Now in his sixth season of racing, there is little that Cordmaker hadn't done. On a chilly Saturday at Laurel Park in Maryland, the 7-year-old gelding put the exclamation point on what has been a stellar career with a popular three-quarter-length victory in the $250,000 General George (G3).
The 46th running of the General George for 4-year-olds sprinting seven furlongs was the last of six stakes worth $900,000 in purses on a rich winter program co-headlined by the 70th renewal of the $250,000 Barbara Fritchie (G3) for fillies and mares 4 and up.
Earlier in the day, Local Motive won the $100,000 Miracle Wood for 3-year-olds, Luna Belle captured the $100,000 Wide Country for 3-year-old fillies, Galerio edged Forewarned in the $100,000 John B. Campbell for 4-year-olds and up and Kiss the Girl took the $100,000 Nellie Morse for fillies and mares 4 and older.
Owned by Ellen Charles' Hillwood Stable and trained by Laurel-based Rodney Jenkins, Cordmaker had to wait out an objection from the jockey of runner-up War Tocsin before registering his 14th career win, 10th in a stakes and first against graded company. He also extended his career-high win streak to four races and approached $1 million in lifetime earnings.
It was the first graded-stakes win for both Hillwood and Jenkins since they teamed up to capture the 2014 General George with Bandbox. Cordmaker had twice been graded-stakes placed, finishing third in the historic Pimlico Special (G3) in 2018 and 2019.
“It's very special, very special. We did it once before with Bandbox in this very race, and it was a cold day just like today,” Charles said. “He's a horse that, with age, he doesn't seem to want to stop doing this. He gets better with age.”
War Tocsin, longest shot in the field at 48-1, broke running from his rail post and rolled through a quarter-mile in 22.77 seconds with Sir Alfred James in closest pursuit. Cordmaker and jockey Victor Carrasco, aboard for the 26th time and 11th in a row, were pinned in along the inside but had moved up to second after a half in 45.33.
The even-money favorite in a field of seven, Cordmaker got an opening on the rail and put War Tocsin a length behind him straightening for home and turning into a strong headwind. Cordmaker began to drift out slightly inside the final furlong and Dexter Haddock aboard War Tocsin ultimately dropped back inside to continue the chase but ran out of real estate. It was 3 ½ lengths back to Sir Alfred James in third.
“When I came back and they showed the replay, I said, 'There's not going to be a change,' because I was pretty much in front of him. The jockey on [War Tocsin], he never steadied or stopped riding or anything. He just kept running with me, and then he decided to duck in,” Carrasco said.
“My plan with this horse is always to give him some daylight around horses, because I feel like he's a better horse outside. I got the two hole and I have guys on the outside of me that aren't going to let me out when you're on the favorite,” he added. “I was patient and when we passed the five-sixteenths [pole] I saw [War Tocsin] drifting out a little bit I said, 'It's now or never.' I took advantage of that. When I asked him he responded well, and we got our picture taken.”
Carrasco's mind briefly flashed back to mid-September when Cordmaker ran second by a length in the one-mile Polynesian at Laurel but was taken down and placed sixth for drifting out in the stretch. It is Cordmaker's only loss in the last six starts.
“This is amazing. I don't even know how to feel,” Carrasco said. “I was nervous because a couple starts back I got disqualified and I didn't want the same thing to happen in a big race like this one. It's very special, and I'm very thankful to Mr. Rodney and Mrs. Charles, who have always been very loyal to me. I'm out of words.”
Shackqueenking finished fourth, followed by Air Token, Threes Over Deuces and Timeless Bounty.
“He's a lovely horse,” Jenkins said. “This horse always shows up. That's what I love about him. He's all racehorse.”
A Maryland-bred son of two-time Horse of the Year and 2014 Hall of Famer Curlin, Cordmaker has now earned $989,640 in purse earnings from 36 lifetime starts.
“We'll give him a little time off now. He's been running pretty hard and doing very well,” Charles said. “You can't push it too far, nor do we want to.”
Said Jenkins: “He deserves a rest. He's given us a lot of fun this year. All his life, actually.”
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