Post Time and Barbadian Runner headline 40th Maryland Million Classic

Reigning Maryland-bred Horse of the Year Post Time and 3-year-old Barbadian Runner, the second-richest Maryland-bred earner this year, headline the field of eight in the mile and an eighth $150,000 Milton P. Higgins III Memorial Maryland Million Classic, the 11th of 12 races on the 40th Jim McKay Maryland Million day card on Saturday, Oct. 11.

With Maryland-sired horses earning first preference on Jim McKay Maryland Million Day, Maryland-breds that are not Maryland-sired may only draw in to ensure the field size is eight. Post Time, a perfect 10-for-10 at Laurel Park, with 2025 earnings of $239,190, makes his first appearance at “Maryland’s Day at the Races.”

Entering Saturday as the 3-5 morning-line favorite, Post Time has won three of his six starts this year and finished third last time out in the Woodward Stakes-G2 in New York. Trained by Brittany Russell for Ellen Charles’ Hillwood Stable, Post Time scored in his last Maryland appearance in dominating fashion, taking the Polynesian Stakes on Sept. 7 by 17 lengths.

Bred by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Dr. Brooke Bowman and late Milton P. Higgins III, a longtime Maryland breeder and the namesake of this year’s Classic, Post Time has a career record of 21-12-3-5 and nearly $1.5 million in the bank. His regular rider Sheldon Russell is up.

AJ Will Win Stables LLC’s Barbadian Runner, trained by Henry Walters and 6-1 on the morning line, will be ridden by Forest Boyce, who won the Classic in 2013 and 2014 aboard Eighttofasttocatch. Boyce has guided the gelding in his last four starts, including a win in the $500,000 Robert Hilton Memorial Stakes on Aug. 22 at Charles Town, and three stakes seconds. Bred by Shamrock Farm and a son of their former stallion Barbados, Barbadian Runner has four stakes wins this year (Boyce aboard for three of them) from nine starts and more than $565,000 in the bank to put him behind only Mindframe on Maryland’s top-earners rankings. He will be making his first start at the Classic distance and his first against older runners.

The field from the rail out:
Post 1–Mugatu, a Kentucky-bred sired by Murmur Farm sire Blofeld, will be ridden by Jeiron Barbosa, who won last year’s Classic with Brilliant Ice. Mugatu ran in the 2024 Preakness Stakes-G1 and finished third in last year’s Classic. This will be his first stakes start since.
Post 2–Barbadian Runner
Post 3–Hittheroadjak, fourth-place finisher in the Classic a year ago, placed in three Laurel stakes earlier this year before getting a nearly four-month break. In his first start back in September, the son of Bonita Farm sire Kobe’s Back finished second in allowance company.
Post 4–Secret Zipper, a Maryland-bred half-brother to multiple stakes-winning Distaff entrant Onyx Ten, won twice at Laurel in the winter and in his most recent start ran third in the same September allowance behind Hittheroadjak.
Post 5–Post Time
Post 6–Blue Kingdom, from the first crop of Northview Stallion Station’s First Mondays, comes in undefeated in three starts this year, the last two in front-running fashion while winning by daylight. Trained by Jamie Ness, who won the Classic with Ournationonparade in 2022, he’ll have 2021 Classic-winning rider Mychel Sanchez in the irons.
Post 7–Sacred Thunder, a stakes-winning sophomore son of Holy Boss, ran in eight straight stakes at Laurel, recording a win, two seconds and three thirds, including the Maryland Million Nursery. In his last two starts he has a win followed by a second to the older Blue Kingdom last time out.
Post 8–Feeling Woozy (Irish War Cry), also trained by Ness, gets brave on the front-end. In all six of his career wins, he’s been on the lead at nearly every call. He has two wins this year, including last out at Parx Racing, and has won at the distance.
Also-eligible–Maryland-bred All the Hardways will require a scratch to draw into the race. The 3-year-old has three wins and three second-place finishes in 10 starts at Laurel Park and was fourth in last year’s Nursery. He is trained by John “Jerry” Robb, winner of the Classic in 1987 with Little Bold John.

The Classic is the richest of eight stakes and four starter handicaps that comprise the Jim McKay Maryland Million program. The event was launched by legendary sportscaster McKay in 1986 to celebrate stallions standing in the state and has influenced similar events across the U.S. and Canada.

The $125,000 Maryland Million Turf at a mile and an eighth sees the return of Sky’s Not Falling (Seville-Ger), winner of the 2022 Maryland Million Turf Sprint and second by a nose in last year’s Turf. Also in the field of eight (plus five on the A.E. list) is last year’s third-place finisher Crabs N Beer (Blofeld), 2023 Turf-placed Jack’s Legend (Great Notion), a full brother to two-time Turf winner Talk Show Man, and graded stakes-placed Maryland-bred 4-year-old filly Youknownothing, who looks to join 1990 winner Hear the Bells as the only fillies to defeat the boys in the Turf.

A field of nine (plus two A.E.) is entered in the $125,000 Maryland Million Ladies at a mile and a sixteenth on the turf and Precious Avary (Divining Rod), the 2023 winner who was caught late and finished second last year, is out for redemption. Concrete Faze (Super Ninety Nine), on the board in 10 of her 11 starts this year, takes a big step up in company for her stakes debut, while 2025 two-time Maryland-bred stakes winner Lifelovenlaughter looks to draw in from the A.E. list.

Foxy Junior (Cuba) returns to defend her title in the $100,000 Maryland Million Distaff at seven furlongs. She faces last year’s Distaff second and third-place finishers Sheilahs Warcloud (Madefromlucky) and Spencerian (Irish War Cry), as well as 2024 Lassie winner Shkhara Fire (Friesan Fire) and 2025 stakes winners Onyx Ten (Street Magician), Safe Trust (Mosler) and Stickwiththecolors (Divining Rod) in a contentious field of 12.

Eight-time stakes winner and graded stakes-placed Witty (Great Notion) highlights a solid field of eight to contest the $100,000 Maryland Million Turf Sprint. Winner of the 2023 edition, he once again faces the second and third-place finishers that day — Tidewater (Outflanker) and Whenigettoheaven (Street Magician). Also in the field is Had to Have Him, the third-place finisher last year at 3, winner of the Laurel Dash in his most recent start, and on the board in all four of his outings this year.

Packed fields of 2-year-olds will line up for the $100,000 Maryland Million Lassie Stakes and the $100,000 Maryland Million Nursery, both at six furlongs. Among the dozen fillies entered in the Lassie are those by first-year Maryland sires Engage and Galawi (Ire), while Slewperstitus (Great Notion) and Doc’s Miracle (Long River) come in with stakes experience, each hitting the board in their last starts.

The 14 runners for the Nursery are led by Fitz Dixon Jr. Memorial Juvenile Stakes winner Live Stream (Long River) and stakes-placed Lundi Loot (First Mondays). More than half the field won first-time out.

The final race of the day is the $100,000 Maryland Million Sprint. Leading Maryland sire Great Notion is represented by three entries: Slam Notion, winner of this year’s Star de Naskra Stakes; Haileysfirstnotion, never worse than third in seven starts this year, all at the six-furlong distance; and the richest runner in the field, Twisted Ride. A four-time stakes winner and multiple graded stakes-placed runner of $667,868 who ran second in the 2023 Sprint (one of his seven stakes-placings), Twisted Ride is seeking his first win in more than a year.

“Maryland’s Day at the Races” is rounded out by four starter handicaps: the Turf Distaff Starter (13 entered) and Turf Starter (11 entered), each worth $50,000, and the Starter (11 entered) and Distaff Starter (nine entered), worth $40,000 apiece.

A total of 134 runners are entered over the 12 races. Northview Stallion Station’s Great Notion, who has at least one winner on the card for 15 straight years, leads this year’s Maryland Million stallions by number of entries (15 spread across eight races). Country Life Farm sire Mosler is second with 12 entries (in six races).

First-race post time is 11:30 a.m.