J.D. Acosta rode three winners in three mounts at Laurel Park on Saturday, the first day of the second half of the Maryland racing season.
Live racing had been on hiatus in the state since May 22, the conclusion of the Pimlico Race Course spring stand.
Acosta, a mainstay at Laurel, Pimlico, Timonium and Charles Town since 2002, scored with Brahma Queen ($9) for trainer Dale Capuano in the fourth and then had back-to-back victories for top client Chris Grove aboard Pleasant Beau ($19.40-fifth) and Night Q ($5.80-sixth).
"I love this place," said Acosta, who ranks eighth nationally with 158 victories through the first seven months of the year. "A lot of people have told me to move on, but the mid-Atlantic has been good to me. I am really happy how the owners and trainers have continued to give me a chance. They say the harder you work, the luckier you get. This is a combination of working hard and trying to do things the right way."
The 11-day mini-meet will conclude Aug. 22, with live racing taking place Friday (3:35p.m. twilight post time), Saturday and Sunday for three consecutive weeks after opening weekend. First post for the weekend dates is 1:10 p.m.
At the conclusion of the meet, live racing shifts to Timonium for a seven-day state fair stand. The Laurel fall meeting will begin after Labor Day.
•A Little Warm won the $500,000 Jim Dandy Stakes for 3-year-olds and Proviso took the $500,000 Diana on the turf for fillies and mares at Saratoga Race Course in Saratoga Springs, N.Y.
A Little Warm, ridden by John Velazquez, wore down Miner's Reserve to prevail by a length at the end of 11/8 miles. The finishing time was 1 minute, 47.98 seconds.
The Jim Dandy was his third win in five starts this season, and although A Little Warm did not compete in the Triple Crown, a victory at Saratoga firmly establishes him as a contender for the Travers Stakes on Aug. 28.
A Little Warm earned $300,000 for owner Edward P. Evans and paid $10.20, $5.50 and $3.80. Miner's Reserve paid $13.60 and $7.90. Afleet Express returned $3.50 to show.
•The Haskell Invitational never had it so good.
"This," beams Monmouth Park general manager Bob Kulina, "is the deepest field we've ever had."
No doubt, the $1 million Haskell not only helps kick off the second season for 3-year-olds after the grueling Triple Crown campaign, but the winner today in Oceanport, N.J., also becomes the leader in thoroughbred racing's most popular division.
This star-studded field for the race includes Kentucky Derby winner Super Saver, Preakness winner Lookin At Lucky and the runners-up from each race, Ice Box in the Derby and First Dude in the Preakness.
Add rising star Trappe Shot, improving Afleet Again and Uptowncharlybrown and the usual long shot in Our Dark Knight, and racing fans would be hard-pressed to find a comparable field.
"When you have the main players in a big race like this, that's so important in our industry," said Bob Baffert, the Hall of Fame trainer of Lookin At Lucky. "This is always a very exciting race, and it's never won by a bad horse."
The other leading 3-year-old, Belmont winner Drosselmeyer, is sidelined for the year with an ankle injury.