LAUREL, Md.--Morning March, trained by Kathy Neilson, won the $40,000, 2 1/8 mile Ratings Handicap Hurdle on Sunday, June 21 at Laurel Park.

Morning March, ridden by Fredddie ProcterMorning March Partners' Morning March, ridden by Freddie Procter, won by 14 1/2 lengths over Doctor Love (Fr), trained by Tom Garner, and L'Avvocato (Fr), also trained by Neilson.

Doctor Love went out to a huge lead, ahead by as much as 25 lengths at times, but was caught on the final turn by Morning March, who went into the lead in the stretch and opened up for the win, while Doctor Love held on gamely for second.

"Morning March was bred and races by Alexander Gordon Watson, but he got hurt and sold his horses," said Neilson. "Janet Elliot called me and said, `You need to buy this horse'. I got a couple of my fox hunting friends together, and we bought him."

"He's a really good looking, sturdy individual," said Neilson.

This was his fifth start for Neilson, all this year, and he won two and was third once.

 

BUT LAST time out at the Gold Cup he was sixth.

"We recognized that he likes shorter, faster courses," said Neilson. "At the Gold Cup he was too rank and took too much out of himself. Freddie knows the horse well, and at Laurel he kept him under wraps and got him settled. There was a lot of early speed, which set the race up for a closer."

"He'll probably go to Saratoga next," said Neilson.

Meriwether Morris saddled Petticoats Loose Farm's Hold Out, ridden by Conor Tierney, to win the $45,000 Maiden Hurdle by 14 1/2 lengths over Serifos, trained by Jack Fisher, and Anahm, trained by Todd McKenna.

This was Hold Out's first race over fences after running on the flat as recently as May 15.

From 19 starts on the flat, Hold Out won three times with three seconds and two thirds, also having finished fourth in the Henry S. Clark Stakes on April 18.

In the two races at Laurel, both horses won by 14 1/2 lengths, while Hold Out finished in 3.59 4/5 while Morning March finished one second faster in 3:58 4/5.