Taj Mahal, an impressive winner on debut Feb. 6, will face a step up in class Feb. 21 when he takes on five rivals in the $100,000 Miracle Wood Stakes at Laurel Park.
The Nyquist colt comes into the 1-mile race off a 4 1/4-length maiden special weight win for trainer Brittany Russell. Russell, who also had the morning-line favorite Balboa entered, said in a release Feb. 18 that the latter colt would scratch. Daily Racing Form reported the colt would instead run in the $300,000 Gotham Stakes (G3) Feb. 28.
"It's definitely not a move for me to run one back this quickly off a maiden run," Russell said. "I haven't had a chance to breeze him, but he's been training right along. He came out of the race great. He came by me this morning with his head between his legs, bucking and playing. He's obviously happy, and his energy is good. They were bred to be stakes horses, so I'm trying to step up and see what he's made of."
The Florida-bred colt was a $525,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland September Yearling Sale by Donato Lanni, agent for SF Bloodstock/Starlight Racing/Madaket Stable. His ownership group now also includes Stonestreet Stables, Bashor Racing, Determined Stables, Golconda Stable, Waves Edge Capital, and Catherine Donovan.
Eagle Up Stables, London Reid Thoroughbreds, and Non Stop Stable's Let's Go Lando comes into the race fresh, winning his last start Jan. 10 by 6 lengths in an allowance optional claiming race at Laurel. The Maryland-bred gelding fired a bullet workout Feb. 14, going 5 furlongs in 1:02.
"I gelded him (last summer), and he's been more mature and has really come around," trainer Gary Capuano said. "We thought a lot of him early on. He's been wanting to stretch out. Just a steady kind of horse."
Close the Gate, G Q Worthy, Higher Sense, and No More Calls round out the field.
Entries: Miracle Wood S.
Laurel Park, Saturday, February 21, 2026, Race 8
- STK
- 1m
- Dirt
- $100,000
- 3 yo
- 3:26 PM (local)
| PP | Horse | Jockey | Wgt | Trainer | M/L |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1No More Calls (MD) | Jean Gregor Briceno | 118 | Charles A. Frock | 30/1 |
| 2 | 2Higher Sense (NJ) | Carlos Eduardo Lopez | 118 | Miguel Penaloza | 6/1 |
| 3 | 3G Q Worthy (VA) | Xavier Perez | 118 | John J. Robb | 8/1 |
| 4 | 4Close the Gate (PA) | Ismerio Villalobos | 118 | John E. Salzman, Jr. | 6/1 |
| 5 | 5Taj Mahal (FL) | UNKNOWN | 118 | Brittany T. Russell | 5/1 |
| 6 | 6Balboa (KY) | UNKNOWN | 118 | Brittany T. Russell | 1/1 |
| 7 | 7Let's Go Lando (MD) | Yedsit Hazlewood | 118 | Gary Capuano | 9/2 |
Stakes Winners Law School and Peach Tie Meet in Wide Country Stakes
Law School and Peach Tie, both impressive stakes winners in their last start, will square off one race earlier in the $100,000 Wide Country Stakes for 3-year-old fillies.
Law School, a daughter of Mitole , won the Parx Future Stars Filly Division Stakes by 7 lengths Dec. 30. Prior to that victory, the Jamie Ness trainee won an allowance optional claiming race by 14 1/4 lengths at Laurel.
"As soon as we stretched her out, she got a lot better," Ness said. "I think seven-eighths is as low as we're going to go. I'd like to go longer, but we've been off a couple of months, so it's probably a good steppingstone back."
Law School was purchased by Chris Melton for a mere $5,000 at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky October Yearling Sale.
The Estate of Brereton C. Jones' Peach Tie enters the race off three straight wins, with her latest coming in the Gin Talking Stakes Dec. 27 at Laurel. She won the 7-furlong race by 8 lengths.
The Russell-trained filly will be ridden by her husband Sheldon Russell.
Recent maiden winner Strike a Rose is expected to scratch, which would leave a field of just four fillies.
Laurel Park, Saturday, February 21, 2026, Race 7Entries: Wide Country S.
PP Horse Jockey Wgt Trainer M/L 1 1Momaxie (KY) Andres Chavez 118 Jose Corrales 5/1 2 2Velocity Girl (NY) Yomar Orlando Ortiz 118 Madison F. Meyers 20/1 3 3Law School (KY) Yedsit Hazlewood 124 Jamie Ness 1/1 4 4Peach Tie (KY) Sheldon Russell 124 Brittany T. Russell 8/5 5 5Strike a Rose (KY) Reylu Gutierrez 118 Jeremiah C. Englehart 9/2
