Forest Fire notches first stakes victory

The $200,000 Claiming Crown Jewel at Gulfstream Park in Hallandale Beach, Florida, on Dec. 7, is among the next-out options for Maryland Million Classic winner Forest Fire, trainer John Servis said Sunday morning.

Forest Fire scored a half-length victory under Paco Lopez in the 1 1/8-mile Maryland Million Classic at Laurel Park on Saturday to win his fourth straight race and notch his first stakes victory.

Approximately 20,000 people attended Saturday’s 34th Jim McKay Maryland Million Day. Total handle was $5.783 million, a 1.4% increase over last year.

The owners of Laurel Park stakes winner Miss J McKay, first to the wire in each of her three starts, will be pre-entered Wednesday in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint (G1), to be run Friday, Nov. 1 at Santa Anita. Trainer Cal Lynch said Sidney Karmia’s Maxis Stable, Sol Kumin’s Madaket Stable and Marc and Joe Lore of Wonder Stables decided to pay the sixfigure fee to supplement Miss J McKay, who was not originally nominated to the Breeders’ Cup. Miss J McKay was a dominant five-length winner of the $100,000 Anne Arundel County Stakes Sept. 28 over Laurel’s turf course.

College field hockey: A five-goal third quarter pushed No. 2 Maryland (14-2, 6-1 Big Ten) past No. 21 Ohio State 6-3 on Sunday. The visiting Terps trailed Ohio State 2-0 at halftime before surging ahead, including a stretch of four in a 5:19 span.

Women’s college soccer: Mount St. Mary’s (3-11-1, 2-5-1 Northeast Conference) fell 3-0 at Sacred Heart (8-5-2, 5-1-1).