And the 12th start is the charm . . . Mystical Terp broke his maiden in his 12th start, winning a 7-furlong maiden at Laurel on November 9. Owned by Matthew Brown, NRS Stable and the trainer, Mystical Terp collected a healthy check for the win and a bonus check for being a Maryland-bred (thank you Maryland Horse Breeders). It was win number 32 for the year.

Sheldon Russell patiently guided the 3-year-old son of Lion Heart, sitting off the pace and then striking when a seam opened in the stretch. Mystical Terp drew off to win by a length, finishing 6 furlongs in 1:12.12.

“I’ve been getting some pressure to drop him down and win a maiden claimer but I was holding out hope he could win a straight maiden and get the bonus,” Keefe said. “He’s a big, kind horse who always tries but has always just missed. I tried him on the grass, tried him a mile, tried blinkers, tried him short at Timonium, I even took him to Saratoga. I guess he saw the good life at Saratoga, because he hasn’t missed a check since. He rarely runs a bad race and deserved it.”

Purchased for $30,000 at Timonium in 2009, Mystical Terp hit the board for the seventh time in his 12-race career, clicking his career earnings to over $40,000.