Lil’ Regard missed nine months. But she didn’t miss a beat.

Morris Bailey’s three-year-old Instilled Regard filly returned from a lengthy break Saturday to win a $50,935 first-level allowance at Laurel Park by 2 ¼ lengths.

“I love this filly. I’ve loved her since the sale,” said winning trainer Brittany Russell afterwards, and why not? Lil’ Regard is now 2-for-2, in both races mounting a come-from-the-clouds rally to win.

The only thing: they took place nine months apart.

“I had her ready to go in the fall, and she was just kind of crabby-going,” Russell said. “I just thought, we like her a lot. I thought we could have a really good year with her this year, if we just kicked her out and let her be a horse. She’s been awesome.”

In today’s contest, Lil’ Regard, a New York-bred that cost Bailey $100,000 at the 2024 Fasig-Tipton Midlantic two-year-olds in training sale in Timonium, broke cleanly enough but quickly fell to the rear of the 10-horse field. Up top, Somethingwonderful and Watch Me Disappear set a moderate early tempo, 23.42 seconds for the quarter and 46.65 for the half-mile.

Jockey Shedon Russell was content to bide his time in last while saving ground, and he and the filly gradually made their way to the outside in upper stretch. Once clear, she unleashed her late kick, rolling past her rivals to win going away in 1:03.54 for 5 ½ furlongs over firm turf.

The win was basically a reprise of her debut last August 29 at Colonial Downs, when she rallied between rivals to win by a half-length. And it was the way Brittany Russell had envisioned it when she first laid eyes on Lil’ Regard.

“She’s just a plain brown wrapper, but she looks fast,” Russell said.

For all that, the filly’s mind, Brittany Russell said, is her best asset.

“She is mentally simple: breezes, trains good, just everything about her,” the trainer said. “Sheldon came back and he said, off all that time we gave her, she was quiet as a mouse in the post parade. Just class.”

A second local allowance could be in the offing for Lil’ Regard, or perhaps a trip north to try to take advantage of some of the lucrative options available to New York-breds in the Empire State.

For the time being, Russell said, they would likely keep Lil’ Regard sprinting.

“This is kind of working at the moment,” she pointed out. “You don’t fix something that’s not broken, right?”

NOTES Three races later, the Russell-and-Russell firm teamed up once again to win a Maryland-restricted allowance with New King, a four-year-old Into Mischief colt owned by SF Racing, et. al. Second in the Frank Whiteley Stakes here in April, he earned his first win in Russell’s barn in his third start… Jockey Horacio Karamanos made a triumphant return to Maryland. After two winless tries Friday, the veteran won twice Saturday, scoring with Great Artist for trainer Phil Capuano and Don’t Tell Deren for Kieron Magee… Kake’s Arrow registered a front-running score in a turf allowance with Jaime Rodriguez up for Jamie Ness… Pediatrician, by Uncle Mo, made his third start his graduation score, taking a maiden special weight event by a half-dozen lengths. Yedsit Hazlewood was up for Marco Salazar and owner Garboso, Inc….