Fort Washington, MD — After reeling off nine consecutive stakes wins to end his rookie season, Brooksforreal picked up right where he left off and posted a 1:53.1 win in his 3-year-old debut, the second of two $10,000 first-round Maryland Sire Stakes preliminaries for sophomore pacing colts on Wednesday (April 30) at Rosecroft Raceway.
In line to Jared Moyer, Brooksforreal sat off a :27.3 first-quarter duel between Hungry Cougar and Rusty’s Lancelot before brushing three-wide to the lead with a lap to go. Once in control, the Rusty’s For Real-Brooks Range gelding clicked off middle splits of :55.2 and 1:24.4 before fending off a resurgent Hungry Cougar (Jonathan Roberts) by a half-length. Rusty’s Lancelot finished third after failing to convert a pocket bid off the home turn.
Stacey McLenaghan trains Brooksforreal, now a 10-time winner with $175,502 in earnings, for Lucky Lilly Belle Stable. He paid $2.10 to win as the overwhelming favorite.
Classic Cougar ($7.40) won the other male pacing division, posting a gate-to-wire, 1:54.1 score over Don’t Say Maybe. William Carter drove the Cougar Hall-Classic Mosee gelding to his second career victory for trainer Joe Offutt, who shares ownership with Karen Offutt.
Woody’s Girl ($9.40) took the speed badge among pacing fillies, sustaining a first-over push off the home turn to collar 1-5 favorite Toys Little Tinker by a neck in 1:55 in line to Tim Deaton. Trainer Kasey Bendix co-owns the Rusty’s For Real-Scootin Woody filly, now a three-time winner, with Virginia Marvel.
Post Jolene ($3.80) captured the other pacing filly split, pulling the pocket on pacesetter Mygirlmia and vaulting clear to break her maiden by 2-1/2 lengths in 1:56. Jonathan Roberts drove the Nuclear Breeze-Positive Post filly for owner-trainer Winston Williams.
On the trotting side of the ledger, Il Mago-Marlene And Grace gelding TJ Jadster and driver William Carter lucked into a 2:09 victory for trainer Billy Carter and owner Elwood Tignor in the three-horse male trot after racing a distant third behind Yall Keep Dreaming and Roan Ridge through splits of :28.3, :58.2 and 1:27.4 and inheriting the lead in mid-stretch after Yall Keep Dreaming broke stride and Roan Ridge collided into him and subsequently fell.
In the filly trot, Yall Just Love Me made steady late inroads to collar K J The Thirteenth in the final yards of a 1:57.1 mile. Johnathan Ahle drove the Yall Beneath Me-Likeavirgin Lindy filly for owner-trainer Richard Hans.
Five more for Roberts: On the heels of his five-win effort on Monday (April 28), driver Jonathan Roberts reeled off five more victories on Wednesday’s card. In addition to Post Jolene, the Maryland mainstay also won with Ideal Wish (1:55.4, $36.40), Tater Tot Hanover (1:55.2, $2.20), Whatineedisaman (1:55, $2.80) and Auntmilly’smartini (1:54.1, $4.40).
Roberts’ 10-win week propelled him to the top of the driving standings, and he now leads Russell Foster, 58-49, with five programs remaining in the meet. Johnathan Ahle is third, with 41, followed by Roger Plante Jr. in fourth (29) and William Carter and Hugh O’Neil tied for fifth (27).
Live racing returns to Rosecroft on Saturday (May 3); the 11-race card features a $3,448.45 carryover in the Jackpot Hi-5, offered in race 10. First post is 7:15 p.m. (EDT).