Hello Beautiful, Dontletsweetfoolya Prep For Barbara Fritchie Matchup

Multiple stakes winners Hello Beautiful and Dontletsweetfoolya set the stage for their first head-to-head matchup in the $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) Feb. 13 with sharp half-mile works over Laurel Park's main track Saturday.

The 69th running of the Fritchie for fillies and mares 4 and older and the 45th renewal of the $250,000 General's Stake (G3) for 4-year-olds and up, formerly the General George, highlight a Winter Sprintfest program offering six stakes worth $900,000 in purses.

Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables and Magic City Stables' Hello Beautiful was timed in 47.60 seconds, second-fastest of 68 horses at the distance. Jockey Sheldon Russell was aboard for his wife, trainer Brittany Russell.

Hello Beautiful owns five career stakes wins including three straight entering the Fritchie, the most recent coming in the six-furlong What a Summer Jan. 16 in her 4-year-old debut.

“She worked fantastic. We were absolutely pleased with her. Sheldon loved her, and she seems like she's ready to go,” Brittany Russell said. “You walk them over hoping they're doing as well as she is right now and you have to leave it up to them from there. We're giving her every opportunity to run a big one.”

Five Hellions Farm's Dontletsweetfoolya takes a five-race win streak into the Fritchie, which open her 4-year-old campaign. The Stay Thirsty filly ended 2020 with victories in the Nov. 28 Primonetta and Dec. 26 Willa On the Move, both going six furlongs at Laurel.

With regular rider Jevian Toledo up, Dontletsweetfoolya worked four furlongs in 48 seconds, ranking fifth. She went in company with newly turned 3-year-old filly Fraudulent Charge (48.20), who is being pointed to the $100,000 Wide Country on the Fritchie undercard.

“The work went very well. They got them in 48 and galloped out in a minute, so it was perfect, exactly what we wanted,” trainer Lacey Gaudet said. “I don't tell [Toledo] anything. Even the work this morning, they were all laughing at me because I was like, 'Don't go too fast, don't go too slow,' but when I walked up with him I said, 'You know how to work her,' and that's what he did. They did their thing.”

Also working Saturday for the Fritchie were Willa On the Move runner-up Hibiscus Punch, five furlongs in 1:01.40 at Laurel; and 2020 Go for Wand (G3) winner Sharp Starr, a half-mile in a bullet 47 seconds over Belmont Park's training track, the fastest of 140 horses.

Hillside Equestrian Meadows' Laki, whose six career stakes include the 2020 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) last fall at Pimlico Race Course, blazed four furlongs in a bullet 47.60 seconds Saturday at Laurel with jockey Horacio Karamanos in preparation for the General. Trained by Damon Dilodovico, Laki has won at least one stake every year since 2017.

“He worked well. We usually don't ask him for much in the morning. He was just ready to roll,” Dilodovico said. “He's training well. We got a really nice breeze out of him today and he cooled out well, so we'll see how he is the next couple days.”

Other horses nominated to the General breezing at Laurel Saturday were multiple stakes winner Lebda, four furlongs in 47.60 seconds, ranking second, and 2019 Remsen (G3) winner Shotski, a half-mile in 48 seconds.

Also prominent on Saturday's Laurel work tab were multiple stakes winners Kenny Had a Notion (six furlongs, 1:14.40) for the $100,000 Miracle Wood for 3-year-olds; Street Lute (five furlongs, 59.60 seconds) for the $100,000 Wide Country for 3-year-old fillies, the latter the fastest of 32 horses; and Cordmaker (five furlongs, 1:01) for the $100,000 John B. Campbell at about 1 1/16 miles for 4-year-olds and up.

Notes: Alexander Crispin, the Eclipse Award-winning apprentice of 2020, registered a hat trick Saturday aboard Bring Me Answers ($4) in Race 2, Keepyourstakeson ($3.20) in Race 6 and Bananas On Fire ($6.60) in Race 9. Jockey Xavier Perez also doubled with Indian Lake ($5.40) in Race 1 and Seany P ($13.20) via disqualification in Race 8 … No one selected all six winners in the 20-cent Rainbow 6, growing the carryover jackpot to $1,559.76 for Sunday. Tickets with five of six winners were each worth $158.06.

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Three Noses On Line: Laki Gets The Win In Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash

Giving Damon Dilodovico his first victory in a graded stakes in his 30th year training, Hillside Equestrian Meadows' Laki won a three-way photo finish with Eastern Bay and Nitrous in Saturday's Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Pimlico in Baltimore, Md.

Under jockey Horacio Karamanos, Laki – a 7-year-old Maryland-bred gelding by Cuba out of Truthful Dutch, by Swear by Dixie – was clocked six furlongs in 1:10.36 and paid $12.60 for the win in his first graded triumph. Eastern Bay finished second, beaten a nose and another nose ahead of Nitrous, with pacesetter Krsto Skye fourth in the field of six older runners.

Laki earned $120,000 from the De Francis Dash's $200,000 purse, winning for the 10th time in a 28-race career.

Krsto Skye and Julian Pimentel showed the way early, going the opening quarter mile in :22.96 and the half in :45.03. Landeskog, the 9-10 favorite under Florent Geroux, was his closest pursuer, with Laki racing in traffic, having to check back into fifth, well ahead of Eastern Bay, who trailed the field under Angel Cruz.

Nitrous and Paco Lopez made a three-wide move on the turn, with Laki just to his outside, and those two took aim on the leader.

Krsto Skye retained a 1 1/2-length lead into mid-stretch, with five furlongs clocked in :57.05, but Laki and Nitrous were bearing down. Laki put his nose in front, with Nitrous fighting back as the wire approached, just as Eastern Bay came flying on the far outside. The three hit the wire together, with Kristo Skye 1 1/4 lengths behind that trio back in fourth.

“It was unbelievably exciting,” said Dilodovico, who won the De Francis in 2013 when it was not graded. “Everyone was hollering like it was a full house, like a May Preakness. It means the world to me.

“The owner gives him a lot of time. When we want to give him time, the owner [Hillside Equestrian Meadows] takes him home, takes good care of him and sends him back to us in good shape.”

“Unbelievable. This is the stable horse. I'm so happy for everybody,” said Karamanos. “Laki, I really love this horse. I really love the trainer, the family. Everybody works together. I'm so happy to win for them because they support me all year round, winning many races. I'm so happy, especially for Damon. He's a good guy and a good trainer.

“It was an amazing finish. My horse broke good out of the gate, the speed went fast. He didn't want to go, but when I whipped him a couple of times he started responding in the middle of the turn. He was a little shy on the inside and I made the decision to go wide a little bit. It was a beautiful race. He fired today.”

Angel Cruz, aboard Eastern Bay, said: “He came with a big run and almost caught the winner. I thought I may have got up at the end, but that's horse racing.”

The 29th running of the De Francis for 3-year-olds and up was part of an all-stakes Preakness Day program featuring the 145th renewal of the $1 million Preakness (G1), contested this year as the final jewel in a refashioned Triple Crown, and the 96th edition of the $250,000 Black-Eyed Susan (G2), one of the country's premiere events for 3-year-old fillies.

Named for the late president and chairman of both Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, and not run in 2008 or 2010, the De Francis' illustrious roster of past winners includes Hall of Famer Housebuster, fellow sprint champions Cherokee Run, Smoke Glacken, Thor's Echo and Benny the Bull, and Lite the Fuse, the race's only two-time winner (1995-96).

This year marked only the third time the De Francis has been run at Pimlico, where it debuted in 1990 and returned in 2004. Laki had been winless in his only two tries over the surface, respectively running fifth and sixth in the 2017 and 2018 Maryland Sprint (G3) on the Preakness undercard. He finished second in the 2018 De Francis Dash at Laurel.

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‘Encouraging Start’: $3.4-Million Wagered On Monmouth’s Opening-Day Program

Laki shook off an eight-month layoff, taking full advantage of an early speed duel that developed in front of him, before drawing off to a 2 1/2-length victory in the first running of the Oceanport Centennial Stakes as racing fans welcomed back Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J., with a rousing reception at the betting windows (and online) on opening day of the COVID-19 delayed meet.

Despite attendance restrictions under guidelines issued by the state in the ongoing battle against the pandemic, bettors wagered $3,422,830 from all sources on the six-race twilight card.

Average handle for Fridays a year ago was approximately $2.5 million, when a typical card saw eight live events.

“We're happy and grateful that the day went off without a hitch,” said Dennis Drazin, Chairman and CEO of Darby Development LLC, operators of the racetrack. “It was a great racing card that was whole-heartedly endorsed by the betting public.

“It was an encouraging start to a year that could certainly use some positive news.”

Ridden by Trevor McCarthy for the first time, Laki won for the ninth time in 24 career starts, with the $45,000 winner's share from the $75,000 purse boosting his career earnings over $500,000.

“He's been training so well coming into the race. I'm not surprised by this, even after eight months off,” said trainer Damon Dilodovico. “Toward the end of the year last year he just needed to be freshened. We weren't looking for the COVID-19 sized freshener but maybe it ended up helping him.

“I was surprised to see him in front early amongst those horses because there was a lot of speed in the race. Trevor just let him do his thing and sat off a good speed duel. That's really where he is more comfortable.”

Though Laki broke to the lead from the rail in a field of speedsters, McCarthy eventually settled the 7-year-old gelding behind dueling leaders Chateau and Awesome Anywhere. Laki powered by both in mid-stretch, finishing the five furlongs in :57.62.

Laki paid $13.00 to win, with Awesome Anywhere holding second, 5¾ lengths ahead of Midtowncharlybrown.

“Damon kind of left it up to me,” said McCarthy. “I thought the five-eighths might be a little short for him. That was my biggest worry. I just tried to break him as sharp as I could break him just to get position. I couldn't believe I broke in front of everybody. I kind of just sat there, let him get himself together and let the other guys go at it after he settled in.

“We got to sit off a nice hot speed duel. He usually finishes good. He showed his true class.”

Racing resumes at Monmouth Park on Saturday, July 4, with a 12-race card that begins at 12:50 p.m.

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