In its first weekend on turf in 2025, Laurel Park is running three $100,000 stakes races over the surface Saturday on Preakness Preview Day. Eight runners are scheduled to run in the Dahlia, while more expansive fields have been assembled for the King T. Leatherbury and Henry S. Clark. Sparkle Blue, a 6-year-old mare trained by Graham Motion, has raced in graded stakes company for most of her 21-race career, giving her a notable class edge in the Dahlia. “Maybe I won’t be quite so ambitious with her placement this summer,” Motion said. “I’ve always wanted to try and get her a Grade 1 placing, and I’m not saying I won’t do it again, but I think we’ll be a little more realistic with her this year.” In July of 2023 and 2024, Motion brought her to Laurel for the $100,000 Big Dreyfus and two stakes victories at 1 1/8 miles. She has shown an affinity for the local course but this will be her first race over the course at one mile. :: Get the Inside Track with the FREE DRF Morning Line Email Newsletter. Subscribe now.  Sparkle Blue’s primary challenger in the Dahlia is Tufani, a 5-year-old mare trained by Michael Stidham. Though she hasn’t won since taking two races at Colonial Downs last summer, the mare returned in 2025 and ran solidly in two stakes races at Fair Grounds. “It looks like three or four of them [in the field] have some speed, so I’m hoping we can sit in that second flight and close into it from there,” Stidham said. Cut From Class, a 6-year-old mare, lost to Sparkle Blue by a half-length at 12-1 in the Big Dreyfus last summer, making her a strong outsider in the Dahlia as she returns to her preferred surface. King T. Leatherbury In the 5 1/2-furlong King T. Leatherbury, 6-year-old gelding Determined Kingdom will make his first start for new trainer Mike Trombetta. Though he has never won a graded stakes, he seemed to be rounding into that sort of form when he earned a 99 Beyer Speed Figure in an impressive Keeneland allowance victory for trainer Phil Schoenthal in October. “To come back and run that type of race off the layoff will be very hard to do, but we’re hoping that with a freshening and nice spring start, he’ll be ready to run a decent race for us,” Trombetta said. Determined Kingdom is the horse to beat coming off the layoff, but the race beyond him is wide open. Witty, a 6-year-old gelding, won the Leatherbury last year and will start his 2025 campaign fresh after displaying erratic form at the end of last year. Meanwhile, five geldings in the race ran in order in a live Laurel allowance in November last year. They all have a chance to improve or regress coming out of that race. Had to Have Him, the fourth-place finisher that day, is the only one who has run since, and all five will be making their first start of 2025 on Saturday. Fore Harp, a 7-year-old gelding trained by Butch Reid, finished second behind Swill in November and could be the pacesetter again in his first start this year. Henry S. Clark Determined Kingdom provides some stability as a clear target in the Leatherbury, but there are no assurances at all in the Henry S. Clark Stakes. Most runners in the field of 10 seem to have a winning chance in the final turf race of the weekend. Neat, a 4-year-old colt trained by Rob Atras, has never run at the same track two races in a row and will continue that streak Saturday. He made his 2025 debut in the Grade 1 Frank Kilroe at Santa Anita last month, where he was outclassed and finished sixth. The colt won his maiden on the turf at Laurel in October 2023 and should appreciate the class relief after his lofty 4-year-old debut. “We just thought that there are some good races here on the East Coast here and at Pimlico next month,” Atras said. “They’re still good stakes races, obviously not Grade 1s. We’re just looking at those right now and seeing how he develops throughout the year.” Fulmineo, trained by Arnaud Delacour, won two listed stakes at Pimlico and Colonial at a mile last year but struggled in two graded stakes tries in August and September. Delacour said that he is trying to find the colt’s level as he makes his 4-year-old debut. “It’s a good spot, not an easy spot, carrying 126 pounds against seasoned horses,” Delacour said. “It’s a good place to start.” The contenders from there nearly comprise the entire field. Card Trick, Signator, and Degree of Risk will all ship up from Florida with strong recent performances in allowance fields. Mischievous Angel, a 5-year-old gelding who has succeeded as a turf sprinter, will stretch out to a mile in his first start of the year for trainer Jorge Abreu. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.