LAUREL, M.d. – Trainer Annette Eubanks saddled her first winner at Pimlico on July 21, 1987. On Saturday at Laurel Park, the Maryland mainstay enjoyed her greatest victory when Brilliant Ice rallied up the inside to take the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic for 3-year-olds and upward at 1 1/8 miles. The Classic was the featured race on the 12-race program as Maryland-bred and -sired horses took center stage for the annual Jim McKay Maryland Million.  :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. Eubanks unfortunately wasn’t in attendance as she has been in ill health after undergoing a knee replacement. Her son, Daniel, was understandably emotional in the winner’s circle. “Mom was not doing too good today,” Daniel Eubanks said. “This is the biggest day of her career, and she couldn’t be there for it. My mom is 80 years old and having her best year ever. These horses can break your heart. Sometimes, they can make it.” Brilliant Ice had questions to address coming into the Classic. He had never won a two-turn race prior to Saturday and hadn’t won at a distance longer than a mile. He also raced for the first time since Aug. 11. Annette Eubanks told Daily Racing Form earlier this week that she wanted Brilliant Ice fresh for the Classic, and she was spot on in her assessment. Jockey Jeiron Barbosa let the 5-year-old gelding settle into a nice rhythm as favored Mosler Time set fractions of 23.87, 47.54, and 1:11.68 over the fast main track. Brilliant Ice raced four wide on the second turn, but Barbosa wisely dropped down to the rail at the quarter pole, and a seam materialized thereafter. From there, it was all Brilliant Ice, who outsprinted Mosler Time to the wire to win by a widening 5 1/4 lengths. Mugatu closed from last to finish third, one half-length behind the runner-up. Hittheroadjak, Market Maven, Vance Scholars, Feeling Woozy, Little Lance, Crossland, Dolice Vita, and Ain’t Da Beer Cold completed the order of finish. Goodafternoonoscar and Excellorator scratched. Brilliant Ice paid $13 as the public’s third betting favorite.  A son of Great Notion, Brilliant Ice is a homebred owned by Crystal Park Stables. Eubanks also trained his dam, Little Ice Patch, his second dam, Crystal Ice, and his third dam, Quick Shift. Brilliant Ice has won 5 races from 26 starts for earnings of $314,990. The Classic was his first stakes victory. Maryland Million Turf Sprint In 2019 an up-and-coming trainer named Brittany Russell won her first stakes race when Hello Beautiful took the Maryland Million Lassie. Since then, Russell has become a force in the Mid-Atlantic region, regularly finishing on or near the top of the standings in Maryland. This year, the Russell-trained Post Time will head to Del Mar to compete in the Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile after taking two graded stakes and placing in two Grade 1 races earlier in the year. First things first, however, as the Russell-trained Bosserati, the lone filly in the field, speed-popped the boys in the $100,000 Turf Sprint for 3-year-olds and upward at 5 1/2 furlongs. Ridden by Russell’s husband, Sheldon Russell, Bosserati was just too quick for this field. She blasted to the lead, cleared off in the blink of an eye by two lengths after an opening quarter of 21.82 seconds, then kept on finding more during the long Laurel stretch. She finished a neck better than Great Idea, who rallied inside the winner for second. Had to Have Him was another 1 1/2 lengths back in third. Next up were Katie’s Notion, Whenigettoheaven, Fun Notion, Blame the Tux, Witty, Tiz No Clown, and Beltane. :: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets. It took 1:02.04 for Bosserati to finish her trip over the firm course. She returned $12.60 as the third choice in the betting. “She’s had a couple of beats this year and we’ve had to throw her in some spots,” Brittany Russell said about entering Bosserati against males. “It always feels like you’re not going into the spot you wanted. But she’s a stakes winner and she’s a turf sprinter, so you have to go with these opportunities sometimes. We were looking at a three-other-than, the race didn’t go, so here we are.” Bosserati was named Maryland’s Female Turf Horse of the Year as well as Maryland-bred 3-year-old filly champion in 2023. Although winless from her first five starts this year, Bosserati missed by less than a length in two of those races. A homebred daughter of Holy Boss owned by Joel Politi, Bosserati is expected to race in 2025. Maryland Million Sprint Celtic Contender bested a solid field in an eventful edition of the $100,000 Sprint for 3-year-olds and upward at six furlongs. Rating farther off the pace than usual, Celtic Contender always moved smoothly under jockey Victor Carrasco as Arden’sluckytobe and Freeze the Fire battled for the early lead. They posted early fractions of 22.19 and 44.77 before Freeze the Fire assumed sole command inside the quarter pole. Moving from stalking range, Celtic Contender lassoed Freeze the Fire at the three-sixteenths pole, then held sway over favored Band Camp to win by a half-length in 1:09.87. Freeze the Fire finished a game third, a length behind the runner-up. Then came Alwaysinahurry, My Mamba, Catahoula Moon, and Arden’sluckytobe, who broke through the gate prior to the start and had to be reloaded. Seven’s Eleven dumped jockey Angel Cruz shortly after the start, but both horse and rider appeared uninjured. Johnyz From Albany was pulled up and vanned off after walking onto the horse ambulance without incident. “When [the speeds] came down and cleared me, I was able to work my way out,” Carrasco said. “I had a great trip. I held him every step of the way. As soon as we got to the quarter pole, he started to lean in as usual, but I put my whip in the left hand and was ready for it. When I hit him, I knew he was going to give me a run, and he got it done.” Celtic Contender is a 3-year-old colt by Irish War Cry out of the productive Celtic Katie. A homebred owned by Lewis Family Racing Stable, Celtic Contender finished first in Laurel’s restricted Star de Naskra Stakes on June 29 but was placed third after a controversial disqualification. Celtic Contender then ran a close third in the open Concern Stakes for 3-year-olds on July 28 before finishing off the board in a two-turn turf route at Colonial. He prepped for the Sprint with a successful try in a state-sired allowance on Sept. 21. Maryland Million Turf There was no quit in either jockey Forest Boyce or 4-year-old gelding Starstruck Notion as they persevered down the stretch to nail favored Sky’s Not Falling in the shadow of the wire in the $125,000 Turf for 3-year-olds and upward at 1 1/8 miles. Sports Editor made the early running, but never could shake clear of longshot Goodbye Note through fractions of 23.44 and 47.28. Meanwhile, Sky’s Not Falling traveled sweetly in behind the leaders with Starstuck Notion tucked into the pocket. Sky’s Not Falling dispatched Sports Editor after six furlongs in 1:11.34, and looked well on his way to victory, but he faltered inside the eighth pole. Starstruck Notion stuck his neck out, and got there by a nose in 1:47.84. He paid $8.60 as the third choice. Crabs N Beer kicked on for third, 2 1/4 lengths behind the runner-up. Sports Editor faltered to fourth and was followed home by Goodbye Note, Hanksdiviningrod, Street Copper, and Riccio. “I had it pretty measured,” Boyce said with a laugh. “I thought I had it, but then halfway through the stretch, I was like 'we might not have it.' He kicked in and got there. I think he was taking a deep breath.” Trained by Patrick McBurney for owner-breeder Kenneth Garcia, Starstruck Notion is by Maryland sire Great Notion, but was foaled in New Jersey. He finished second in last year’s Maryland Million Turf. “It was close,” Boyce said of last year’s race. “I think last year it was the soft going, and I gave him too much to do. This year, the firmer ground, he was able to sit a little closer. He ran well.” Starstruck Notion prepped for the Turf with a fourth-place finish against open company in Monmouth’s Red Bank Stakes. Today’s score marked his first stakes victory. Overall, Starstruck Notion has won 6 times from 15 starts for earnings of $331.557. Maryland Million Nursery Jockey Xavier Perez vaulted himself out of the irons after Do It for Michael’s winner’s circle picture was taken by track photographer Jim McCue. “Frankie!”, a railbird exclaimed, reminded of legendary jockey Frankie Dettori’s patented “flying dismount” after big stakes wins. “He learned it from me,” Perez deadpanned. Do It for Michael, aggressively ridden from the start by Perez, cleared to the lead and the rail and didn’t look back, winning the $100,000 Nursery by a neck over a wide Re Markably. Sacred Thunder finished three-quarters back in third. Then came All the Hardways, favored Say Me True, Barbadian Runner, Kerness K, and Lil Sebastian. Great Quality scratched.  Do It for Michael set fractions of 22.20 and 45.76, completed the distance in 1:10.57, and returned $7 as the second choice in the betting. A gelded son of Uncle Lino, Do It for Michael is a homebred for Jerry and Gina Robb’s No Guts No Glory Farm. A debut winner at Laurel on June 30, Do It for Michael then ran a good second in Colonial’s restricted Hickory Tree Stakes on Aug. 3. Last month, Do It for Michael prepped for the Nursery with a front-running win in a first-level allowance at Laurel. “He’s done everything right,” said trainer Jerry Robb. “I just don’t know how good he can be. All his siblings were high-end allowance horses. I think he’s the best of all of them.” Robb believes that Do It for Michael will eventually stretch out a little bit. “The family would go a mile and not a step farther,” Robb said. “But maybe with Uncle Lino… We’ll find out.” * It was a big day for broodmare Celtic Katie and Lewis Family Racing Stable. Not only did their Celtic Contender bring home the Sprint, but older half-brother Hunter Joe ($3.40) ran to his backing in the $50,000 Starter Handicap. Piloted by Jaime Rodriguez for Smith, Hunter Joe settled just off Guapo Again’s early pace, stormed to the front in upper stretch, and held firm to prevail by 1 3/4 lengths over The Last Scip with Twist 'n Twirl in third. A 6-year-old homebred gelding by Palace Malice, Hunter Joe prepped for his start with a runner-up effort in the restricted Find Stakes, an off-turf event at one mile. Hunter Joe boasts a record of 7 wins from 31 starts and lifetime earnings of $268,690. * There’s still life in the old boy, yet. Ten-year-old Clubman ($28.40) rallied from last to win the $40,000 Sprint Starter Handicap to close out the card. Owned and trained by Joanne Shankle, Clubman earned his 19th lifetime victory with earnings of $729,847. A multiple stakes-winner that finished third in the 2018 Classic, Clubman is a gelded son of Maryland Million’s leading sire, Not For Love, and a half-brother to multiple stakes-winner Alwaysinahurry. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? 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