A patient ride from Jorge Ruiz and a determined late burst from Calumet Farm’s homebred Turf Star proved decisive in Saturday’s $100,000 James W. Murphy Stakes at Laurel Park, where the colt reeled in long-time leader My Favorite Bird in the final strides to secure victory by half a length.
The win came during Laurel Park’s high-profile Preakness Stakes program, one of the biggest racing afternoons on the American calendar.
Turf Star, trained by Graham Motion, covered the one-mile journey on the firm All Along turf course in 1:35.82, giving the veteran conditioner his fifth career success in the James W. Murphy Stakes. Motion previously landed the race with Two Smart in 1997, Blaze and Blues in 2000, English Bee in 2019 and Nagirroc in 2023.
Ridden with restraint early, Turf Star settled off the pace while Thebabeslayer showed the way through opening fractions of 23.76 seconds and 48.37 under pressure from Attfield. Proton, sent off the 2-1 favourite, raced prominently alongside My Favorite Bird as the field approached the far turn.
Turning for home, Thebabeslayer attempted to kick clear, but My Favorite Bird soon emerged as the principal danger in upper stretch. Ruiz, however, had kept plenty in reserve aboard Turf Star, angling his mount into clear running before producing a sustained closing run that gathered momentum inside the final furlong.
James W. Murphy Stakes result
Turf Star swept past approaching the wire to register his second career victory and provide Calumet Farm with another notable success on a major stakes program. My Favorite Bird held second, while the early pace-setters weakened late after forcing the tempo throughout much of the contest.
The Murphy Stakes formed the fifth of nine stakes races on Laurel Park’s 14-race card, anchored by the 151st running of the Preakness Stakes, the second jewel of the American Triple Crown series.
For Motion, the victory added another chapter to an already impressive record in turf racing events at Maryland’s premier spring meeting. Turf Star’s strong finishing effort also suggested there may be bigger opportunities ahead later in the season.
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