LAUREL, MD. - Post Time remained unbeaten from three starts after a dazzling last-to-first victory on Saturday in Laurel Park’s Maryland Juvenile. The Maryland Juvenile was co-featured along with the $100,000 Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship. Both stakes were restricted to Maryland-bred or -sired 2-year-olds and run at seven furlongs over a sloppy main track. Trained by Brittany Russell for octogenarian Ellen Charles’ Hillwood Stable, Post Time broke a bit slow from the inside post and settled in last as Maryland Million Nursery winner Johnyz From Albany set fractions of 22.76 and 45.81 while lightly pushed from the outside by Coffeewithchris. Johnyz From Albany dispatched Coffeewithchris late on the turn and opened a two-length advantage, but Post Time was in full flight on the outside under jockey Eric Camacho. :: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now! Post Time swept past Johnyz From Albany inside the three-sixteenths pole and jaunted home under a mere hands-and-heels urging to win by 3 3/4 lengths in 1:23.98 seconds. Johnyz From Albany was second by the same margin over Coffeewithchris. Tiz No Clown was fourth followed by Feeling Woozy, California Ghost and Tidewater. Post Time, a son of Frosted out of stakes-winner Vielsalm, returned $4.00 as the betting favorite. “That was a wow,” Russell said. “I was watching the move on the turn and wondering if he could keep going. He cruises. He just does things so easy. It’s amazing.” Earlier this week, Russell told Daily Racing Form that the immature Post Time “has a little bit of a funny brain,” but the gray colt was far more professional on Saturday than in his prior two starts. Russell is looking forward to stretching Post Time out in distance and mentioned the early 3-year-old series of stakes races in Maryland and New York as potential options. Post Time’s story wouldn’t be complete without discussing Camacho, who won 785 races between 2004 and 2016, including graded stakes at Gulfstream Park and Churchill Downs. Camacho now works as an exercise rider for Russell. Post Time is the only horse he has ridden in 2022. “Life throws you curveballs,” Camacho said. “I was getting a little sour with it in 2016 towards the end. Opportunities were becoming less and less, so I had to figure out what to do with the rest of my life.” Camacho worked as an assistant to trainers Tom Morley, John Robb, and Jeremiah O’Dwyer before becoming Russell’s main breeze rider. “I think becoming an exercise rider really made me learn a lot about these horses,” Camacho said. “I wish I rode a little bit more because I’d be a little more polished, but when you have a horse like this, you don’t need to be polished.” When asked whether a full-time return to the saddle is in the works, Camacho replied, “Right now, I’m obligated to Brittany. I work for her. I’m lucky they’ve given me this chance and had all the confidence in me to get the job done. This is big-time.” *Maryland Juvenile Filly In almost a carbon copy of her career debut, Malibu Moonshine broke slow over a wet track, then swept past the leaders with a wide bid to capture the Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship. Trained by Charlton Baker for Happy Face Racing Stable, Malibu Moonshine was saddled with the inside post in the 10-horse field and saved ground near the back of the pack as Maryland Million Lassie winner Chickieness posted an opening fraction of 22.26 seconds while prompted by Skylar’s Sister. Skylar’s Sister turned up the heat on Chickieness on the turn and the pair stepped a half-mile in 45.81. Meanwhile, Malibu Moonshine and jockey Angel Cruz angled to the outside to follow Fast Tracked’s cover as that one made a three-wide bid after the leaders. Malibu Moonshine eased outside Fast Tracked in upper stretch and was on her way. She streaked under the wire two lengths better than Fast Tracked after seven furlongs in 1:24.95. Malibu Moonshine returned $4.60 as the favorite. It was 2 1/4 lengths back to Chickieness in third. Next came Skylar’s Sister, Liquidator, Cynergy’s Electra, Angel Art, Rowsie Express and Touisset Bosserati scratched. “I tried to be aggressive, but we broke slow,” Cruz said. “I let her have her own pace. At the far turn, I was clear and made my move. I had a lot of horse and was confident.” Malibu Moonshine’s win came on the heels of Cruz’s six-win day split between Laurel and Charles Town on Nov. 25. “It’s been a while since I’ve done this good,” Cruz continued. “I’m so emotional right now because it’s so special. I work so hard for this and it’s paying off in the afternoon. Malibu Moonshine was bred by Dr. Ronald Harris Parker and is a daughter of Bourbon Courage. She won her career debut by six lengths in a maiden special weight at Pimlico on Sept. 11. Baker then entered Malibu Moonshine in the Maryland Million Lassie on Oct. 22 but scratched the day of the race after spiking a temperature. Baker breezed Malibu Moonshine once, but was forced to miss two weeks of training due to an infection. The trainer was worried that Malibu Moonshine wouldn’t be 100% fit for the Maryland Juvenile Filly, “but she overcame it because she has so much talent.” Baker didn’t commit to a next-race goal for Malibu Moonshine but believes the filly can be competitive against open company in the future, especially at longer distances. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.