midnight Hauler won the Lebanon Valley at Penn National two starts back and was second in the Alphabet Soup at Parx Sept. 24, both 1 1/16 miles on the grass. The Seville gelding has two wins a second and a third in four career turf starts.

Louis Bisso Jr.’s Nick Papagiorgio earned seven of his 10 lifetime wins at Laurel, including the 1 1/16-mile Find June 19 against Maryalnd-bred/sired horses. Alberts Racing’s homebred Johng won four times from 10 starts last year and wound up beaten a nose in the Turf.

“It was very, very excting. I thought we might have gotten there. Obviously, we didn’t, but it was still a great race,” trainer Tim Keefe said. “Last year he kind of had a breakout year. He kind of had things go his way. We had races that went for him and a surface that he prefers, kind of that hard surface vs. the yielding surface. He had a great year. This year we’ve been a little unlucky with some of his races. The footing wasn’t really to his liking in a couple of them. He’s been a lot of fun. He’s been a great horse to have in the barn.”

His name alone will get him plenty of attention on Maryland Million Day, but Charles Blanford’s Crabs N Beer goes into the Turf off a 4 ¼-length open allowance win Oct. 1 at Delaware in a race originally carded for the grass. He ran third in the one-mile James W. Murphy on the undercard of the 147th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 21 and was third in the six-furlong Stanton June 29 at Delaware Park.

“He’s a 3-year-old going against older but this time of year you’ve got to do what you’ve go to do,” trainer Jamie Ness said. “He’s a young horse that went through all his conditions and it seems like he’s been getting better and better. Every race he runs is better than the one before. He won a nice race off the turf at Delaware last time. He can go turf or dirt, he’s got a local owner, so we’re taking a shot.”

Stakes winner Street Copper, third in last year’s Turf, So Street, Nicky Bear, Rhumjar, Benny Havens, Up Against It and Wicked Prankster are also entered. Maryland-bred also eligibles are Power Back, Megayacht and Hanalei’s Houdini.