|07.02.2022|10:46pm

Old Homestead and Charlie Marquez successful the Concern at Laurel Park

Marablue Farm and Pegasus Stud’s Old Homestead, knocked from the ranks of the unbeaten in his final journey to Maryland, acquired again on the successful observe in his return with a well-liked one-length triumph in Saturday’s $100,000 Concern at Laurel Park.

The sixth operating of the seven-furlong Concern for 3-year-olds, honoring the primary Maryland-bred winner of the Breeders’ Cup Classic (G1), served as co-headliner of a 10-race program with the $100,000 Caesar’s Wish for fillies and mares 3 and up going one mile.

The Concern and Caesar’s Wish are the primary of 11 stakes price $1.05 million in purses run each different Saturday in the course of the month of July at Laurel, the place the 37-day summer time meet started June 3 and continues by means of Aug. 21.

Ridden for the primary time by Charlie Marquez, Old Homestead ($4.60) accomplished the gap in 1:22.65 over a quick major observe to beat fellow stakes winner Nimitz Class by a size and avenge his first profession loss within the May 21 Chick Lang (G3) at historic Pimlico Race Course after three straight wins.

“I’m glad the old Old Homestead showed up,” successful coach Brett Brinkman stated. “This horse gives you a lot of confidence with how easy he does things, and that day at Pimlico he just looked like he struggled the whole race. He never looked like he was comfortable. I don’t know what it was, but it just wasn’t his day. I was glad to get him back to the winner’s circle.”

Nimitz Class stumbled out of the gate and trailed the sphere as Old Homestead and Defend to his inside vied for the early lead together with Scaramouche alongside the rail. Scaramouche cast a brief lead after going the opening quarter-mile in 22.68 seconds pressed to his exterior by Old Homestead as Defend dropped again into third.

Marquez gave Old Homestead his cue on the far flip and the bay son of Grade 1 winner Overanalyze surged to the entrance following a half-mile in 45.86. Marquez took a peek behind him as they got here into the stretch with the lead, they usually have been by no means actually threatened coming by means of the lane. Nimitz Class made an enormous run on the far exterior for second, a size forward of Scaramouche. Defend and Alottahope accomplished the order of end. Tops the Chart was scratched.

“I knew [Defend] was going to show some speed, as well. The goal was to just try and get out of there in front of him and kind of set the pace, and that’s what we did,” Marquez stated. “We acquired into a bit of little bit of a duel, however that did not appear to trouble him; in reality, he actually loved that. When I requested him to run, he actually kicked on.

“Once Defend kind of took back, I kind of took back off [Scaramouche] a little bit and was sitting in like the four path, just to give him a little bit of a breather,” he added. “I came down around the turn, and the trainer mentioned he takes the turns very well, so I tried to make some lengths around the turn and once we straightened out, he was gone. It was game over.”

Old Homestead went unraced at 2 earlier than successful his Jan. 28 unveiling by 11 ½ lengths at Delta Downs, the place he returned to beat his elders in an open allowance March 2. His third straight front-running triumph got here in his stakes debut, the seven-furlong Lafayette April 8 at Keeneland, earlier than chasing the tempo and finally ending fifth within the Chick Lang.

Brinkman credited the 19-year-old Marquez with an excellent journey for Old Homestead, who had been ridden completely by Tom Pompell – a winner of practically 3,000 profession races using presently in Indiana.

“Once he got away where he did and Charlie put him in position, that’s the way the horse breezes when we work him. I felt like if he runs to his breezes he’s going to be fine, and he was,” Brinkman stated. “For never having sat on him, Charlie followed instructions really well and rode him with a lot of confidence and that always helps matters.”

Concern, educated by the late Dickie Small, gained seven of 30 profession begins and greater than $3 million in purse earnings from 1993-95. His 1994 season included wins within the Breeders’ Cup and Arkansas Derby (G2), seconds within the Travers (G1), Super Derby (G1) and Ohio Derby (G2) and thirds within the Preakness (G1), Haskell (G1), Molson Export Million (G2) and Round Table (G3).

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