Special Reserve adds another stakes win for Maker in Maryland Sprint

Paradise Farm Corp. and David Staudacher’s Special Reserve dueled with favored Strike Power into the turn, put away that rival once straightened for home and rolled to a 1 3/4-length victory in Saturday’s $150,000 Maryland Sprint (G3) at Pimlico Race Course.

The 34th running of the six-furlong Sprint for 3-year-olds and up, was the seventh of 10 stakes, six graded, worth $2.25 million in purses on a spectacular 14-race program headlined by the 146th Preakness Stakes (G1), Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.

Special Reserve ($9.80) finished up in 1:08.91 over a fast main track to give jockey Irad Ortiz Jr. his second win on the day and trainer Mike Maker his third stakes win of Preakness weekend. On Friday, Maker swept the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2) with Army Wife and historic $250,000 Pimlico Special (G3) with Last Judgment.

“I just gave a leg up to Irad and said 'Good luck,’” Maker said. ”That was about it. He was going to be forwardly placed.”

Beaten 1 1/4 lengths after setting the pace in the seven-furlong Commonwealth (G3) April 3 at Keeneland in his previous start, Special Reserve and 2018 Swale (G3) winner Strike Power engaged in a battle on the front end going the first quarter in 22.94 seconds and the half in 45.38. Special Reserve, racing on the outside, began to gain a slight edge leaving the far turn and was set down for a drive at the top of the stretch.

Strike Power fought back but was unable to catch the winner, finishing 1 1/4 lengths ahead of Frosted Grace, who rallied up the rail for third by a half-length over Mucho. Grade 3 winner Laki was fifth, snapping a two-race win streak at Pimlico that included the 2020 Frank J. De Francis Memorial (G3) on last year’s Preakness undercard as well as the April 24 Frank Whiteley.

Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, trainer of Strike Power, had won the previous two editions of the Maryland Sprint with Switzerland in 2018 and New York Central in 2019. The race was not run in 2020 when the stakes calendar was adjusted and delayed amid the coronavirus pandemic. Strike Power’s jockey, Ricardo Santana Jr., was aboard both horses as well as 2017 winner Whitmore.

Maker claimed Special Reserve for $40,000 out of a neck victory sprinting six furlongs in the slop Feb. 6 at Oaklawn Park. He was a front-running winner of the first race for his new connections, also at six furlongs, before stretching out for his stakes debut in the Commonwealth where he finished behind subsequent Grade 1 winner Flagstaff.