Laurel Park’s calendar year-ending fall meet resumes Thursday with the traditional Thanksgiving Day program featuring nine live races and its annual holiday buffet and pie giveaway.

Doors open at 10 a.m. with a first race post time of 11:25 a.m.

Fittingly, Love to Eat is among the main contenders in Laurel’s Thanksgiving Day opener, a six-furlong claimer for fillies and mares 3 and up. Helen Marshall’s sophomore daughter of champion sprinter Mitole drew the rail as she seeks a second straight win for trainer Kieron Magee.

Thursday’s feature is a second-level optional claiming allowance for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/16 miles led by The Elkstone Group’s 5-year-old gelding Search Engine, making his third start off a $40,000 claim for meet-leading trainer Brittany Russell. Among his rivals are the Bruno Tessore-trained entry of Manor House and Elephants Ear, the latter cross-entered in Friday’s $100,000 Richard W. Small, and Aug. 18 Find winner Riccio.

Fans can pick up a full-size apple or pumpkin pie with purchase of a daily program, while supplies last, with a limit of two per person. Donut, coffee, cider and hot chocolate bars will also be available.

There will be a carryover of $3,819.40 in the $1 Jackpot Super High Five (Race 6). The 20-cent Rainbow 6 (Races 4-9) begins anew after being solved for an $11,886.60 jackpot payout on the last live program Nov. 17.

Thanksgiving weekend continues Friday with the Richard Small and $100,000 Willa On the Move, rescheduled from Nov. 23. The 1 1/8-mile Richard Small for 3-year-olds and up is led by Grade 3-placed multiple stakes-winning sophomore Copper Tax, who is a perfect 3-0 at Laurel including wins in the 2023 James F. Lewis III, March 23 Private Terms and April 20 Federico Tesio.

Morris Kernan, Yo Berbs and Jagger Inc.’s Magic Michael is a Grade 3 winner that has the most starts (47), wins (14) and purse earnings ($695,223) in the field of seven. Trained and co-owned by Jamie Ness, the 7-year-old gelding has been third or better in seven of nine lifetime tries at Laurel and exits a closing fourth, beaten a half-length, in the M.P. Ballezzi Appreciation Mile Oct. 19 at Parx.

“It’s a good distance for him. He’s a nice, old, class horse that likes to run all day. If he gets a good pace to run at, he always fires,” Ness said. “He’s a little long in the tooth but he’s still got it, so we’ll see.”

In addition to Elephants Ear, multiple stakes winners Armando R and Ain’t Da Beer Cold, Maryland Million Classic runner-up Mosler Time and Cataleya Strike are also entered.

The 6 ½-furlong Willa On the Move for fillies and mares 3 and up attracted a field of six featuring multiple stakes winner Malibu Beauty, whose five career Laurel victories include three stakes. Most recently she ran second to Foxy Junior in the 1 1/16-mile Thirty Eight Go Go Nov. 9.

Simply Stated will be making just her second start since Sept. 29, when she was a 5 ¼-length optional claiming allowance winner in her first start for trainer Brittany Russell. The 4-year-old filly put together three straight wins last summer for previous trainer Bernie Houghton capped by the six-furlong Penn Ladies Dash.

Bourbon Bon Bay returned from more than a year layoff to run fifth in the seven-furlong Maryland Million Distaff Oct. 19. Over a career with several stops and starts, the 7-year-old mare has run first or second in each of her other races with six wins including the 6 ½-furlong Cornucopia in 2022 at Parx.

Ms. Bucchero, Mattitude and Winkiwinki complete the field.

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