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Laurel’s Winter Sprintfest Includes Rematch From Spectacular Bid Stakes

Kenny Had a Notion and Maythehorsebwithu, separated by a neck following a stretch-long duel in the Spectacular Bid last month, will hook up again as the primary challengers in Saturday's $100,000 Miracle Wood at Laurel Park in Maryland.

The 26th running of the one-mile Miracle Wood for 3-year-olds and the 28th renewal of the $100,000 Wide Country for 3-year-old fillies are among six stakes, two graded, worth $900,000 on the nine-race Winter Sprintfest program.

Serving as co-headliners are the $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3) for fillies and mares 4 and up and the $250,000 General George (G3) for 4-year-olds and up, both sprinting seven furlongs. Older horses will also go about 1 1/16 miles in the $100,000 John B. Campbell and $100,000 Nellie Morse for females.

Post time for the first of nine races is 12:25 p.m. ET. The Miracle Wood will kick off the stakes action in Race 3 (1:23 p.m.) with the Street Lute carded as Race 6 (2:53 p.m.).

The Miracle Wood will be the third meeting between Kenny Had a Notion and Maythehorsebwithu dating back to the First State Dash last September at Delaware Park, where they ran sixth and second, respectively.

Since then, Louis Ulman and Neil Glasser's Kenny Had a Notion won the 5 ½-furlong Jamestown over Laurel's world-class turf course and the six-furlong Maryland Million Nursery on dirt – one of four wins on the program for sire Great Notion – before running sixth in the James F. Lewis III and emerging with a displaced palate that required minor surgery.

Stretched out to seven furlongs for his two most recent starts, Kenny Had a Notion capped his juvenile campaign running second by a neck to James Lewis winner No Cents before his thrilling battle with Maythehorsebwithu in the Spectacular Bid.

“He's pretty game and he's going into this well. He worked good the other day so we'll stretch him out another eighth and see if he can get another eight against these horses,” trainer Dale Capuano said. “I think that he can do it. He sure seems like it. Until he does it you don't know for sure, but all indications are he could go at least another eighth of a mile, I think. We'll just have to see how it plays out.”

Kenny Had a Notion broke running in the Spectacular Bid, briefly losing the lead entering the stretch, but surged again along the rail for his third career stakes win. Jorge Ruiz, aboard for all three races, gets the return call from Post 5 in a field of seven.

“He has a lot of speed so I would assume that he'll probably in front again. We'll have to see if he can carry his speed that far, really,” Capuano said. “He came out of his race good so he's ready to go again. We'll see what happens. We'll see how he runs and how he comes out of it and then we'll decide what we'll do with him after this. But we have options.”

Michael Dubb and Bethlehem Stables' Maythehorsebwithu is the narrow 2-1 program favorite in the Miracle Wood over Kenny Had a Notion (5-2). Trained by Brittany Russell, the gelded son of 2009 Whitney (G1) winner Bullsbay has been sent to post as the favorite in each of his last three starts.

“He's great. He's a really good-training horse and he comes out of every race so far the same way. He touts himself. He trains well, and he hasn't missed a beat,” Russell said. “You want a horse like him. He has gas, but I think he'll keep going. I think he'll be fun moving forward.”

Maythehorsebwithu will also be racing beyond seven furlongs for the first time. He broke his maiden at first asking going 5 ½ furlongs in a maiden claimer last summer at Delaware, and captured a six-furlong optional claiming allowance Dec. 11 in his Laurel debut to punch his return ticket to stakes company.

“He ran really hard last time. I like this horse enough that I can see him jumping up and winning one of these races,” Russell said. “I think he'll like the mile, but you don't know until you try. He trains in the morning like he'll keep going, so I'm excited to see how the mile sets up for him.”

Russell's husband, jockey Sheldon Russell, gets the riding assignment from Post 4.

Klaravich Stables' Subsidize ships in from New York where he was a 3 ½-length maiden special weight winner Jan. 7 at Aqueduct in his fourth career start and first at 3. Victor Carrasco, who missed time recently with a minor toe injury, will ride for trainer Chad Brown from outside Post 7.

Kathleen and Robert Verratti's Silent Service was a front-running 6 ¾-length debut winner Jan. 22 at Laurel for trainer Mike Trombetta, whose first of four career Miracle Wood wins came in 2006 with Sweetnorthernsaint, who would go on to win the Illinois Derby (G3), run seventh as the favorite in the Kentucky Derby (G1) and second in the Preakness (G1). Silent Service is also entered in a 6 ½-furlong optional claiming allowance Friday at Laurel.

Rounding out the field are Tiz Mandate, most recently fourth in the Spectacular Bid; multiple stakes-placed Newyearsblockparty, second last out in the seven-furlong Pasco Jan. 16 at Tampa Bay Downs; and The King Cheek.

Eight Look to Deny Street Lute Sixth Stakes in $100,000 Wide Country
One race before they send out respective stable stars Hello Beautiful and Dontletsweetfoolya against each other in the $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie (G3), trainers Brittany Russell and Lacey Gaudet will look to upset five-time stakes winner Street Lute in the $100,000 Wide Country.

Team Gaudet and Five Hellions Farm's Fraudulent Charge came up a nose shy of Street Lute in the seven-furlong Gin Talking Dec. 26 at Laurel, just her second career start and first in a stakes. The Will Take Charge filly was a 6 ¼-length maiden claiming winner on debut Nov. 12, also at Laurel.

“We couldn't take anything away from her,” Gaudet said. “We kind of didn't have any other option but to try her in the stake. We were really looking for a third or fourth, a good effort to kind of just get her back over there. We think that she's a promising filly and I do think that she's going to want to go further, but winter racing you kind of have to do what Mother Nature lets happen.

“She ran her eyeballs out last time. Obviously, a very, very nice filly beat her, and she has not missed a jump since then,” she added. “[Street Lute] looks like she'll be the filly to beat again this time, but our filly will be ready and I think she'll appreciate having some more training and racing under her belt.”

Johan Rosado rides Fraudulent Charge from Post 3 in a field of nine.

Wonder Stables, Robert LaPenta and Madaket Stables' Little Huntress scratched out of the Ruthless at Aqueduct after it was pushed back a day to Feb. 8 due to weather and Russell opted to stay home with the promising daughter of Frosted, making her stakes debut.

“To be fair we were planning to go to New York and then when they canceled and they brought the races back it gave us the opportunity to enter here, which we were considering anyway. She has a good win over this racetrack. Yeah, it's a bigger field than it would have been in New York but I just felt better about taking the next step out of her own stall,” Russell said. “She's put up some nice works in the morning. She appears to have taken a step forward in the morning so I hope that translates to the afternoon.”

Little Huntress was beaten less than a length when second in her Nov. 21 unveiling going six furlongs, then romped to a 14-length front-running maiden special weight triumph sprinting seven furlongs Dec. 27, both over her home track. Russell's husband, jockey Sheldon Russell, rides from Post 7.

“We always liked her. It's sometimes deceiving when they win like that because you're not sure what was behind them,” Brittany Russell said. “With that being said, if there wasn't much behind her that's OK because she did it really well. I knew she was going to need a run that first time. We liked her and thought she could get the job done, but she was a big, heavy filly that was kind of hard to get fit and was going to need a race. So, to see her move forward so much from that first run was something we expected.”

Lucky 7 Stables' Street Lute is the 2-1 program favorite to earn her fifth consecutive victory and sixth stakes overall through seven starts. Her only loss came when second by a nose in the Maryland Million Lassie last fall.

Since then, Jerry Robb-trained Street Lute won the Smart Halo, Maryland Juvenile Filly Championship and Gin Talking to cap her 2-year-old season before launching 2021 with a five-length triumph in the return of the six-furlong Xtra Heat Jan. 16. Xavier Perez will ride for the fifth straight time, from Post 5.

BB Horses' Miss Leslie was second to Street Lute in the Xtra Heat, snapping a three-race win streak to end her juvenile campaign including the 1 1/16-mile Anne Arundel County by a head over Buckey's Charm. She was claimed by winter meet-leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez for $25,000 in mid-November.

“She ran into a nice filly the last time, and it was a little short. It was six furlongs, not seven and I think that maybe the seven furlongs is going to be a little better for us. I think she is better going longer. We don't have any races for 3-year-old fillies going longer so we'll give it a shot in here,” Gonzalez said. “She's doing good and she came back good from the last race. Maybe we can be there.”

Buckey's Charm and Hamilton Smith-trained stablemate Whiskey and Rye, fourth in the Gin Talking and Xtra Heat; Salt Plage, unbeaten in two Parx starts for New York-based trainer Linda Rice; and recent maiden claiming winners My My Girl and Lady Clau complete the field.

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Fair Maiden Out To Prove She’s No Fluke In Santa Monica

A longshot winner of the opening day Grade 1 La Brea Stakes, trainer Eoin Harty's Fair Maiden will seek to validate that victory as she heads a solid field of 12 older fillies and mares going seven furlongs in Saturday's Grade 2, $200,000 Santa Monica Stakes at Santa Anita.

Dismissed at 20-1 in the Dec. 26 La Brea, Fair Maiden rallied for an emphatic 2 ¼ length win, as a pair of Bob Baffert fillies, Golden Principal and Merneith, ran second and third. Harty, a former assistant to Baffert, will have to again contend with those two plus yet another Baffert runner, Qahira.

Last year's winner as the 3-5 favorite, Hard Not to Love, has been winless in her last five races, all routes, and will try to rebound for John Shirreffs with the first time services of leading rider Juan Hernandez.

A 4-year-old filly by Street Sense, Godolphin, LLC's homebred Fair Maiden settled nicely when ridden for the first time by Ricky Gonzalez and she was able to exploit fast fractions of 21.80, 44.40 and 1:09.80 en route to a final clocking of 1:22.60 and a career-best 92 Beyer Speed figure. The win also provided Gonzalez, who shifted his tack from Golden Gate Fields to Southern California last year, with his first-ever Grade 1 win.

“I've been watching Ricky ride since he came down here and I think he's the next superstar,” said Harty following the La Brea. “He's brave and he puts his horse in a spot to win. I grab him every time I can because I think he's a world class rider…”

With four wins from eight career starts, Fair Maiden, along with six others, will be facing older mares for the first time.

As is seemingly always the case, Baffert holds a very strong hand on Saturday. Golden Principal, who was off at 12-1 in the La Brea, finished 1 ½ lengths clear of her stablemate Merneith while neither were any match for Fair Maiden.

Owned by Mike Pegram, Karl Watson and Paul Weitman, Golden Principal, a 4-year-old filly by Constitution, appears to be on the improve and will likely stalk the early pace with regular rider Mike Smith up.

Ridden by John Velazquez in the La Brea, Merneith will be ridden for the first time by Edwin Maldonado, who is regarded as an outstanding gate rider, making it likely that she'll blast off from the rail and try to take the field gate to wire. A 4-year-old daughter of American Pharoah, Merneith, who was off at 7-2 in the La Brea, is owned by HRH Prince Sultan Bin Mishal Al Saud and has an overall mark of 9-3-3-2.

Quick from the blocks, Baffert's Qahira, a one length winner as the 3-2 favorite of the ungraded Kalookan Queen Stakes going 6 ½ furlongs on Jan. 10, has won five of her eight starts. With Joel Rosario back aboard, Qahira, who is owned by Baoma Corporation, has one win from two tries at seven furlongs and looms extremely dangerous as she shoots for her first graded stakes win.

Third, beaten six lengths in the Grade 3 La Canada Stakes going a mile and one sixteenth on Jan. 9, Hard Not to Love has two wins from three tries at seven furlongs, including last year's Santa Monica. Quite often temperamental as a result of the fact she races with one eye, Shirreffs is hoping Juan Hernandez can provide the Midas-touch as she gets back to sprinting for the first time since Feb. 15 of last year.

A 5-year-old Ontario-Canadian-bred mare by Hard Spun, the appropriately named Hard Not to Love is owned by Mercedes Stables, LLC, West Point Thoroughbreds, Scott Dilworth, Dorothy and David Ingordo and Steve Mooney. With an overall mark of 11-5-3-2, Hard Not to Love, who also won last year's Grade 1 La Brea Stakes at seven furlongs, has earnings of $592,980.

Lending further depth to a quality field is Richard Mandella's Amuse, who was second, beaten one length by Qahira in the Jan. 10 Kalookan Queen. A 6-year-old mare by Medaglia d'Oro, Amuse has two wins from 11 starts and seeks her first graded stakes win for owners Bass Racing, LLC, Claiborne Farm and Adele Dilschneider.

THE GRADE 2 SANTA MONICA WITH JOCKEYS & WEIGHTS IN POST POSITION ORDER

Race 8 of 9 Approximate post time 4 p.m. PT

Merneith—Edwin Maldonado—120
Miss Stormy D—Tyler Baze—120
Fair Maiden—Ricardo Gonzalez—124
Hard Not to Love—Juan Hernandez—120
Qahira—Joel Rosario—120
Golden Principal—Mike Smith—120
Secret Keeper—Abel Cedillo—120
Amuse—Drayden Van Dyke—120
Proud Emma—Geovanni Franco—122
Pharoah's Heart—Jessica Pyfer—120
Biddy Duke—Umberto Rispoli—122
Bohemian Bourbon—Flavien Prat–120

First post time for a nine-race card on Saturday is at 12:30 p.m. For additional information, please visit santaanita.com.

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‘One Step At A Time’: Undefeated Maxfield Stars In Fair Grounds’ Mineshaft

Maxfield is finally getting the chance to make up for lost time. Godolphin's homebred was forced to miss the Breeders' Cup Juvenile (G1) in 2019 and the Kentucky Derby (G1) last year but returned with aplomb in winning the local Tenacious to close out 2020. Saturday he starts as a prohibitive favorite in the $200,000 Mineshaft (G3) at 1 1/16 miles, which should serve as a perfect launching pad for what his connections hope will finally be a season-long campaign.

The Mineshaft is a worthy supporting feature on a six stakes, 13-race card dubbed “Louisiana Derby Day Preview Day”, which is highlighted by the $400,000 Risen Star (G2), presented by Lamarque Ford-Lincoln, and the $300,000 Rachel Alexandra (G2), presented by Fasig-Tipton. The Risen Star is by far the deepest and most competitive Kentucky Derby presented by Woodford Reserve (G1) prep to date and will offer a total of 85 Derby qualifying points to the top four finishers (50-20-10-5). The Rachel Alexandra will be offered for 3-year-old fillies, with the same 85 qualifying points up for grabs for the Longines Kentucky Oaks (G1).

The Mineshaft, Rachel Alexandra & Risen Star are all part of the “All Stakes Late Pick Five” (races 9-13) with an estimated pool of $400,000 and the “All Stakes Late Pick Four” (races 10-13) with an estimated pool of $750,000.

Trainer Brendan Walsh has had to endure some obvious disappointments with Maxfield (post 4 at 4-5 on Mike Diliberto's morning line, with Florent Geroux to ride), a 4-year-old son of Street Sense who is perfect in four starts and has long thought to be among the most talented horses in training. Showing it in the afternoon has proven to be a bit more difficult, as he's started just four times in what is now his third season of racing. Maxfield missed the Breeders' Cup Juvenile with a minor foot injury and then got derailed off the Derby Trail last year when he came out of a June workout with a condylar fracture of his right front cannon bone.

Walsh regrouped, aimed for 2021, and checked off the first box when Maxfield returned in the Dec. 19 Tenacious and won easily by 2 ½ lengths. He also did it being much closer to the lead. He settled in second early, which was in sharp contrast to his first three wins, when he was no closer than eighth at the first pace call. For Walsh, the adaptability Maxfield showed only added another club to his bag.

“He broke good, he was right outside the pace horse, and it worked out good,” Walsh said. “He's a horse that doesn't need to be ridden any particular way, he's very easy to rate as well. If someone wants to go quick, that's fine, we can sit off of them as well. We can ride him any way the race suits.”

The Mineshaft will also be just the second time Maxfield has been able to put back-to-back races together. He did it to start his career, winning on debut at Churchill in September 2019 before blasting Grade 1 foes by 5 ½ lengths in Keeneland's Breeders' Futurity a month later. Maxfield won the Matt Winn (G3) at Churchill in June before his injury, then was off until the Tenacious. Needless to say, Walsh is looking forward to getting his stable star on an extended run for the first time in his career.

“I'm excited that we can get him on a schedule and build a foundation,” Walsh said. “The succession of the races is relatively close so you don't have to be as hard as them as you probably do going into the first race (off a layoff). Hopefully he can get into a nice little mode from here on in and we can keep ticking over. I think he'll improve for having had that first run. He was a little fresh too. And fitness-wise he should improve as well with that run off the bench.”

As with any trainer with a star horse, Walsh is left to balance the present with the future. Add in a horse like Maxfield, and the highwire becomes that much trickier to cross. Walsh expects to know a lot more after the Mineshaft.

“He's taught me not to look too far ahead but I have plenty of things going around in my head,” Walsh said in regards to the rest of his campaign. “You try to take it one step at a time. Saturday is going to be a big step for the horse. We'll get a great idea where we stand with him and where we are going forward.”

John Oxley's Enforceable (post 1 at 6-1 with Adam Beschizza) won the local Lecomte (G3) last year and was eventually seventh in the Kentucky Derby for trainer Mark Casse. The 4-year-old son of Tapit never could quite get back to his local win, as he lost six straight, though four came against the best of his generation. Enforceable put that all behind him Jan. 17, when he dazzled winning a local optional-claimer by eight lengths in extremely fast time, which has Casse's Fair Grounds assistant Dave Carroll eagerly looking forward to the Mineshaft with a horse that's been a barn favorite.

“He's loves the Fair Grounds and he's been near and dear to us with all the big races like the Kentucky Derby that he's taken us to,” Carroll said. “We were so proud of him last time; we weren't expecting that. Can he reproduce that back-to-back? We'll have to see but he's really doing well and we're looking forward to it.”

Madaket Stables, Wonder Stables, and Clint and Lance Gasaway's Wells Bayou (post 2 at 6-1 with John Velazquez) should improve off a third-place finish in the local Jan. 16 Louisiana (G3), as that was his first start since running fifth in Oaklawn Park's Arkansas Derby (G1) last May. The 4-year-old son of Lookin At Lucky wired the Louisiana Derby (G2) last year for trainer Brad Cox, who expects to see a tighter version of Wells Bayou Saturday, who has been training with Cox's talented 3-year-old Mandaloun, one of the favorites in the Risen Star.

“He had a fantastic move (on the 6th) working a bullet with Mandaloun and I'm excited about running him,” Cox said. “He should move forward, but he'll have to move way forward to beat a horse like Maxfield.”

Calumet Farm's homebred Blackberry Wine (post 7 at 5-1 with Gabriel Saez) set a slow pace and held second in the Louisiana and has finally been able to string a few strong races together. The 4-year-old son of Oxbow has flashed plenty of brilliance throughout his career for trainer Joe Sharp but has had trouble backing it up. Blackberry Wine romped in an optional-claimer here in December prior to the strong run in the Louisiana, which signals he could be poised for another strong effort in a race without a lot of early speed. He is cross-entered in the Fair Grounds on turf (race 11).

Completing the Mineshaft field from the rail out: the Estate of James Coleman Jr.'s Chess Chief (post 3 at 8-1 with James Graham), who won an optional-claimer here December 18 for trainer Dallas Stewart; Al Rashid Stables' Dinar (post 5 at 15-1 with Shaun Bridgmohan), third in the Tenacious for trainer Cherie DeVaux; and Courtlandt Farms' Sonneman (post 6 at 8-1 with Joe Talamo), second in the Tenacious and fourth in the Louisiana for trainer Steve Asmussen.

First post for Saturday's 13-race “Louisiana Derby Preview Day” card will be at noon CT.

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Majestic Dunhill Attempting Rebound In Saturday’s General George

R.A. Hill Stable's Grade 3 winner Majestic Dunhill, exiting a pair of disappointing efforts off a career-best performance, trades the South Florida sunshine for Maryland's winter chill as he attempts to regain his winning form in Saturday's $250,000 General George (G3) at Laurel Park.

The 45th running of the General George for 4-year-olds and up and the 69th edition of the $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie for fillies and mares 4 and older, both sprinting seven furlongs, highlight a Winter Sprintfest program of six stakes worth $900,000 in purses.

Sophomores will be in the spotlight in the $100,00 Miracle Wood going one mile and $100,000 Wide Country for fillies at seven furlongs, while older horses will contest the $100,000 Nellie Morse for females and $100,000 John B. Campbell, each at about 1 1/16 miles.

Post time for the first of nine races is 12:25 p.m. The General George is carded as Race 8 (3:53 p.m.).

No horse will have traveled farther for the General George than Majestic Dunhill, a 6-year-old gelding who is no stranger to Laurel or the race, having finished second by a length to Uncontested as a 25-1 long shot in 2019. He has placed in three stakes since, including the 2019 Polynesian at Laurel, and beat Share the Ride by a head to capture the seven-furlong Bold Ruler (G3) in the mud on Halloween at Belmont Park.

Following the Bold Ruler, Majestic Dunhill was unsettled in the starting gate and got stuck racing inside when seventh, beaten 4 ½ lengths by Share the Ride, in the six-furlong Fall Highweight (G3) Nov. 28 at Aqueduct. Trainer George Weaver wheeled him back in three weeks for the seven-furlong Mr. Prospector Dec. 19 at Gulfstream Park, losing all chance after being bounced around at the start and finishing 10th.

“He won the Bold Ruler there at Belmont and we were delighted with it. We always felt like he had a graded-stake with his name on it,” Weaver said. “I tried him six furlongs in his next spot, he broke bad and didn't run a [bit]. I ran him back too quick [in Florida] and he didn't run a [bit], but we freshened him up a little bit.

“The horse is doing great,” he added. “He had a great work and he's always run well at Laurel, so we're going to take another shot at it. He's run in the race before and run well, so it looks like a good opportunity for the horse and we're happy to be in it.”

Weaver feels Majestic Dunhill heads into the General George more prepared than he did the Mr. Prospector, whose winner, Sleepy Eyes Todd, would go on to run fourth to Breeders' Cup Dirt Mile (G1) winner Knicks Go in the $3 million Pegasus World Cup Invitational (G1) Jan. 23.

“Gulfstream's a funny track. If you don't get away a little bit it's really hard to make up ground unless you get some pace in front of you,” Weaver said. “The horse didn't break running [at Aqueduct]; he kind of got in a tangle and even after that didn't do much running. I brought him down here and ran him on short rest without breezing him and it was probably my fault. He really wasn't ready to fire big. I was running just to take a shot and it didn't work out, but now we've got our I's dotted and our T's crossed and we're ready to roll.”

In addition to the General George and Polynesian, both with jockey Feargal Lynch aboard, Majestic Dunhill won the City of Laurel Stakes in 2018 and was third in the 2017 Laurel Futurity on turf in previous trips to Maryland. Feargal Lynch, who returned Feb. 7 from a seven-month absence due to injury, will ride from Post 4 in a field of 10.

“He's been beat there but he won the stake late in his 3-year-old year, then came back and ran a huge second at big odds in the General George. Every time he's run there, he runs well,” Weaver said. “I don't know what it is about the track. That race, every year since he's run well, has been in the back of my mind. We didn't catch it last year. The horse was on a bit of a break, but this year we were able to make it and we're glad.”

Majestic Dunhill, a five-time winner with more than $375,000 in purse earnings from 23 starts, is listed at 10-1 on the morning line.

“I feel bad for him. I've been throwing him to the wolves, but he's been a hardy horse,” Weaver said. “He's 6 years old now and we've had him since he was a baby. He's just an old war horse. I used him as Vekoma's workmate. He's the only horse I had in my barn that could work heads-up with him. He's been useful to us in many ways. He's been a real fun racehorse to have, and we hope he can get it done.”

Randy Hill also shares an ownership stake with Gatsas Stables and Swick Stable in Funny Guy, the 9-5 program favorite for the General George. Based in New York with trainer John Terranova, the 5-year-old son of 2008 Preakness (G1) winner Big Brown is a five-time stakes winner against New York-breds who was second in the Vosburgh (G2) and fourth in the Forego (G1) last year and most recently second in the seven-furlong Say Florida Sandy Jan. 9 at Aqueduct. Sheldon Russell is named to ride from Post 2.

Breaking from the rail with regular rider Horacio Karamanos will be Hillside Equestrian Meadows' 8-year-old gelding Laki, rallying nose winner of the six-furlong Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) on the 2020 Preakness undercard. The De Francis was Laki's first graded attempt since finishing third in the 2019 General George, 1 ¼ lengths behind Majestic Dunhill.

Laki exits back-to-back fourth-place finishes, each going six furlongs, in the Dec. 26 Dave's Friend and Jan. 16 Fire Plug, the latter as the favorite after clipping heels early in the race and never able to find his stride. The second and third-place finishers, Share the Ride and Lebda, also return in the General George.

“Any kind of stumble or clipping heels or checking at that level is definitely going to compromise them, but he kind of fooled me going into that race. I just thought he was super sharp and he didn't kick,” trainer Damon Dilodovico said. “They're not machines. They all have bad days, but he hasn't had many.

“He's unbelievable, he is. He is a godsend, this guy,” he added. “He just does his work. He's easy in the barn.”

Laki has won at least one stakes every year since 2017 and owns six overall, four of them coming at Laurel, where he has a record of 8-7-3 from 21 starts. He is the richest horse in the field, with $715,662 in purse earnings.

“Hopefully he can make another good showing for himself. He definitely doesn't owe me anything,” Dilodovico said of the 9-2 morning line third choice. “Hopefully he can make some noise.”

Euro Stable's Lebda was third in the 2019 Iroquois (G3) and won Laurel's one-mile Miracle Wood and 1 1/16-mile Private Terms last winter before the coronavirus pandemic paused live racing in Maryland for 2 ½ months. He has gone winless in six starts since returning, including a fifth in the Dave's Friend and third in the Fire Plug after missing time with a minor injury.

“For me he ran really good last time. He's running with the older horses now. The last one was good,” winter meet-leading trainer Claudio Gonzalez said. “The time before he had a little problem and was off for a couple months and he needed a race, and the last time he showed a little more. I was very happy how he ran and how he is doing now.”

Lebda dueled for the early lead and forged a short advantage after a half-mile in the Fire Plug before being passed late and settling for third, beaten 2 ½ lengths. Alex Cintron, up for eight of his last nine races including both stakes wins, gets the return call from Post 3.

“The last race he was going easy and the outside horse pushed him and that's why he had to move soon. If he was able to keep going and nobody come from the outside I think we could have win the race,” Gonzalez said. “I believe six, seven furlongs are going to be good for him. I like it.”

Silvino Ramirez's Share the Ride ran third behind Firenze Fire and Funny Guy in the Vosburgh and second to Majestic Dunhill in the Bold Ruler before capturing a seven-furlong allowance at Parx and turning the tables in the Fall Highweight. The 6-year-old Candy Ride gelding will be making his third start this year, caught at the wire by Wendell Fong in the Fire Plug at Laurel and finishing third as the favorite in the seven-furlong Toboggan (G3) two weeks later at Aqueduct.

Three horses – Tattooed, Chilly in Charge and Fortunate Friends – enter the General George off wins. Holt, Montuori and Palumbo Racing Stable's Tattooed became a stakes winner for the first time by rallying from last to first and stick his neck out at the wire in the one-mile Jennings for Maryland-bred/sired horses Jan. 16 at Laurel.

William McCarty's Fortunate Friends will be racing first time off the claim for trainer Shaun Morrow, who took the 5-year-old gelding for $35,000 out of a Dec. 11 win at Laurel for Dilodovico. Newtown Anner Stud Farm's stakes winner Chilly in Charge, beaten a neck by Honest Mischief in the 2019 City of Laurel, won an optional claimer Jan. 4 at Parx going seven furlongs.

Raul DelValle's stakes winner Arthur's Hope, a seven-furlong allowance winner last July at Laurel, and Trin-Brook Stables, Inc.'s Informative, second in the 2019 James F. Lewis III and fourth in the 2020 Concern at Laurel, complete the field.

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