Stablemates Amelia’s Wild Ride, Class and Cash clash in Laurel Dash

Stablemates Amelia’s Wild Ride and Class and Cash, with 21 wins and nearly $850,000 in purse earnings between them, will become opponents for the first time when they meet up in a field of 10 for Saturday’s $100,000 Fidelity First and Blackwell Real Estate Laurel Dash at Laurel Park.

 

The 19th running of the Laurel Dash for 3-year-olds and up and the inaugural $100,000 Sensible Lady Turf Dash for fillies and mares 3 and older, both at six furlongs, are among six stakes over Laurel’s world-class turf course that complement the 26th running of the $250,000 Xpressbet Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) on a 12-race Fall Festival of Racing program.

 

First race post time is 1:10 p.m.

 

Dennis Tanchak’s Amelia’s Wild Ride is already a multiple stakes winner, having taken an off-the-turf Woodford (G3) at Keeneland in the fall of 2015 and the Sunshine Millions Turf Sprint last winter at Gulfstream Park.

 

The 6-year-old D’wildcat ridgling was beaten less than a length combined in his next two starts, both Gulfstream stakes, before ending a 14-month layoff by running third in the Jim McKay Turf Sprint May 19 at historic Pimlico Race Course. He was off the board after finding trouble in three subsequent starts, but trainer Jane Cibelli is optimistic heading into the Dash.

 

“He had legitimate excuses, actually, and that’s why we’ve not opted to drop into the claiming ranks,” Cibelli said. “The first time he ran off the layoff he got in a lot of trouble and just got beat by a couple of very nice horses. When he came back he got annihilated when a horse bolted and took him to the outside fence. After that there was no point.

 

“The last time a horse came over on him a little bit and crowded him. It really hasn’t been his fault,” she added. “He’s doing great. He’s training super. Soundness-wise he couldn’t be better, he’s feeling good and everything else. This seems like the spot. We’ll give it another whirl and see. He couldn’t really be doing any better. It would be no surprise if he jumped up and won quite honestly because he has the back class and he’s doing well.”

 

Edward J. Short’s Class and Cash, meanwhile, enters the Dash having won two straight races and five of six this year, improving his record to 11-for-23 lifetime. The front-running son of Exchange Rate will be making his first attempt at a listed stake, having run 11th in the Claiming Crown Emerald last winter.

 

Class and Cash has mostly run at a mile or longer since last summer but did win going 7 ½ furlongs on the Gulfstream Park turf in April. He is the third choice on the morning line at 9-2 from Post 1, while Amelia’s Wild Ride is a 15-1 longshot from Post 2.

 

“He’s like a win machine, for sure,” Cibelli said of Class and Cash. “He is in good form right now. When I claimed him I thought to myself he’s never really tried two turns. It was a bit of a gamble but I knew he ran one turn OK. So I ran him two turns and he just got better and better.

 

“Now we’re at the point where he’s gone through all his conditions so the next spot is a stake,” she added. “Ideally I would have liked to have been running him two turns and there isn’t anything that’s ungraded. It’s hard to go from a conditioned allowance to graded stakes company so we’ll try him in there and see what it looks like and go from there. He’s quite the star of the barn now that [Rose Brier] is gone.”

 

Mens Grille Racing’s Triple Burner came within 1 ½ lengths of pulling off a 40-1 upset in last year’s Dash, and returns to a Laurel surface where he has earned each of his five wins from 19 career starts. This will be just his third start of 2017 after finishing in the top three six times in eight tries last year.

 

“I remember thinking he had a pretty good shot that day. I just liked the way he was coming into the race and he ran to form. He just didn’t get quite lucky enough to get past that last horse,” trainer Linda Albert said. “He hasn’t gotten to run much this year. He’s had a few tough circumstances that have kept him from getting in races. Early in the year I couldn’t seem to get him ready for races that came up quicker than he was ready for. I think he’s ready now. He’s had plenty of good workouts and he’s ready to go.”

 

The narrow 3-1 program favorite is Robert L. Cole Jr.’s Blu Moon Ace, winner of the Coalition Aug. 26 at Timonium who trainer Kevin Patterson cross-entered in the De Francis. Blu Moon Ace has won his last two starts including the Coalition in his first start since being claimed for $30,000 July 20.

 

Completing the field are 2015 Laurel Dash winner Spring to the Sky, Rapid Dan, Dream Mover, Full Salute, Snowday and Joseph.