The familiar colours of Bill and Corinne Heiligbrodt return to the spotlight during Preakness weekend as the experienced owners prepare to saddle the progressive Faust in Saturday’s $150,000 Maryland Sprint (G3) at Laurel Park.
Maryland Sprint Stakes 2026.
The six-furlong contest for older sprinters forms part of a major 14-race programme built around the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes, with nine stakes races and four graded events scheduled across the card. First race post time is set for 10:30 a.m. ET.
For the Heiligbrodts and Hall of Fame trainer Steve Asmussen, the Maryland Sprint has become familiar territory in recent years. The stable landed the race 12 months ago with Booth and has repeatedly enjoyed success during the Preakness meeting through a strong line of sprinters including Ryvit, Mighty Mischief, Yaupon and champion Mitole in the Chick Lang Stakes.
Asmussen himself boasts an exceptional recent record in the Maryland Sprint, having also won the race with Jaxon Traveler, New York Central and Switzerland.
Bill Heiligbrodt believes Faust has earned his opportunity at graded level after producing a string of consistent performances through the spring campaign.
“He’s just a horse that shows up. He’s worked his way up the ladder. This race will be a little bit tougher,” Heiligbrodt said.
The four-year-old arrives at Laurel Park carrying a career-best two-race winning streak after dominant allowance victories at Oaklawn Park on March 20 and April 17. Those wins came by a combined margin of nearly 12 lengths and pushed his earnings beyond $320,000.
Purchased for $59,000, Faust has steadily improved with experience. He closed his three-year-old season with a fourth-place finish in the Silks Stakes before returning this year with increasingly sharper efforts, including a strong third behind subsequent winners Zero Sugar and Senior Officer in allowance company.
“He’s a very large horse. I call him a champion for me because he’s an overachiever,” Heiligbrodt added. “This is his first chance at a graded stakes race. He shows up every day. He’s won a lot of money and he’s run against good competition.”
Among the principal local hopes is Slam Notion, a durable homebred for Eric Rizer trained by Robbie Bailes. The four-year-old has built an excellent record at Laurel, winning five times at the track from nine appearances.
Bailes admitted the Maryland Sprint had not initially been part of the horse’s schedule after a demanding campaign last year, but encouraging recent work persuaded connections to target the race.
“He really loves Laurel,” Bailes said. “We thought this might be a good spot for him.”
Slam Notion enjoyed a productive 2025 campaign that included victories in the Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial, the Maryland Million Sprint and the Star de Naskra Stakes at Colonial Downs. He was last seen finishing fourth behind subsequent Carter Stakes winner Point Dume in the General George Stakes in February.
Another strong local contender is Celtic Contender for trainer Hamilton Smith. The son of Irish War Cry has developed an admirable record at Laurel Park, winning six races over the surface and finishing third in last year’s Maryland Sprint. The five-year-old returned from an eight-month absence to score in allowance company in March and appears to have retained his sharpness.
Trainer Whit Beckman, already represented on the Preakness card by Kentucky Derby third Ocelli, will saddle Bring the Smoke. The lightly raced four-year-old made headlines when demolishing maiden rivals by more than 18 lengths in muddy conditions earlier this season before finishing runner-up in allowance company at Keeneland.
The field is completed by Faster Gator, Haileysfirstnotion, Floodlites, Hymn and S S Sinatra, creating a deep and competitive renewal of one of the weekend’s key sprint contests.
Other graded races on the card include the Dinner Party Stakes (G3) and the Gallorette Stakes (G3), both scheduled for the turf course.
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