Heldish Chasing First Stakes Win in $100,000 Nursery

 Originally published by the Maryland Jockey Club – October 20, 2022

Already holding a special place for his connections, ItsTheJHo’s Heldish gets the chance to add another chapter to the story in Saturday’s $100,000 Maryland Million Nursery at Laurel Park.

The Nursery for 2-year-olds and $100,000 Lassie for fillies, both sprinting six furlongs, are among 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.

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.

ItsTheJHo’s Justin Horowitz purchased Heldish for $40,000 out of Fasig-Tipton’s Eastern Fall Yearling sale last October at the Maryland State Fairgrounds in Timonium – the first horse he ever owned. When the Great Notion colt graduated in debut July 1 at Laurel, it was both Horowitz’s first win and the first for jockey Sheldon Russell in his return from 296 days away due to injury.

“We’ve liked this horse from the beginning. I feel like everybody that’s been around this horse has liked him,” trainer Brittany Russell said. “I think he’s a pretty handy horse. He’s just kind of done everything right all along the way. From a 2-year-old standpoint he’s really progressed and taken everything so well and come along so well. It’s fun to be in this position with him.”

Heldish ran second by a half-length as the favorite in his second start, the five-furlong Hickory Tree Aug. 9 at Colonial Downs. He was taken out of his comfort zone last out when he hit the gate and found himself behind horses for the first time in a six-furlong optional claiming allowance Sept. 10 at historic Pimlico Race Course but got up late to be second.

“When he gets away well, he will be close. He didn’t get away well last time so Sheldon went to Plan B. He might always get away well so you need to find out if he can be a little bit versatile, and he showed that he can be. I think he ran really well considering the circumstances,” Russell said. “He’s been working regularly. He had a really nice work the other day, so we’re very happy where we are with him.”

Russell also entered Respect the Valleys’ Bestsugardaddyever, who was claimed for $45,000 out of a maiden claiming debut victory Aug. 6 at Laurel. The Blofeld gelding broke slowly and wound up fifth in the 5 ½-furlong Dover Sept. 1 at Delaware Park.

“He’s a horse that looks like he wants to go a route in time, but it’s just hard for those races to go right now. A race like this against Maryland-sired horses probably isn’t a terrible place to try,” she said. “It’s a race that looks like it should have some speed, so hopefully it will set up and he can get a piece. The horse is doing really good so that’s always a reason to take a swing. If you watch his last work, it was the gallop-out that was pretty impressive. I was happy to see that.”

No Guts No Glory Farm homebred Bandits Heart has raced three times, all in stakes, breaking his maiden second time out in the Dover. Most recently he showed speed before fading to be last of five in the six-furlong First State Dash Sept. 29 at Delaware, and will be fitted with blinkers for the Nursery.

“He didn’t run his race at all last time,” trainer Jerry Robb said. “He broke his maiden in a stake and beat some pretty nice horses, and then he came back and ran a real bummer. I think he was just intimidated in the race, so hopefully with the blinkers we’ll see the true horse.”

Trainer Dale Capuano entered the pair of Lost Weekend and Johnyz from Albany. Louis Ulman and Neil Glasser’s Lost Weekend was a 5 ½-length debut winner sprinting four furlongs Sept. 5 at Timonium before finishing second by a half-length in the First State Dash.

“To me, that was an impressive race. He came off one half-mile race and ran about three weeks or so later going three-quarters at Delaware ,which is not an easy track to get over if you haven’t been on it,” Capuano said. “I thought he ran a terrific race. If he can improve a little bit off of that race, I would think he should be tough.”

Charles Reed’s homebred Johnyz From Albany also won first time out in a five-furlong maiden special weight Aug. 21 at Laurel. He has hit the board twice since, finishing third – a neck behind Heldish – at Pimlico, and second by less than two lengths in a 5 ½-furlong optional claiming allowance over a sloppy track Oct. 2 at Laurel. Capuano trained his mother, Monster Sleeping, winner of the Maryland Million Ladies in 2013 and 2015.

“He’s been beaten by some out-of-towners that have come in. He’s run well, so I expect he should fit in this race well also,” Capuano said. “He’s been an honest horse for us, just like his mother was when we had her. I expect the same thing. He’s training well and going into the race well, so I expect him to run well.”

Paymengold, winner of the Sept. 17 Henry Mercer Memorial at Charles Town; Bo’s Bourbon, Feeling Woozy, Pride of Payton, Tiz No Clown, Wildhunch and Indybound are also entered. Maryland-bred also eligibles are Super Accelerate and Hop and Scotch.