The General George Stakes (Grade 3)- $250.000 Purse
LRL- For Four Year Olds and Upward
Seven Furlongs on the Dirt
February 16, 2019

This Saturday, LRL gets a chance to host some of the better horses in the game instead of exclusively serving as a free track. It is the 13th running of the General George Stakes over this President’s Day weekend, and is a race that debuted in 2006, but has not been held every year. It has had one two time winner, and that would be the great Alpha Ultimo, who won it at seven and eight years of age in 2007 and 2008. Last year, the combination of trainer Night Rider Stables and jockey Ro Maragh teamed up to win the race with Silver Dancer. The gate is nearly full to capacity for this race, with eleven going to post. Let’s meet them, now.

#1- Sparrow Hills (Mb Stables, ridden by A A Gallardo)- Looks for his first stake win, as he is unproven at the level. He has two wins in eight starts, and excellent work times to go with it. There was a graded attempt last December, where he closed to finished third in the Grade 3 Mr Prospector. He doesn’t have one race that really stands out, though, and has been a beaten favorite on several occasions, including the $75.000 Kenner Stakes, which was his last start. He can be in the mix, but he has to run a career best race to get the win.

#2- Eureka (Simmer Down Stable, ridden by J L Ortiz)- The gelding is lightly raced, and will make just the 7th start of his career. The trainer picked him up in the December auction for $51.120, which came off the heels of running in a pair of Grade 1’s. His best effort in them was a second in the Jerkens Memorial. That’s a great result, but he never really followed that up. He will like this better then the 5 ½ he ran in when in allowance company last month. Working well coming into the race.

#3- Creepy Palace (D J C Racing Stables, ridden by D E Centeno)- There are several in this field who were seen three months ago in the BC Sprint. Of them, Creepy Palace was the best finisher and the only one to cash a check in the race, placing third. He was a steady performing leading up to it, and was able to earn part of the purse in both the Crosby and the Vosburgh too. He has continued to race well after the BC, and even won the Grade 3 Mr Prospector. I particularly like him at this distance.

#4- No Waiting (John Henry, ridden by A Cintron)- Acquired back in September with a high price tag, $250.000, from Mb Stables. Therefore, we know the expectations are high. Things started well in the John Henry silks running third in the Grade 2 Phoenix in the slop, but didn’t fare well in the BC Sprint, beating only two rivals. I can forgive that, but his eighth place run in the Mr Prospector right after is something I find concerning, as he seemed flat. Maybe there is perfectly fine explanation for that behind the scenes.

#5- Warrior Patriot (Paradise Stable, ridden by E S Prado)- One thing to really like about this four year old, is that in 13 starts, only once (his debut race) has he failed to collect at least part of the purse. He’s won three times, and two of them are within his last three starts, coming in the Grade 3 ONT Derby and the Grade 3 Discovery Handicap. Those are longer races, though not by too much. He can still be very competitive at this distance as well, but he has some tough foes to beat here.

#6- Glorious (Spankys Barn, ridden by D Van Dyke)- This is a horse that needs a return to the winners circle. He has been successful, and even ran second in the 2017 BC Sprint. Since April, he has not won again, and has been the subject of private sales twice. That includes a two and a half month stay with LionKing Stables where he never raced, and sold for the same amount he was acquired for. Glorious was good enough to run in the BC Sprint again in November, and ran 8th. This will be his 2019 debut.

#7- Residue (Smokey Stover, ridden by J M Campbell)- This should be one of the favorites, as his last three non-BC starts have resulted in wins. This includes both the Grade 1 Forego and Grade 1 Vosburgh. This made him the favorite for the BC Sprint, but he left many scratching their heads there, when he finished next to last. Importantly, he bounced back nicely by winning the Grade 2 Palos Verdes last month. Works are great, so we can throw out the BC as he looks to get back there and avenge that performance later this year.

#8- Bad English (Maxmillion Farm, ridden by H A Karamanos)- After a busy three year old season, the Generals Companion colt makes the General George his 2019 debut. Picked up two wins over the course of the year, including the Grade 3 LA Derby (the one held at LA, not LAD), and the Grade 2 Autumn Stakes over BC weekend while several others here were at CD. Has done well in graded stakes at otherwise free tracks, as he ran second in the WV Derby last year. That’s a lot of races over a mile, isn’t it? We’ll see here how he fares at a long sprint.

#9- Ride Or Die (Delta Farms, ridden by V R Carrasco)- His win last April at the Grade 2 Wood Memorial, at 178/1, was one of the biggest surprise wins of 2018. He had worked well coming into it, so maybe we all should have seen it coming a little more. He’d get another nice result in the PRK, when he placed third. However, as time has passed, Ride Or Die has not won another stake since the Wood Memorial, and has just one allowance win since then, coming at this distance at CD. Seems to do well when I cover him, though.

#10- Pink Cadillac (John Henry, ridden by Jef Sanchez)- The final two horses in the starting gate are sired by Pinkman. At this time last year, Pink Cadillac was riding the TC prep road, but that did not go terribly well. After the Rebel, he was taken off of the trail, and moved into sprints, and fared better, but was still struggling when a stake was tried. That began to change in December, and a second followed by a win in the Kenner Stakes last month brings him back into graded company with renewed hoped of stepping up at this level.

#11- Along For The Ride (Fractious, ridden by T McCarthy)- The best days for this gelding came with Fractious, and as a two year old. In both the Grade 1 DMR Futurity and the Grade 1 FrontRunner, he hit the board, and was in a photo with the winner. This sent him to the BC Juvenile, and he would not run well. He was sold two months later, and did not do well in a couple of prep races either. Then, it was claimers. Fractious got him back in September with just a $10.50 claim, and in three races, he’s won twice, including the $110.000 CC Rapid Transit. Indeed it has been quite a ride for Along For The Ride.

Prediction: 3-7-9-11

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES