2017 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup Preview, Entries & Odds

OffTrackBetting.com - Laurel Park in Laurel, Maryland will play host to the G2 Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup on Saturday, September 30. Horses three years old and upward will be featured when they line up on Laurel Park's turf track and race one mile.

A field of eight will line up in the Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup - race 8 on Laurel Park's stacked Saturday card. Post time is 4:00 PM. Let's take a peek into the past performances of all eight entries for this G2 stakes.

2017 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup Entries at Laurel Park

Blacktype

Defending Champion in this race - French bred Christophe Clement trained gelding has eight wins, three seconds and eight third place finishes in 27 career starts. He enters on the heels of an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Laurel Park September 9, a sixth in the minor Lure Stakes at Saratoga August 5 and consecutive thirds including the G2 Dixie Stakes at Pimlico in May. He also had a fifth in the G1 Maker's 46 Mile at Keeneland April 14, a second in the minor Artie Schiller Stakes at Aqueduct November 19, a third in the G3 Knickerbocker Stakes at Laurel Park in October and a three two race win streak - the 2016 Commonwealth Turf Cup here last September 24, the G3 Oceanport Stakes at Monmouth Park last July 31 and an Allowance Optional Claiming at Laurel Park July 3, 2016. He has placed three of his last four starts overall and tries for the repeat win - from post 7.

Ring Weekend

Won the G3 Saranac Stakes and G3 Hill Prince Stakes in 2014 for trainer Graham Motion and posted a win in the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile in 2015. In 2016, he also won two graded stakes - the G2 Bernard Baruch Stakes and the G2 Seabiscuit Stakes in November. He has placed in just one of seven 2017 starts however - a fourth last time out in the G2 Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga September 4 followed a fifth in the minor Lure Stakes on that track August 5, a second in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Delaware Park June 15, a tenth in the G2 Dixie Stakes at Pimlico in May. Before that were consecutive fourths- in the G1 Frank E. Kilroe Mile in March and the G2 Arcadia Stakes in February and a fifth in the G3 San Gabriel Stakes in January. Ring Weekend hasn't fired yet this year but hopes to get on track from post 5. Edgar Prado has been tabbed to ride.

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Tower of Texas

Roger Attfield trained gelding has five wins, eighth seconds and four third place finishes in 24 career starts - 22 at Woodbine. He enters off an eighth in the G1 Woodbine Mile September 16 after a fourth in the G2 Play the King Stakes on that track August 19, an OK third, a half-length back in the G2 King Edward Stakes there July 2 and a career-best effort - a win in the G2 Connaught Cup at Woodbine June 3. Before that was an ugly tenth in the G1 Shadwell Turf Mile at Keeneland in October and three straight runner-up finishes - just a half-length behind Tepin in the 2016 Woodbine Mile and the 2016 King Edward Stakes included. He also had a 2 3/4 length score in the 2015 King Edward Stakes. Tower of Texas has placed in 11 of his last 15 starts but hasn't looked great in his last two overall. He tries to bounce back into the win column with Jesse Campbell guiding him from post 3.

Projected

British bred Chad Brown trained gelding has five wins and seven runner-up finishes in 17 career starts. He finished second in a pair of stakes races at home and has been OK in six North American starts. Last time out was a slightly disappointing fifth in the G2 Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga September 4 which followed three straight seconds - the minor Lure Stakes at Saratoga August 5, the G3 Poker Stakes at Laurel Park June 18 and the G2 Dixie Stakes at Pimlico May 20. Before that was an Allowance score at Keeneland in April and a fourth in his North American debut - the G3 Canadian Stakes at Gulfstream Park in March. Projected has been OK so far in his career but has yet to post a graded stakes score. Jockey Nik Juarez will try to change all of that from gate 2.

Catapult

Has 11 career starts for trainer Chad Brown with four wins, a second and a third-place finish. Last time out was an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Saratoga August 4 after consecutive fourths - the G3 Poker Stakes at Laurel Park June 18 and in the G2 Dixie Stakes at Pimlico May 20. Before that was a second in the minor Danger's Hour Stakes at Aqueduct April 9, a fourth in the G3 Tampa Bay Stakes February 11 and a good win in the minor Gio Ponti Stakes at Aqueduct in November. Catapult tries for a first graded stakes score Saturday and hopes to build on a win last time out. Feargal Lynch gets the call from gate 4.

Glorious Empire

Irish bred Carlos Martin trained gelding has six wins and three third-place finishes in 18 career starts. He enters off a seventh in his graded stakes debut - the G2 Bernard Baruch Handicap at Saratoga September 4 which followed a Claiming score on that track July 22, a twelfth in an Allowance Optional Claiming at Laurel Park May 7 and consecutive thirds in Allowance Optional Claiming races to start 2017. He looks for his first stakes win and enters in so-so form from the rail. Sheldon Russell rides.

Xmas Sky

Elizabeth Merryman trained gelding has six wins, two seconds and three third-place finishes. He makes his graded stakes debut Saturday off a disappointing sixth in a Starter Allowance at Delaware Park July 17, an Allowance Optional Claiming score at Penn National June 15 and off-the-board finishes in his three previous starts including a sixth in the minor Jim McKay Stakes at Pimlico in May and a fifth in the minor First Responder Stakes last October. Xmas Sky has been OK against lesser company but hasn't looked great in stakes action. Jevian Toledo will be in the saddle from gate 6.

Special Ops

Has seven wins, five seconds and two third-place finishes for trainer Michael Maker. He arrives on a two-race win streak - a Starter Allowance last time out September 10 and the listed West Virginia House of Delegates Speaker's Cup Stakes August 5. Before that was a third in the listed Warrior Veterans Stakes at Indiana Grand July 15, a second in a Claiming at Churchill Downs in June and three straight sixth-place finishes including in his only graded stakes action to date - the G2 Muniz Memorial Handicap at Fair Grounds in April. Special Ops has hit the board in his last four starts overall and shoots for a third straight win from the outside gate 8. Daniel Centeno gets the call.

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2017 Baltimore-Washington International Turf Cup Odds & Entries

Race 8 on Laurel Park's Saturday card with a Post Time of 4:00 PM.