At the end of a full day of stakes action at Laurel Park for the 2024 Jim McKay Maryland Million Day, Brilliant Ice pulled out in front to win the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic by an easy 5 1/4-lengths. Owned and bred by Crystal Park Stables Inc., today was Brilliant Ice’s first start beyond a 1 1/16-miles in 25 starts. The 2019 gelding by Great Notion and out of Little Ice Patch, by Housebuster, ran the 1 1/8-mile today in 1:50.19 over a fast track with jockey Jeiron Barbosa in the irons.
Today’s win was the first Maryland Million victory for 80-year-old trainer Annette Eubanks, who watched the race live from home having recently had a knee replacement. Eubanks has saddled 15 other Maryland Million runners. Earlier today, she finished second with Band Camp in the $100,000 Sprint. Band Camp is co-owned by Eubanks and her son Dan Eubanks of Rising Sun Racing Stables, Inc. “It’s very emotional because mom is not doing very good today. It’s the biggest day of her career and she couldn’t be here for it,” Dan Eubanks said. Brilliant Ice was raised on the Eubanks’ Hillbizion Farm in Lothian.
“[Annette Eubanks] has been our trainer for over 30 years,” Phil Bratz of Crystal Park Stables Inc stated. “We met her when she claimed [Brilliant] Ice’s great grandmother away from us. She’s just phenomenal. She really cares about the animals and that’s why we’ve stayed with her for so long.” Bratz added that today’s win was “exciting. He is the great-grandson of the first horse that we ever owned. We were there the day he was born. I didn’t know he had this in him, but we gave it a shot and he ran big today.”
Classic favorite Mosler Time finished second with Mugatu in third.
Stay tuned for the November print edition for more Maryland Million results and photos!
