Md Million: Bailes barn arrives with high expectations * The Racing Biz

Trainer Robbie Bailes brings a compact but formidable squad to this year’s Maryland Million Day at Laurel Park, led by promising youth Slewperstitus in the Lassie and the seasoned Slam Notion in the Sprint. They are joined by Ginger Snap, a girl, in the Lassie, and Next Girl, a starter handicap winner on this day last year, who returns in the Maryland Million Distaff.

Bailes has won three Maryland Million races in his career, including last year’s score with Next Girl. His first came in 1994.

Slewperstitus, a 2-year-old filly by Great Notion, comes to the $100,000 Maryland Million Lassie with all the right signals. She has been training steadily with Laurel since returning from Colonial Downs and recently delivered what Bailes called “very good” training.

“She came into the race really well,” Bailes said. “Had a job done four days ago, everything came back fine, and we’re crossing our fingers and looking forward to Saturday.”

The filly will be ridden by Jevian Toledo, who has been climbing aboard Bailes’ runners of late. “He rode a few more for us,” said the trainer. “We’re going to try it and see what happens.”

While Slewperstitus has shown talent from the start, Bailes remains grounded in the unpredictability of two-year-olds.

“She’s always shown a lot of talent, but until you put them in the gate and run them in the afternoon, you’re still not sure what you’re going to get,” the trainer said. “But she is very progressive in her training.”

Slewperstitus, a homebred of Eric and Nancy Rizer, has one win from three starts. She was second twice at Colonial Downs, finishing Just Philtored both times. That bishop is not there.

Two races after the Lassie, Bailes will send out WWCD LLC’s improving Next Girl in the Maryland Million Distaff, facing a competitive group of older fillies and mares. Next Girl is 10-1 on the morning line, while defending champion Foxy Junior is the tepid 3-1 favorite.

A surprising success story, she has gone from a $12,500 claimer – the level at which she broke her maiden – to a top-level runner who is equally effective on grass and dirt.

“She really surprised us,” Bailes admitted. “Last year I wasn’t sure which way she would go, but she is one who has just gotten better and better. She can run on grass or dirt, short or long – she is a really fun filly to be around.”

Next Girl’s steady improvement is due to maturity and consistency. “Sometimes it just takes longer for them to recover,” Bailes said. “She’s always been honest and tries every time. Suddenly she started coming forward for us, and it was fun to see.”

Perhaps Bailes’ most talented prospect on the day is Slam Notion, who is competing against a deep field in the Maryland Million Sprint. The three-year-old Great Notion gelding is 5-2 on the morning line in a highly competitive group that includes Haileysfirstnotion (2-1) and Twisted Ride (3-1). Slam Notion, also a homebred Rizer, comes in fresh from two wins on the dirt at Colonial Downs, including a two-length score in the limited Star de Naskra Stakes.

“He’s really starting to do well for us,” Bailes said. “He’s always been honest: he gives you what he has. Those few races at Colonial were really big, and he’s doing really well in this one.”

Slam Notion has two off-color outings this year, but apologizes for both. In the Chick Lang he had a rough start and a bad trip, and Bailes calls it “a disaster from the start.”

And two back, he put in a mediocre effort on the turf. “Bad decision by the trainer,” Bailes jokes.

The sprint, Bailes acknowledges, is always one of the toughest races on the card, and this year is no different.

“It’s a very competitive race. You have to be on your game and make the journey,” he said. “We freshened it up after the Chick Lang when it just wasn’t handling it well, and it’s come back like gangbusters since then.”

It looks like the whole Bailes gang is coming into this year’s Maryland Million ready, which means it could be a good day for him and for his owners, especially the Rizers, who own three of the Bailes quartet.

“They’ve been great to us,” Bailes said of his owners. “They really look forward to it every day with their horses. They deserve everything they get.”