Quint’s Brew. (Jim McCue/MJC)
Dan Illman/The Maryland Jockey Club
LAUREL, Md. – Quint’s Brew, Celtic Contender, and Prince of Jericho have all won stakes races at Laurel Park this winter. They headline Saturday’s $200,000 General George for 4-year-olds and upward racing seven furlongs at Laurel Park.
The General George is one of four stakes on the nine-race Saturday program, along with the $200,000 Barbara Fritchie for fillies and mares at seven furlongs, the $100,000 Nellie Morse for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles, and the $100,000 John B. Campbell for 4-year-olds and upward at 1 1/8 miles. Post time for the first race is 12:10 p.m. ET.
A lightly-raced 4-year-old gelding, Maryland-bred Quint’s Brew returned from a 203-day layoff partially due to a grabbed quarter to capture last month’s restricted Jennings Stakes at one mile by eight lengths. He earned a career-best 98 Beyer Speed Figure in his first start for trainer Ned Allard.
“I thought he’d run big,” Allard said after the Jennings. “How big? I had never run him before. All I know is that he just really enjoys being a racehorse. The ones that really enjoy it can run. I was real pleased. I thought that was an awesome race.”
Owned by Paul Berube, Karen Linnell, and Heather Hunter, Quint’s Brew drew post position two in the General George. Mychel Sanchez takes the mount.
After the Lewis Family Racing Stable’s Celtic Contender won the restricted Howard and Sondra Bender Memorial Stakes on Dec. 21, trainer Hamilton Smith’s first inclination was to give the 4-year-old colt a break. After all, the Maryland-bred son of Irish War Cry raced 12 times last year without a layoff, winning three of his final four starts, including the Maryland Million Sprint on Oct. 12.
Celtic Contender had other ideas, impressively working five times recently, culminating with a six-furlong drill in a bullet 1:12 flat last Saturday.
“He’s been training great,” Smith said. “He went to the barn playing on the rein after he worked, so he was within himself, I guess.”
Smith expects Celtic Contender to show speed in the General George and would like to see him leading or sitting second after the opening half-mile under jockey Victor Carrasco.
Trainer Brittany Russell saddled Post Time to win last year’s General George, and she’ll attempt to repeat with the consistent Prince of Jericho, who has hit the board in 16 of 19 starts and enters the General George after a pace-pressing victory in the Fire Plug Stakes on Jan. 18.
Following that performance, Russell praised owners Michael Dubb and Morris Bailey for allowing Prince of Jericho enough time between races for the 4-year-old Munnings colt to be fresh on race day.
Russell was concerned about the rail draw in the Fire Plug, but Prince of Jericho immediately allayed any fears.
“He broke good,” Russell said. “It just worked out good from the first jump.”
Prince of Jericho starts from post five in the General George. Sheldon Russell retains the mount.
DeSales 85 LLC’s Circle P won the restricted Maryland Juvenile at two and appears to be rounding back into his best form for trainer Flint Stites after placing second in the Bender Memorial and third in the Jennings. Ricardo Chiappe rides Circle P from post six, and the late-running Speightster gelding would benefit from a quick pace up front.
After guiding Morici Racing Stable’s Mr. Antonelli to a victory in a high-level allowance here on Jan. 31, jockey Xavier Perez was very impressed.
“He did that so easy,” Perez told assistant trainer Colton Moore as he entered the winner’s circle aboard the 5-year-old Mendelssohn gelding.
Mr. Antonelli makes his stakes debut in the General George, but the 5-year-old has won four of nine races for trainer Diane Morici.
“Everything we’ve asked of this horse, he’s done,” Moore said after the allowance win. “Getting this horse started was a little bit of a long road, but he’s come a long way. We’re super-happy with him.”
Union Fleet, a stakes-placed gelding trained by Jose Magana for Pepe Stable and J L M Jacona Stable, completes the field.
