LAUREL,MD — They call him "Fat Boy" around the barn. After his victory in the $75,000 Star de Naskra Stakes for Maryland-bred or sired 3-year-olds at seven furlongs, Super Accelerate's bank account and reputation gained weight. "He's a little boy that's real mouthy," trainer Robin Graham told Daily Racing Form earlier in the week. "Mr. Chunky. He's real professional about everything. He's never silly or does anything dumb at all." Super Accelerate settled into a pace-tracking, ground-saving position under jockey Horacio Karmanos as Early Action set early fractions of 23.45 and 46.39 seconds. Multiple stakes-winner Coffeewithchris, who represented the local crop of 3-year-olds in this year's Preakness, advanced outside, and loomed a strong danger late on the turn. Karamanos eased Super Accelerate off the rail, and they split Early Action and Coffeewithchris at the three-sixteenths pole. Super Accelerate put his head down, charged at the leaders, and got there at the wire to prevail by a half-length over Early Action in 1:22.54 over the fast main track. :: Bet the races with a $250 First Deposit Match + $10 Free Bet and FREE Formulator PPs! Join DRF Bets. Coffeewithchris was another neck behind in third. Then came It's Viper, Freeze the Fire, Feeling Woozy, and Tiz No Clown. Great Heavens and Parkerness both scratched. Super Accelerate paid $6.60 as the betting favorite. The Star de Naskra was Super Accelerate's third victory in a row at Laurel after finishing fifth in a $45,000 waiver maiden at Pimlico May 25. Graham felt an equipment change helped Super Accelerate reach his potential. "He displaced his soft palate," Graham said in the winner's circle about the Pimlico race. "We changed the bridle." Graham stayed confident despite the scorching temperature at Laurel on Saturday. "I've never had him on Lasix," she continued. "We've been training him late in the morning, in the heat, purposefully." A 3-year-old son of Accelerate out of stakes-winning turf router Bawlmer Hon, Super Accelerate was bred by Bowman & Higgins Stable, and sold for $28,000 as a yearling. Owned by Steven Walfish, Super Accelerate always made a positive impression on Graham. "When we bought this horse, after we worked him, I told Steven that he's one of the nicest horses I've ever had," said Graham, who has conditioned graded stakes winners Lady Sabelia, Jack's in the Deck, Dixie Talking, Mr O'Brien, and Gin Talking. Super Accelerate has won three times from eight starts for earnings of $132,860. Graham believes that he will stretch out in distance considering his build, pedigree and demeanor. Alma North It was a very happy 97th birthday for owner Charles Matses as his 4-year-old filly Beguine took them flag-fall to finish in the $100,000 Alma North for fillies and mares at 6 1/2 furlongs. Beguine was odds-on in the Wolf Hill partially due to a huge class drop. In her most recent start, she finished last of five in Belmont’s Grade 2 Bed o’ Roses, a race won by reigning Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Sprint heroine Goodnight Olive. The controlling speed on paper, Beguine had no problems claiming the lead and the rail, and she carved out fractions of 22.70 and 45.52 under Jevian Toledo. Response Time made a brief outside challenge inside the quarter pole but was no match for the favorite with Beguine strutting home 2 3/4 lengths ahead in 1:16.83. She paid $3.60 to win. Response Time was a game second. She finished 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Dreamster with Gunning and Six the Hard Way rounding out the order of finish. Moody Woman, Princess Kokachin, Street Lute, and Sweet Gracie all scratched. Beguine returned $3.80. It was the second straight week that Matses and Allard teamed up to win a stakes race. Last Saturday, their Alogon nailed down Monmouth’s Wolf Hill. Allard has worked with Matses for over 40 years. “I trained his first stakes winner, and now I’ve trained this one,” Allard said in the winner’s circle. Allard conditioned Alogon’s first and second dams, and he also campaigned Beguine’s dam, stakes-winner Shananies Song. A homebred daughter of Gun Runner, Beguine went through the auction ring unsuccessfully on two occasions. She was listed as an “RNA” for $235,000 as a yearling, and for $340,000 as a 2-year-old. Beguine is a half-sister to Grade 2 winner Favorable Outcome and stakes-winner Bellamentary. She finished second in the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes last year when trained by Dan Peitz. The Alma North was her first career stakes score. :: Bet with the Best! Get Free DRF PPs and Cashback when you wager. Join DRF Bets. Deputed Testamony Be Better upset odds-on favorite Nimitz Class in the Deputed Testamony Stakes for 3-year-olds and upward at 1 1/8 miles. A son of Uncle Mo bred and owned by Repole Stable, Be Better settled in last from the pocket as Ournationonparade set moderate fractions of 25.59 and 49.84 while lightly prompted by Nimitz Class. The favorite made his move on the second turn and challenged Ournationonparade in earnest after six furlongs in 1:13.51. Nimitz Class gradually grinded his way to the lead in upper stretch, but jockey Sheldon Russell angled Be Better off the rail, and they set sail after the chalk. Nimitz Class tried hard with Jevian Toledo aboard, but Be Better had more stretch stamina. At the wire, it was Be Better by 1 1/4 lengths over Nimitz Class with Ournationonparade a half-length behind in third. Yodel E. A. Who finished fourth and last. Mischief Afoot, Ridin With Biden, and Wish for Peace scratched. Be Better, trained by Sheldon Russell’s wife, Brittany Russell, returned $7.80 as the second favorite. “When it scratched down to a four-horse, I realized anything could happen,” Sheldon Russell said after the race. “I told Brittany in the paddock that we needed something to go with [Nimitz Class]. Ournationonparade, luckily enough, bounced out there. Toledo looked behind [at the half-mile pole] like he had loads of horse, so I wanted to get in closer. When I tipped him out at the top of the stretch, my guy was running. Maybe he’s just getting good at the right time.” Over the last few years, Brittany Russell has emerged as one of the region’s very best trainers. This was her first stakes win for owner Mike Repole, who started sending Russell horses earlier this year. Be Better began his career with trainer Todd Pletcher, and won two races last year at Monmouth Park. For Russell, Be Better has now taken his last three races. Be Better has now captured 5 of 12 starts for lifetime earnings of $245,940. The Deputed Testamony was his first stakes victory. Miss Disco Talk to the Judge went right to the lead under Victor Carrasco, shrugged off a pace challenge from Fast Tracked, then beat back Liquidator’s determined stretch bid to win by a head in the $75,000 Miss Disco Stakes for Maryland-bred or sired 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs. Trained by Marya Montoya, Talk to the Judge posted fractions of 23.02, 45.37, and 1:10.44 while saving ground, and completed the distance in 1:23.81 to post her first stakes victory. Rowsie Express was a half-length back in third. Then came Willful Desire, Fast Tracked, Solving Progress, Precious Avery and favored Malibu Moonshine. Talk to the Judge returned $23.80 as the sixth choice in the wagering. A daughter of Golden Lad, Talk to the Judge was bred by Dr. & Mrs. Thomas Bowman, and is owned by Waldorf Racing Stables. A debut winner last summer at Parx, Talk to the Judge took her seasonal debut there in a first-level allowance April 24. She bested Foggy Night in both of her previous wins, and that filly came back to win the Grade 3 Delaware Oaks earlier this year. Talk to the Judge placed third in a second-level allowance at Delaware June 1, then finished seventh of eighth in her turf debut, the Blue Sparkler Stakes at Monmouth. “When she ran at Delaware, she grabbed both her quarters and missed two weeks of training,” Montoya said in the winner’s circle. “She came out of the race with a temperature, so we threw that race out, and then we went to the turf. She absolutely hated the turf.” Montoya noted that Talk to the Judge seemed unfazed by the heat. “When we ran her at Monmouth, it was hot, and she didn’t turn a hair in the trailer which is very rare. She was calm and cool [today].” Malibu Moonshine, last year’s champion Maryland-bred juvenile filly, was disappointing in her first start since Aqueduct’s Ruthless Feb. 5. She broke slow, as is her habit, fell far, far behind, tried to wind up a wide rally on the turn, and never threatened. Montoya intends to keep Talk to the Judge in sprint races for the near future. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.