Laurel, MD (SportsNetwork.com) – The President’s Day feature at Laurel Park,
the $100,000 Miracle Wood Stakes for 3-year-olds, may not offer any points to
get into the Kentucky Derby, but a solid field of eight 3-year-olds has been
entered for the mile event.
Installed as the 9-5 morning line favorite is Jerome Stakes runner-up Nasa,
who will be ridden by Kendrick Carmouche from post 4. The colt is a son of
2004 Kentucky Derby and Preakness winner Smarty Jones, and has the same
connections as his sire, trainer John Servis and owner Pat Chapman.
Nasa got second in his debut effort last Sept. 6 at Parx Racing and won three
weeks later at Laurel. He finished third in a stakes at Parx in November and
won the Pennsylvania Nursery at the track on Dec. 6 to become the first
offspring of Smarty Jones to capture the same stakes as his father.
In his 2015 return effort, Nasa finished 4 3/4 lengths behind El Kabeir in the
Jerome Stakes at Aqueduct on Jan. 3. The Pennsylvania bred colt has earned
$139,050 from five starts.
Leaving from post 2 will be local stakes winner Golden Years, the 2-1 second
pick, with Victor Carrasco remaining as the colt’s designated jockey.
Trained by Rodney Jenkins, Golden Years has raced exclusively at Laurel and
posted three wins in four starts for $146,760. Owned by Hillwood Stable, the
colt captured the Maryland Million Nursery Stakes last October and registered
a 7 1/4-length victory in the Marylander in December.
Here is the field for the Miracle Wood in post position order: Combat Diver,
Sheldon Russell, 15-1; Golden Years, Victor Carrasco, 2-1; Savvy Street,
Forest Boyce, 5-1; Nasa, Kendrick Carmouche, 9-5; Measured, Horacio Karamanos,
12-1; Bodhisattva, J. D. Acosta, 10-1; Governmentshutdown, Julian Pimentel,
12-1 and On Tap, Jose Ortiz, 8-1.
Monday’s Miracle Wood has an approximate post time of 3:57 p.m. ET.
