Abiding Star may wheel back in Laurel Park's BWI Turf Cup

Stonehedge LLC’s graded-stakes placed homebred Abiding Star exited a gutsy win in Monday's Neshaminy Stakes at Parx well enough that trainer Ned Allard is considering bringing the 6-year-old gelding back Sept. 21 in the Grade 3, $200,000 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup at Laurel Park.

The one-mile BWI Turf Cup for 3-year-olds and up on Laurel’s world-class turf course is among eight stakes scheduled on Part I of the September to Remember Stakes Festival, highlighted by the Xpressbet Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3).

Abiding Star ran fifth behind 26-1 long shot Doctor Mounty after setting the pace over a yielding course in last year’s edition.

“There’s a possibility I might come back with Abiding Star,” Allard said. “He is a nice horse. He’s won 12 races and is very close to $600,000 in earnings and he’s still very sound and happy. In fact, I think he’s a little better this year than he was last year.”

Abiding Star has finished first or second in six of eight races this year, winning claiming events at Gulfstream Park and Belmont Park and grinding out a front-running neck decision as the favorite in the Neshaminy, run at 7 ½ furlongs over Parx’s turf course.

By Uncle Mo out of the Dynaformer mare Abiding, Abiding Star owns 12 wins and $564,940 in purse earnings from 40 career starts. He won the Private Terms at Laurel and the Parx Derby as a 3-year-old in 2016, earning him a shot at the Preakness Stakes (G1), where he finished last of 11. Last fall he was second, beaten 1 ½ lengths, in the one-mile Red Bank (G3) on the Monmouth Park turf.

“The mile suits him very well. He was very gutsy in his last race, very game. That might be a little different group of horses, but I think he can be very dangerous on a given day, so we’re definitely going to take a look at it,” Allard said. “I’ve always had good luck in Maryland over the years, and I love it there.”

Allard may have a second runner on Laurel’s Sept. 21 program in Me and Mr. C, an impressive debut winner Wednesday at Delaware Park who is targeting the $200,000 Fasig-Tipton Laurel Futurity for 2-year-olds going 1 1/16 miles on the grass.

A half-brother to Abiding Star also bred and owned by Gilbert Campbell’s Stonehedge, Me and Mr. C ran 7 ½ furlongs over the Delaware turf in 1:31.35 to capture the maiden special weight by two lengths.

“He did that very easily yesterday so I’m going to consider the Futurity, because how many 2-year-olds really want to go long on the turf or, at least, how many are established, as yet?” Allard said. “He beat kind of a useful field and did it kind of handily. He was ready to run, we ran him and he ran super. Whether he comes back in the Futurity or not I’m not sure, but we’re sure going to think about that spot.”

Allard said 2016 Maryland Sprint (G3) winner Always Sunshine, eighth in last year’s De Francis Dash, suffered a foot injury training this week. A winner of 10 of 30 races, the most recent coming Aug. 3 in the Senator Robert C. Byrd Memorial at Mountaineer Park, and $629,600 in purse earnings, he breezed five furlongs from the gate in 59.80 seconds Aug. 24 at Delaware.

“He went a very easy half and galloped out five-eighths in 59 and four, [and was] doing super,” Allard said. “But, he bruised his foot and he bruised it pretty badly, so he’s going to be out for a little while.”