Copper Tax, unbeaten in three starts at Laurel Park, faces elders for the first time in the Richard W. Small for 3-year-olds and upward at 1 1/8 miles. The Small is one of three $100,000 stakes on the Saturday program. Trained by Gary Capuano, Copper Tax reeled off victories in Laurel’s Private Terms and Federico Tesio during the spring. Two months after the Tesio, Copper Tax ran third in the Grade 3 Ohio Derby. Freshened for over four months, he then placed third in the Discovery at Aqueduct. :: Bet the races with a $200 First Deposit Match + FREE All Access PPs! Join DRF Bets. “He ran a good race,” trainer Gary Capuano told track publicity. “He had a chance and got bumped coming out of the gate and bottled up going into the final turn, but he came running.” Trainer Jamie Ness entered Magic Michael and Excellorator in the Small, but expects to scratch the latter. Magic Michael finished second, beaten 10 lengths by star marathoner Next, in Parx’s Grade 3 Greenwood Cup at 1 1/2 miles on Sept. 21, then rallied to finish a close fourth going a mile in the M.P. Ballezzi Appreciation Mile there on Oct. 19. “[Nine furlongs at Laurel] is right up his alley,” Ness told Daily Racing Form. “Bigger track, bigger turns, big horse. A flat two-turn mile with the short stretch at Parx is not his thing.” Although Mosler Time finished second as the favorite in the state-sired Maryland Million Classic last month, the gelding validated trainer Cal Lynch’s opinion that he is better at longer distances. Mosler Time tried hard in the Classic after setting a pressured pace with 11th-place finisher Ain’t Da Beer Cold, who is also entered on Saturday. Cataleya Strike earned a career-best 91 Beyer Speed Figure when rallying up the fence to score in a second-level allowance on Oct. 13. Trainer Rodolfo Sanchez-Salomon mentioned several factors that contributed to Cataleya Strike’s recent improvement. “Ever since I took the blinkers off, it’s been working out. I gelded him a few months ago. He was having breathing problems, and I did [throat surgery].” Elephants Ear earned a stakes-placing at Churchill Downs in the Bourbon Flight. Purchased at public auction for $95,000 last month, he’ll make his first start for trainer Bruno Tessore Late-kicking Armando R won this in 2022 and appears back in form after winning two of his last three. Dave’s Friend Witty and Dean Delivers look like the main contenders in the Dave’s Friend for 3-year-olds and upward at six furlongs. Witty, a multiple stakes winner on turf and dirt, rallied to win his prep three weeks ago, a high-level allowance over this course and distance. “He always lays back early, and the dirt races give him a little bit of extra ground and sometimes tire out the speed,” trainer Elizabeth Merryman told track publicity. “That can help him if there’s enough speed in the race.” Dean Delivers won his first four starts after being transferred to trainer Ned Allard, all in stakes at distances between five and six furlongs. Allard believed the cooler temperatures in the Mid-Atlantic region helped Dean Delivers get back to form. The gelding was third, beaten seven lengths, in Aqueduct’s Grade 3 Vosburgh on Sept. 28. “I think that seven-eighths is a stretch,” Allard told track publicity. “He’s won going seven-eighths, but I like him best going three-quarters,” Allard said. “I thought the race at Aqueduct was tough. He ran okay, but I thought I’d stay away from that kind.” No Cents wired an allowance field last month and could be part of the pace if he breaks cleanly. Millionaire Manny Wah seeks his first victory since Keeneland’s Grade 2 Phoenix in 2022. Mr. Antonelli, Factually Correct, and Five Dreams complete the field. Willa On the Move Although Bourbon Bon Bay has only started seven times, the 7-year-old has endured a long journey to the Willa On the Move for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs. Conformation faults forced her to wear corrective shoes before her debut at age 4, but Bourbon Bon Bay rolled through five consecutive wins despite layoffs caused by an illness and another bout with colic. Bourbon Bon Bay missed another huge chunk of time due to more bad luck. “She fractured a jaw,” owner Erin Hlubik said. “I had to wait for the mandible to heal.” Bourbon Bon Bay finally returned with a solid fifth in the Maryland Million Distaff. Hlubik said that new trainer Allard was pleased with the effort, and that Bourbon Bon Bay came out of the race well. The mare will be reunited with Jomar Torres, who has been aboard for all her wins. Simply Stated and Ms. Bucchero boast speed and class. Simply Stated’s trainer, Brittany Russell, went 19 for 53 (36 percent) with a $2.86 ROI over the last month. Diane Morici, who saddles Ms. Bucchero, compiled a 6 for 24 (25 percent, $3.11) mark with dirt horses between Sept. 29 and Nov. 17. Mattitude and Pudd’n N Pie also are entered. Olivia Darling will scratch. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.