Dont Blame the Cat finished a length ahead of late-charging Regal Warrior to win the $70,000 Miracle Wood Stakes at Laurel Park on Saturday. Trained by Hagerstown native Rick Dutrow and ridden by Erick Rodriquez, Dont Blame the Cat got his second straight victory at Laurel. Now 3-for-4 lifetime, the son of Catienus finished the seven-furlong race in 1 minute, 23.22 seconds, beating out Regal Warrior, a 47-1 long shot, and Cole T. Dont Blame the Cat paid $4.60 and topped a $122.20 exacta and $974 trifecta. "The instructions were just to take him back but be close," Rodriguez said. "It was good to be on the outside because I let the speed go and got good position. I got a really good trip." Rodriguez won three races Saturday and won seven times in 13 races for the week. He sits atop the rider standings with 27 victories, four more than Julian Pimentel.

- From Sun staff and news services