Daily Racing Form National Digital Edition
Small barn winning in bunches
Trainer Jonathan Maldonado is off to his best start since moving to Maryland from Puerto Rico in 2010.
Through Friday, Maldonado was 8 for 22 on the year and had already equaled his win total from 2016, when he sent 68 horses to the gate. He has won four of his last five starts dating to Feb. 20.
Maldonado, who turns 33 Sunday, began training in Puerto Rico in 2004. He had a good-sized stable there but moved to Maryland, where his older brother Rafael lived, and started over with a two-horse stable.
“I had almost 100 horses in Puerto Rico, but my owner had money problems,” Maldonado said.
Since coming to the mainland, Maldonado has at times trained on his own and at others worked for fellow trainers. He has spent time as an assistant for Hugh McMahon, Dane Kobiskie, Mike Stidham, and Rudy Rodriguez.
“Dane Kobiskie and I won two titles together in 2011 and 2012,” Maldonado said. “Rudy wasn’t stabled here long, but he told me he needed me when he came here, so I went to work for him.”
Maldonado has nine horses stabled at Laurel Park. He owns five of them, has two horses for Michael Dubb, one for Michael Imperio, and one for Kentuckybased Lansdon Robbins III.
Maldonado runs his horses as Three M’s Racing, which he named for himself and his brothers Rafael and Joel, the latter of whom is his assistant trainer.
“I like having my own horses because owners can sometimes be difficult, and I like being able to make my own decisions and do what I want,” Maldonado said.
Rodriguez is Dubb’s principal trainer. When Rodriguez left Maryland, Dubb gave Maldonado the horse Supermensch.
“He was not running well short on dirt, and I raced him long on turf, and he won nicely,” Maldonado said. “Mr. Dubb later sent me another horse.”
Maldonado has won two races apiece this year with Greek God, I Just Wanna Win, and North Ocean. Maldonado claimed Greek God from Mike Trombetta for $7,500 last April and won four races with him. Trombetta claimed him back for $5,000 out of a winning effort Feb. 20.
I Just Wanna Win won two in a row for $5,000 tags after Maldonado claimed her from trainer Patrick Magill. She was claimed back by Magill on Feb. 4, but Maldonado took her again out of a $7,500 victory March 3.
North Ocean has won a pair of $5,000 starter races since Maldonado claimed him for $15,000.
“My horses are running very good,” Maldonado said. “We are working very hard.”
Ben’s Cat will race at 11
Ben’s Cat has rejoined the Laurel Park stable of Hall of Fame trainer King Leatherbury and is scheduled to race this year as an 11-year-old.
Leatherbury said Thursday that Ben’s Cat has been in training for about two weeks and has already breezed a slow quarter-mile. Ben’s Cat was scheduled to breeze “an easy threeeighths of a mile” at Laurel on Saturday, which could be his first timed work of the season.
Ben’s Cat, who is owned and was bred by Leatherbury, has won 32 of 60 starts and earned more than $2.6 million since beginning his career as a 4-year-old in 2010.
“I told him I needed a little help with my bills, so he agreed to come back and help me out,” Leatherbury joked. “He’s another year older, but I don’t think he knows that.”
Ben’s Cat won 2 of 7 starts last season. He started off his campaign in sharp form but wore down as the year progressed. In his last start at 10, he finished last in a field of six in the Maryland Million Sprint. As usual, Leatherbury turned him out on a farm for the winter.
“He looks good, he looks fine,” Leatherbury said. “His attitude is great, just like it always is. He’s acting the same as when he first stepped on the track.”
Maryland doesn’t have any age limitations for racehorses. As long as a horse is sound and performing up to standards, he is allowed to participate.
“I don’t expect him to race at the same level he used to, but we’ll let him do what he can,” Leatherbury said. “If he starts tailing off, I’ll stop on him.”
Leatherbury said he hoped to have Ben’s Cat ready to race when the Maryland turf season begins in April. Ben’s Cat has won the last four runnings of the Jim McKay Turf Sprint, which is run on the Black-Eyed Susan card, a day before the Preakness.
In each of the last two years, Leatherbury has prepped Ben’s Cat for the McKay in an overnight race. From 2011 to 2014, Ben’s Cat began his season by winning the Mister Diz, a five-furlong turf sprint for Maryland-breds. The race was moved to the summer in 2015, and Ben’s Cat won it that year, too.
“We’ll get him ready and most likely look for an overnight race,” Leatherbury said.
Penn National gets 4 day cards
The Pennsylvania Racing Commission has approved Penn National’s request to hold four daytime cards in May and June.
Penn National, which typically starts its programs at 6 p.m. Eastern, will have a first post of 1:30 p.m. on Triple Crown Saturdays – May 6, May 20, and June 10. The Grantville, Pa., racino also has moved up the starting time for its Penn Mile Day program, June 3, to 3:45 p.m.
The Penn Mile will be run as a Grade 2 for the first time this year. The earlier post time will allow Penn National to run several other turf races on the card before sunset.