Elnaawi, Star Pearl Score Laurel Stakes Wins

 

Sheldon Russell was winning his second stakes on the afternoon as he guided the son of Street Sense for trainer Kiaran McLaughlin to a 7-1/4 length victory. Turco Bravo was second and Cosmic Gold finished third. Betting favorite Stormin Monarcho finished fifth.

 

“The race worked out perfect,” Russell said. “He warmed up good and he took a liking to the track. He broke well and put me in a great spot. I thought Stormin Monarcho was the horse to beat. When he started backing up, my horse made a huge run and we never looked back.”

 

This was the first stakes win for Elnaawi, whose best previous stakes appearances were third place finishes in the Yankee Affair Stakes at Belmont Park last September and the 2013 Gotham Stakes (G3).

 

“I told Sheldon to try to keep this horse close. He gave him an excellent ride today,” said assistant trainer Austin Luttrell. “He has been training very well and doing everything that we’ve expected. He ran exceptionally well at Keeneland (an allowance win two races back). He enjoys the wet track and we got lucky.”

 

Elnaawi covered the distance over the sloppy going in 1:45.40. He paid $12.20.

Pearl Bloodstock, Ltd.’s Star Pearl hounded the pacesetter to the top of the lane before wresting command and drawing away to victory in the 1-1/16th mile, $100,000 Nellie Morse Stakes, the third of four $100,000 stakes races Saturday afternoon at Laurel Park.

 

Before You Know It had blasted to the front down the backstretch but Star Pearl, with jockey Sheldon Russell, stayed on her heels. The two separated from the rest and the race came down to which would have the most in the tank. The Graham Motion trainee, a daughter of Tapit, proved to be best, winning by 3-1/4 lengths, while another Motion trainee, Zucchini Flower, finished third.

 

“Graham had mentioned that she hadn’t really run well on an off track before. Recently they have liked her morning workouts,” said Russell, who rode Star Pearl once previously. “She has really matured over the last year. She is very easy to ride. She broke nicely and put me in great spot going into the first turn. The race set up perfect. I was able to sit off the speed and when I asked her to go she dug in and finished up well.”

 

Star Pearl, who won three-of-six a year ago including a stakes race at Presque Isle Downs, paid $10.40.

 

The crowd pegged Mrs. Frank Wright’s Lady Sabelia as the 1-5 favorite and she ran to expectations, winning the $100,000 What A Summer Stakes by a comfortable margin over the soggy main track at Laurel Park, the first of four $100,000 stakes races Saturday afternoon.

 

Horacio Karamanos has ridden Lady Sabelia in every start since her maiden victory, six wins in 10 starts including four stakes. The daughter of Majestic Warrior, who won for the third consecutive start, covered the 6-furlongs in 1:12.01 and crossed the finish line 1-1/4 lengths in front of runner up She’s Ordained. Sounds of the City was third.

 

“My horse broke good and showed speed but I didn’t want to run heel to heel with the filly (Winning Image) in front,” Karamanos said. “We sat behind waiting. My filly really wanted to go at the 3/8ths pole. We swung outside. She had a nice kick and ran very even down the stretch to the wire.”

 

The 5-year-old mare, who paid $2.60 to win, won four-of-five races in 2014 for trainer Robin Graham, including the Willa On The Move Stakes here on December 6.

 

“She is a very nice mare but we had to give her quite a bit of time off when she was younger about six to eight months for her shins and recently she has missed a few starts because of an eye problem. That is why she only raced four times last year,” Graham said. “She always runs well and I never have to give the jockey any instructions. If there is speed she can wait and if there’s not she can go.”

 

Graham indicated her star would run next in the $300,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap (G2) here on February 14.

 

Defending champion Winning Image finished sixth in her final career start. The 8-year-old daughter of Southern Image retires with 14 victories, including 10 stakes scores, in 34 career starts with earnings of $750,237.