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Monday Morning Qb Caps Four-Win Day for Russell

Jockey cleaned up on Maryland Million Day celebrating progeny of state's stallions.

Sheldon Russell returns aboard Monday Morning Qb after winning the Maryland Million Classic at Laurel Park

Sheldon Russell returns aboard Monday Morning Qb after winning the Maryland Million Classic at Laurel Park

Jerry Dzierwinski/Maryland Jockey Club

Jockey Sheldon Russell, a month into his return from a broken wrist, put an exclamation point on his comeback with four wins Oct. 24, capped by a record-setting victory aboard Monday Morning Qb in the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic at Laurel Park.

The 1 1/8-mile Classic for 3-year-olds and up headlined the 35th Jim McKay Maryland Million Day program of 12 races featuring eight stakes and four starter stakes on "Maryland's Day at the Races," celebrating the progeny of stallions standing in the state.

Given a textbook ride by Russell, Monday Morning Qb ($15.60) hit the wire in 1:48.13 on a fast main track, the fastest Classic since the race was moved to its current distance in 2009. The Classic was run at 1 1/4 miles from 1986-92 and at 1 3/16 miles from 1993-2008.

Russell, 33, captured the $50,500 Maryland Million Starter Handicap with trainer Dale Capuano's Jumpstartmyheart in the opener and went on to wins in the $100,000 Maryland Million Distaff with Hello Beautiful—trained by his wife, Brittany Russell—and the $101,960 Maryland Million Turf with Pretty Good Year. Russell moved into sixth in Maryland Million history with 11 wins.

"I'm a little bit of a pessimist. I'm thinking, 'How many does he have in him today? Did he use up all his luck before he got to me?' That's a natural trainer instinct," winning trainer Robert "Butch" Reid Jr. joked. "But Sheldon's a good rider. I've known him for years, and he's won some nice races for us, so I had complete confidence in Sheldon."

Russell was leading the Laurel Park summer meet standings when he was injured in a gate mishap July 17 at Delaware Park. He returned Sept. 24 on opening day of the Preakness Meet at Pimlico Race Course. A seven-time meet champion in Maryland and the state's leading overall rider in 20011, Russell was 7-for-30 at Laurel's fall meet before Saturday's 4-for-9 performance.

"It's just fantastic. I haven't really been back that long," Russell said. "Business has been great, so I can't really complain. My agent, Marty Leonard, has done a great job.

"Going into today I had nine mounts, and looking at all of them, you think they all sort of had a live sneaky outside chance," he added. "It was good that Dale's horse put me on a good start to the day. When you win some races early on in the day, it sort of gives you a second win and you want to win another one, but four wins is great. I couldn't have asked for a better day."

The winner of the Heft Stakes for juveniles in December at Laurel, Monday Morning Qb became only the second 3-year-old to win the Classic, following Bonus Points in 2017.

Russell was able to settle Monday Morning Qb in second off an opening quarter in :23.47 set by 2019 Classic runner-up Prendimi. Off the board in the James W. Murphy Oct. 3 at Pimlico, his grass debut, the Imagining colt took over the top spot after a half in :46.81, gained some separation after going six furlongs in 1:10.94, and had plenty left to turn back Pimlico Special Stakes (G3) winner and Classic favorite Harpers First Ride.

"I thought there was a little more speed. For him to be in the catbird seat laying second was kind of a surprise to me," Reid said. "I just told Sheldon to break him sharp and wherever he was comfortable was fine with me. The horse has no problem coming from off the pace or on the lead, whatever you want to do.

"The biggest thing you have to think about with him, and the only instruction that I gave Sheldon, was if you're in tight turning for home to open up and get away from horses a couple lengths and try and make him switch leads. Sheldon did a great job."

Harpers First Ride, who had a two-race stakes win streak snapped, was second, three-quarters of a length ahead of 45-1 longshot Tattooed. It was five lengths back to Tap the Mark in fourth, followed by Cordmaker, Top Line Growth, and Prendimi. Top Line Growth, the 2019 Iowa Derby winner, entered the Classic with a 4-0 record at Laurel.

"He's a beautiful horse. I think he won the best-turned-out horse, and I'm not surprised at all because he's stunning," Russell said. "Mr. Reid said he's sharp and just get him into a good position. Going into the first turn, you could see I had a handful. He was really strong, he was eager, he was well-prepared today, and that's sort of how he ran."

Reid said he expects Monday Morning Qb to be part of a small string he'll have this winter at Palm Meadows, Gulfstream Park's satellite training facility in Palm Beach County.

"We'll digest this one a little bit. I'm hoping we can find one more 3-year-old race before the end of the year, but they're going to be difficult to find," Reid said. "I've taken some stalls at Palm Meadows this winter, so he'll probably end up down there with us."

Also on the Saturday card, Odd Gal won the $40,000 Maryland Million Distaff Starter Handicap, Epic Idea took the $101,000 Maryland Million Ladies Stakes, Miss Nondescript won the $100,000 Maryland Million Lassie Stakes, Glengar won the $40,400 Maryland Million Starter Handicap, Fiya took the $75,000 Maryland Million Turf Sprint Handicap, Kenny Had a Notion won the $101,960 Maryland Million Nursery Stakes, Karan's Notion won the $102,000 Maryland Million Sprint Handicap, and Beltway Bob took the $50,980 Maryland Million Turf Starter Handicap.  

Miss Nondescript, a Barak Farm homebred out of the Fusaichi Pegasus mare She's Funomenal, became the first black-type stakes winner for Mosler . The stakes-winning son of War Front  stands at Country Life Farm, where his advertised fee for 2020 was $4,000.

Miss Nondescript wins the 2020 Maryland Million Lassie Stakes
Photo: Jim McCue/Maryland Jockey Club
Miss Nondescript wins the Maryland Million Lassie Stakes

Video: Maryland Million Classic S. (BT)