Over the last four and a half years, there isn't much that jockey Victor Carrasco and Hillwood Stable's Cordmaker haven't done together.
The Eclipse Award winner as champion apprentice of 2013 was up when Cordmaker, a chestnut son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin, ran third in his Aug. 19, 2017, debut at Laurel Park in Maryland.
Carrasco, 29, will be back aboard for the 25th time and 10th in a row in Saturday's $250,000 General George (G3). It is the 35th career start for Cordmaker, owned by Hillwood's Ellen Charles and trained by Laurel-based Rodney Jenkins.
“He's a very special horse to me. I think we have a really special bond together,” Carrasco said. “He's been more than good to me. I always joke around and say that I've got a place to live thanks to him. He's very, very special. I'll be always grateful to Mr. Jenkins and Mrs. Charles for keeping me on.”
Together, Carrasco and Cordmaker have combined for 10 wins, eight in stakes, three seconds and six thirds in 24 races. Overall, Cordmaker owns 13 wins, nine in stakes including three in a row, and $839,640 in purse earnings.
“You can tell that he's doing way better now. You at look at his form with age. I don't know what his deal is, he's doing better than he ever has,” Carrasco said. “Before he used to be just skinny, still doing his job and everything, but now it seems like he's enjoying his job. He's looking healthier, he's looking bigger and his form is impeccable. I think he's awesome.”
One thing still eluding Cordmaker is a graded-stakes win. He has run third twice before, in the historic Pimlico Special (G3) in 2018 and 2019, beaten two necks in the former by Tenfold and You're to Blame, both graded stakes winners.
“We're really looking forward to it. We've been very close. We had our chances in The Pimlico Special trying to get the graded stakes win under his bel,” Carrasco said. “Hopefully we can have a safe trip and finally get it done. He's been knocking at the door time after time, and I think Saturday it will be our time.”
Cordmaker is the 7-5 program favorite from Post 2 in a field of seven for the seven-furlong General George, which co-headlines a 10-race program featuring six stakes worth $900,000 in purses with the $250,000 Barbara Fritchie (G3) for older female sprinters.
He enters the race having won the 1 1/8-mile Richard W. Small and 1 1/16-mile Robert T. Manfuso to cap his 2021 season and the one-mile Jennings against fellow Maryland-bred/sired horses Jan. 29 to begin 2022. Cordmaker ran eighth, beaten 4 ½ lengths by Uncaptured following a troubled trip in the 2019 General George.
“The only concern that I have is that he's been running long the last few starts, but hopefully there's some pace on the front end and after that hopefully when I ask him to go he doesn't give himself too much to do at the end and we can get it done,” Carrasco said.
“He's a very smart horse. He knows his job, that's for sure. You just don't fight him. Let him be comfortable, let him be happy and let him be wherever he wants to be, and make sure when you say go you have nobody in front of you because then he's not going to stop,” he added. “He's very smart. He knows where the wire is. Once he passes the competition he's like, 'OK, this is it. We're done.'”
Without Hibiscus Punch, Barbara Fritchie (G3) Will Have New Winner
For the 18th straight year, the $250,000 Barbara Fritchie (G3) will have a different winner when the prestigious stakes for older female sprinters holds its 70th running Saturday at Laurel Park.
Ed Seltzer and Beverly Anderson's homebred Hibiscus Punch sprung a 41-1 upset of the 2021 Barbara Fritchie over a field that included multiple stakes winners Hello Beautiful, Dontletsweetfoolya and Needs Supervision; graded-stakes winners Sharp Starr and Estilo Talentoso; and stakes winner and multiple graded-stakes placed Club Car.
Hibiscus Punch had one more start in the Derby City Distaff (G1) last May before going to the sidelines. Trainer Justin Nixon had hoped to bring the 7-year-old mare back for a title defense in the Fritchie, but she ran ninth in her prep, the six-furlong What a Summer Jan. 29 at Laurel.
“We were obviously a little disappointed. Not in her, by any means, but she didn't run as I had hoped,” Nixon said. “Maybe I had misjudged her readiness, if you will. We had a few hurdles with getting her ready. Not that that's an excuse, but it's a factor. I probably misjudged where she needed to be for that race.”
First contested at 1 1/16 miles at old Bowie Race Course in 1952, the Fritchie has been run exclusively at seven furlongs since 1964. Hall of Famer Xtra Heat was its last back-to-back winner, in 2002 and 2003. Too Bald (1968-69) and Twixt (1974-75) also won in successive years.
Nixon said the connections will take their time deciding what's next for Hibiscus Punch.
“She came out of it in good order. She was a little tired, a little flat down the lane. I maybe needed to do a little more with her beforehand, but where we're at is where we're at,” he said. “The only thing we can do is do right by her, so we're gonna drop back regroup a little bit and see where we go.”
A field of eight will line up for Saturday's Fritchie led by 7-5 program favorite Glass Ceiling, a New York shipper that enters off two straight wins including the six-furlong Garland of Roses Dec. 11 at Aqueduct.
Perfect Day Looks to Stay Undefeated in $100,000 Miracle Wood
Vintage Thoroughbreds and Ben Lynch's Perfect Day has lived up to his name thus far, going undefeated through two starts, each race by open lengths. He will put that unblemished record to the test Saturday when he makes his stakes debut in the $100,000 Miracle Wood at Laurel Park.
The one-mile Miracle Wood is the latest in Maryland's stakes series for 3-year-olds, preceded by the seven-furlong Spectacular Bid Jan. 29 and followed by the Private Terms at about 1 1/16 miles March 19 and 1 1/8-mile Federico Tesio April 16, a 'Win and In' qualifier for Triple Crown-nominated horses to the 147th Preakness Stakes (G1) May 21 at historic Pimlico Race Course.
A chestnut son of Competitive Edge, winner of the seven-furlong Hopeful (G1) in 2014 and 2015 Pat Day Mile (G3), Perfect Day was purchased for $40,000 last June as a 2-year-old in training. Trainer Tyler Servis, whose father John won the Kentucky Derby (G1) and Preakness with Smarty Jones, took his time bringing his horse to the races.
“We gave him a little bit of time after the sale, just to acclimate him to racing and to get his head in the right spot. Coming out of those 2-year-old sales, those horses can be a little ramped up,” Servis said. “We didn't want him to be too aggressive early, so we gave him a little bit of time and let him settle in. Once he started training and breezing, he started showing us some pretty good things so we always thought we had a decent little horse.”
Perfect Day debuted with a 5 ¼-length maiden special weight triumph sprinting 5 ½ furlongs Dec. 8 at Penn National, where he pressed the pace before taking over and drawing clear through the stretch. Servis planned the unveiling to be the previous week at their home track of Parx, but Perfect Day had other ideas.
“I actually had him in at Parx eight days before that race and he got loose in the post parade. They couldn't catch him for about 20 minutes and once they finally caught him, they scratched him,” he said. “That race was our second option. For a first-timer, shipping up to Penn with the lights and everything, he handled it as good as you can ask for a horse.”
Stretched out to six furlongs for his most recent start, Perfect Day ran a similar stalk-and-pounce race but was even more impressive, leaving his rivals behind in an 8 ¾-length romp.
“The second time, obviously everybody gets a little nervous the first time against winners. We didn't know what he beat at Penn National at the time we entered him for the race, but come to find out five of those top finishers all came back and won,” Servis said. “It looked like a pretty key race that he came out of so we were pretty optimistic he was going to run a big race.”
Perfect Day drew the rail post in a field of nine with regular rider Abner Adorno named. They are a narrow third choice on the morning line behind Maryland-based Conclusive (7-2) and Alottahope (4-1).
“We felt comfortable entering him in the Miracle Wood. It's not that far of a ship for us. It wasn't the Gotham, which is a graded stake and maybe just a touch too much to ask of him at this stage. I think it's good stepping-stone. We'll see how good he is,” Servis said.
“I think he fits. It looks like there's a couple horses in the race that are wheeling back a little quick, so that could be to our advantage,” he added. “The one hole I'm not thrilled with, but with his tactical speed, as long as he leaves there running I don't think he'll have a problem.”
Improving Majestic Frontier Takes Win Streak into Miracle Wood
Gerald Grabcheski and Renate Jackson's improving colt Majestic Frontier, riding a two-race win streak, make his eighth career start and first in stakes company in Saturday's $100,000 Miracle Wood.
A New York homebred son of Keen Ice, who upset 2015 Triple Crown champion in the Travers (G1) at Saratoga, Majestic Frontier went winless in four starts before being moved to trainer John 'Jerry' Robb last fall. Stretched out around two turns for the first time, he ran second in a Dec. 19 maiden claimer at Laurel in the first race for his new barn.
Majestic Frontier has been perfect in 2022, graduating in a 1 1/16-mile maiden claimer by 9 ½ lengths Jan. 22 and coming back with an equally impressive 4 ½-length optional claiming allowance score Feb. 10 going the same distance.
“He's doing great. He came out of his last race like a monster. He knows he's getting better, that's for sure. He's very proud of himself,” Robb's assistant trainer Jessica Lindsey said. “The step up from the maiden to the allowance race was huge in our books and he ran like that's where he belonged all along. He ran an amazing race. He was so patient. He ran up the rail and just kept ticking. He ran like he belongs there, so I feel like the next step is [to] keep going up the ladder until we have a reason not to.”
Majestic Frontier will have stable rider Xavier Perez in the irons from Post 5. They are one of three horses among nine in the Miracle Wood listed at 6-1 in the program.
“I just feel like as long as we get a clean, fair trip he's pretty placeable in the race and when Xavier tells him to fire, he fires,” Lindsey said. “As long as everyone stays in their path and minds their business, I think the race should set up fine. A couple of those horses that were in that allowance race were also nominated to the stake and he put them away, so hopefully we belong.”
Though he hasn't been there long, Lindsey said it didn't take much time for Majestic Frontier to find a special place in the barn.
“This horse is a clown. He's a lot of fun. He's definitely a barn favorite,” she said. “He's pretty high strung when it comes to training, but he loves his job. He loves his groom, he loves his people. He's a very friendly horse and we're super fortunate that the owners gave us this opportunity with him because we really like him.”
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