De Francis Dash winner Zee Bros is expected to tackle next weekend’s Grade 3 General George. Photo by Jim McCue, Maryland Jockey Club.
From a Maryland Jockey Club release
Nominations for the six stakes races which highlight the Presidents’ Day holiday weekend at Laurel Park were released today by the Maryland Jockey Club’s racing office.
Winter Carnival is headlined by two graded, seven furlong contests – the $300,000 Barbara Fritchie Handicap (G2) for fillies and mares on Saturday, February 14 and the $250,000 General George Handicap (G3) for 3-year-olds and up on Monday, February 16.
The Saturday program also includes the $100,000 John B. Campbell Handicap and the $100,000 Maryland Racing Media Stakes, both at one and one eighth miles.
Besides the General George, Monday’s card will be enhanced by the $100,000 Wide Country Stakes at seven furlongs and the $100,000 Miracle Wood Stakes, for three-year-olds, at one mile.
Thirty runners were named to the Barbara Fritchie. Maryland Jockey Club stakes coordinator Coley Blind quickly checked off the names of six fillies and mares who are pointing to the race. Entries close on Wednesday February 11.
Blind said, “So far, for the races on Presidents’ Day weekend, Jerry Hollendorfer is bringing Sam’s Sister for the Barbara Fritchie, Outside Nashville for the General George and Southern Freedom for the John B. Campbell. Right now, Best Behavior (Martin Wolfson) is coming for the Fritchie, along with one more (Centrique), and Wolfson is probably sending Flores Island for the Maryland Racing Media Stakes.”
Wolfson told Blind that jockey Edgard Zayas will be riding for him at Laurel Park next weekend. Zayas is the third leading rider at the current Gulfstream Park winter meeting
The General George attracted forty-one nominations. Blind said the connections of eight horses have expressed strong interest when entries are taken on Friday February 13, including Frank J. DeFrancis Memorial Stakes winner Zee Bros, as well as Bourbon Courage, Cutty Shark, Javerre, Misconnect, Smash and Grab, West Hills Giant and Hollendorfer’s Outside Nashville.
On the Saturday undercard, the Campbell, which is for 3-year-olds and up, drew thirty-five nominees, while the Maryland Racing Media Stakes, for fillies and mares, drew thirty-two nominees.
On the Monday undercard, the Wide Country, for 3-year-old fillies, attracted thirty-two nominees and the Miracle Wood, for 3-year-olds, closed with thirty-three runners on the list.
The Winter Carnival festivities will include over $2,500 in prize giveaways frozen inside of an ice wall and a complimentary Laurel Park polo to the first 3,000 paid attendance on Saturday. If the polo is worn back on Presidents’ Day, the wearer is entitled to free admission and a chance to enter Winter Carnival drawings for a 48” flat screen television and other valuable prizes.
