Just Howard has speed edge

Saturday is Maryland Pride Day at Laurel and will feature four $75,000 stakes for Maryland-bred or -sired runners. Those races will be immediately preceded by three state-restricted allowance races.

The stakes include the Find and All Brandy, which will be contested at 1 1/16 miles on turf, with the All Brandy restricted to fillies and mares. The other two stakes, for 3-year-olds at six furlongs, are the Star de Naskra and Miss Disco, with the latter solely for fillies. The stakes are races 7-10 and part of both the Rainbow 6 and the late pick five.

The Find offers an excellent matchup among Just Howard, O Dionysus, Bonus Points, and English Minister.

Just Howard, the 2017 Maryland-bred horse of the year, is in excellent form for trainer Graham Motion and broke through with a head victory in the Grade 3 Oceanport on the Haskell undercard at Monmouth Park.

That win was Just Howard’s first from four starts this year, but don’t be misled – he has fired his best shot every time. In his first three races, he was beaten a total of 2 1/2 lengths while finishing fourth to stablemate Irish Strait in the Henry Clark, third to Catholic Boy in the Grade 2 Dixie, and third to Doctor Mounty in the Prince George’s County.

Just Howard has tactical speed, which gives jockey Trevor McCarthy options his chief rivals may not possess.

O Dionysus has been running hard this year at distances ranging from 7 1/2 furlongs to 1 1/2 miles, but is winless in five starts, all for trainer Gary Capuano. In the Prince George’s County, he finished fourth, a head behind Just Howard. Similarly, he finished fifth in the Dixie, a half-length behind Just Howard.

On Saturday, Capuano will remove the blinkers 5-yearold O Dionysus has worn since January 2017.

Mike Trombetta sends out the interesting duo of English Minister and Bonus Points.

At age 9, English Minister has won three races in a row and is 3 for 4 this year.

Bonus Points had made all 26 of his starts for Todd Pletcher, but will debut for Trombetta on Saturday. The move makes sense since Bonus Points, who is Maryland-sired, for years has done his best running at Laurel Park, where he is 4 for 10. He is 2 for 16 elsewhere.

If Bonus Points succeeds in the Find, it will be his first turf win from six starts. This will be his first grass race since August 2017.

◗ Trombetta holds a strong hand in the All Brandy with Monte Crista and Mysistersledge, who figure as the two favorites.

Monte Crista ran well to be fourth, beaten 1 1/2 lengths, in the Just a Kiss at Delaware Park last time out. That race was won by the Bill Mott-trained Capla Temptress. The runner-up, Lift Up, came back to win the West Virginia Senate President’s Cup on Aug. 3.

◗ The Miss Disco should come down to a battle between Introduced, trained by Jorge Duarte Jr., and Trombetta’s Never Enough Time.

Introduced is coming off a third in the Stormy Blues Stakes at Laurel.

Never Enough Time won her first two career starts impressively and has since finished fifth in the Grade 3 Miss Preakness and fourth in the Alma North Stakes.

◗ Kentucky shipper Distant Shore will be favored in the Star de Naskra for trainer Tom Amoss. The son of Algorithms won a first-level Keeneland allowance in April and most recently was third in a Churchill optional claimer. The move to Maryland-restricted company makes him tough.

Where Paradise Lay won a maiden race at Churchill in May for Sagamore Farm and trainer Stanley Hough. He weakened to fourth last out in a first-level allowance at Saratoga.