R. Larry Johnson’s Maryland homebred Call Another Play continued her forward progression, extended her win streak to three races and earned a shot against graded-stakes competition with a professional 3½-length victory in Saturday’s $125,000 Weber City Miss at Laurel Park.
The 1 1/16-mile Weber City Miss for 3-year-old fillies served as co-headliner with the $125,000 Federico Tesio for 3-year-olds on an 11-race program featuring five stakes worth $550,000 in purses including the first of the season on Laurel’s world-class turf course.
In its ninth year the Weber City Miss once again provides the winner an automatic berth to the $300,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2), celebrating its 100th running on Preakness Eve, May 17, at historic Pimlico Race Course.
Of the seven previous winners that went on to Pimlico, including Cats Inthe Timber last year, Lights of Medina came the closest to sweeping both races when she was second by a head in 2017 for trainer Todd Pletcher.
Winning trainer Michael Trombetta won the inaugural Weber City Miss in 2016 with A.P. Majetstic, another filly also making her stakes debut, who then went on to run 11th in the Black-Eyed Susan.
“It’s always in the back of your mind. That’s a tough thing to do, but I’ll talk to Larry about it and we’ll see what the plans are,” Trombetta said. “She’s been great and getting this done is a big deal. We’ll sit down and figure it out.”
Jockey Jaime Rodriguez, aboard for the entirety of her in streak, settled Call Another Play ($12.80) in fourth as multiple stakes winner Miss Harriett, trying two turns for the first time, led through a quarter-mile in :24.23 chased by another stakes winner in Jeannie Marie in second and last-out Laurel maiden winner Grammy Girl third.
Grammy Girl improved to second after the half went in :47.66 when Rodriguez gave Call Another Play her cue, and she responded with a bold sweeping move on the outside to get alongside Miss Harriett, then surged past once straightened for home and crossed the wire in 1:46.66 over a fast main track. Jeanne Marie got up for second, 1¼ lengths ahead of Miss Harriett.
Grammy Girl finished fourth and Midwest-based stakes winner Shimmering Allure, the 4-5 favorite, trailed in last. Stakes winners Aoife’s Magic, Band of Gold and Determined Driver were scratched.
“They started off slow. We figured there would be quite a pace in front of us and it took a while before they started really putting it together, but when they all got halfway down the backside and started getting near each other, then the tempo picked up,” Trombetta said. “Jaime rides this horse brilliantly. Him and her seem to get along really well.”
Call Another Play won one of her first six starts and was in for a $40,000 tag in a Feb. 16 claimer at Laurel, which she won by 4 ¼ lengths. The daughter of Audible out of the Bernardini mare Past is Prelude returned in a 1 1/16-mile optional claiming allowance March 22 and again came from off the pace to score by 6 ¼ lengths for a claiming price of $62,500.
“We liked her all along, but then for two or three races she just wasn’t doing what we wanted,” Trombetta said. “She found herself in a mile race and a two-turn race and she started to turn the corner. Since Jaime’s been riding her, too, they just seem to hit it off really well. She’s real easy. She’s a good girl.”
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