Sunny Sunrise

Wednesdays won't be so dark anymore for Maryland thoroughbred racing fans.Beginning June 30, Laurel Race Course will offer full-carcommingled simulcast wagering every Wednesday from Belmont Park, Monmouth Park, Churchill Downs and Hollywood Park.It will be the first time in the history of Maryland racing thasimulcast wagering has been scheduled on a dark day.The simulcast wagering will also be available at PimlicoRosecroft, Delmarva and the two off-track locations -- the Cracked Claw restaurant in Urbana and Poor Jimmy's restaurant in North East.

Sunny Sunrise gets a chance for redemption and could top the $1 million mark in earnings today in the eighth running of the $175,000 Baltimore Budweiser Breeders' Cup Handicap for 3-year-olds and up at Laurel Race Course.In last year's race, Excellent Tipper -- trained by Howie Tesher -- drove past Sunny Sunrise in the stretch to win by a head and set the Laurel track record for 1 1/8 miles: 1 minute, 47 3/5 seconds."[Sunny Sunrise] ran his heart out," said Grover "Bud" Delp, the horse's trainer.

He's 20 years old, the newest riding sensation in Maryland and a long way from his Mexico City home.Austreberto Salazar came to the United States a year ago to make a better living for himself, and he's doing a good job of it.He was the third-leading rider at the recently completed Pimlico Race Course meet with 42 wins, 25 seconds and 34 thirds.Salazar, an apprentice jockey, was right there challenging leader Edgar Prado and second-place Michael Luzzi for the championship at Old Hilltop.And nothing has changed since the action shifted to Laurel Race Course last week.

Sunny Sunrise got the lead.Click.Track announcer Dave Rodman might as well have shut off his microphone yesterday when no one challenged the Bud Delp-trained pace-setter in the early running of the John B. Campbell Handicap.The horse led wire-to-wire at Pimlico Race Course, winning the 39th renewal of the historic handicap by four lengths over 8-5 favorite Ibex.Anyone expecting a repeat of the Sunny Sunrise-Ameri Valay speed duel that developed last month in the Harrison Johnson Memorial at Laurel was fooled.

LAUREL -- Dontcloseyoureyes wins stakes at just about every track in the tri-state region, except where he's stabled.The 6-year-old horse became the first Penn National-based runner to win a Maryland stakes this year when he posted a 4 3/4 -length victory yesterday in the $43,225 Maryland City Handicap at Laurel Race Course.Previously, Dontcloseyoureyes had won stakes at the Charles Town Races and at Philadelphia and Garden State parks, but never in Maryland or on his home grounds at Penn National where his trainer, Mario Beneito, is among the leading horsemen.

LAUREL -- He Is Risen outran expected front-runner Sunny Sunrise for the lead yesterday in the $100,000 Polynesian Handicap at Laurel Race Course and drew off over a sloppy track to post a 6 1/4 -length win.Peanut Butter Onit, winner of his past two starts at Monmouth Park, rallied to finish second, one-half length in front of Sunny Sunrise, the 6-5 favorite.A speed duel never developed between the pace-setters.Greg Hutton, who rode He Is Risen, said he expected Mike Luzzi to take the lead with Sunny Sunrise, who was also the beaten favorite in his last start, the Frank J. De Francis Dash on July 18. "I was surprised when he [Luzzi]

LAUREL -- A True Punch, ridden by Larry Reynolds, took the lead shortly after the start and breezed to a 10-length victory in the featured Kona Way Purse yesterday at Laurel Race Course.A True Punch, trained by Berkley Kern, covered the six furlongs in 1 minute, 11 2/5 seconds over a track rated fast. Reynolds hand-rode the winner, who was never threatened. Sweepings got up for the place."The filly made no mistakes," said Kern. "She had a nice lead on the backside and really turned it on at the quarter pole.

LAUREL -- Sunny Sunrise, who has been established as the 7-2 favorite, will start from the No. 9 post position in tomorrow's Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash, a $300,000 six-furlong sprint for 3-year-olds and up at Laurel Race Course.The field for the second richest sprint race in the nation is set at 12, with Arrowtown being scratched yesterday before the draw for post positions.Sunny Sunrise, a 5-year-old gelding by Sunny's Halo out of the Rising Market mare, Xalapa Sunrise, is trained by Bud Delp and will be ridden by Mike Luzzi.

LAUREL -- Sunny Sunrise, top-weighted for Saturday's Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash, a $300,000 Grade III handicap for 3-year-olds and up over six furlongs at Laurel Race Course, worked three furlongs in 35 seconds yesterday."

LAUREL -- Sunny Sunrise, top-weighted for Saturday's Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash, a $300,000 Grade III handicap for 3-year-olds and up over six furlongs at Laurel Race Course, worked three furlongs in 35 seconds yesterday."