Post Time solidified his chances for a championship title at Laurel Park on Saturday, Dec. 3, by winning the Maryland Juvenile Stakes by three and three-quarters lengths for his third victory in as many career starts.

 

Hillwood Stable’s gray or roan son of Frosted made waves in his first two starts, winning by a combined eight and three-quarter lengths despite racing greenly. On the strength of those victories, he went off as the slight even-money favorite in the seven-horse field. Maryland Million Nursery winner Johnyz From Albany was the 11-10 second choice.

 

As expected, Johnyz From Albany went straight to the lead and set the early pace. Meanwhile semi-retired jockey Eric Camacho, an exercise rider for trainer Brittany Russell who has not ridden anyone besides Post Time in a race this year, kept his mount in last early on. As Johnyz From Albany set an opening quarter of :22.76 and a first half of :45.81, Camacho asked Post Time to run on the far turn. In an instant, Post Time moved from seventh to third and soon set his sights on the leader.

 

Turning for home, Johnyz From Albany maintained the advantage, but Post Time soon loomed large alongside him. With Camacho sitting as still as a statue, Post Time easily moved by the leader and maintained a straight course as he drew off down the stretch. He hit the wire in front as much the best, going seven furlongs in 1:23.98 over a sealed muddy track. Johnyz From Albany held on for second, while Coffeewithchris checked in third in the stakes for Maryland-bred and/or sired 2-year-olds.

 

Post Time was bred by Dr. and Mrs. Thomas Bowman, Dr. Brooke Bowman and Milton P. Higgins III. He sold for $85,000 to Ellen Charles’ Hillwood Stable LLC at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall Yearling Sale in 2021. The colt is named in tribute to Charles’ grandmother, Marjorie Merriweather Post. 

 

Post Time is out of the Fairbanks mare Vielsalm. Bred by Tom and Chris Bowman and their son Brooke, Maryland-bred Vielsalm was offered as a yearling at the Fasig-Tipton Midlantic Fall sale in 2011 and returned home a $3,500 RNA. Racing for Brooke Bowman, she won seven times from 38 starts and earned $329,285. Her victories included the 2014 All Brandy Stakes at Laurel Park, and she was second, by a head, in the 2015 running of the All Brandy. Her highest profile performance was a second-place effort in a three-horse photo in Pimlico’s 2016 Gallorette Handicap-G3 at 76-1 on the Preakness undercard. 

 

Vielsalm is the dam of three foals of racing age, with two winners from as many starters, the other being 4-year-old Munnings gelding What Does It Take, who captured three straight this past March and April. Her current 3-year-old, Battle of Bastogne (Street Magician), posted works at Laurel since September but has yet to start. Vielsalm is also the dam of a weanling filly by McKinzie.