With few remaining gaps on Hello Beautiful's resume, trainer Brittany Russell will seek to achieve a significant milestone for both herself and her stable star when they go up against seven rivals in the $250,000 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie Stakes (G3) Feb. 13 at Laurel Park.
The 69th running of the Fritchie for older fillies and mares and the 45th edition of the $250,000 General George Stakes (G3) for males highlight a Saturday program of six stakes worth $900,000. Both graded races are contested at seven furlongs.
A graded win would fill an important blank on an otherwise stellar ledger for Madaket Stables, Albert Frassetto, Mark Parkinson, K-Mac Stables, and Magic City Stables' Hello Beautiful, a Maryland-bred daughter of Golden Lad who is unbeaten in seven starts on the Laurel main track.
"For my first graded win to be Hello Beautiful would just be perfect. She's just done so much for us and we've had so much fun with her," Russell said. "She deserves it. She's good at Laurel. We don't know how good she is outside of Laurel, but it would just mean so much for all of us."
The speedy Hello Beautiful is also 3-for-four at seven furlongs, including wins in the Maryland Million Nursery Stakes and Safely Kept Stakes last fall to cap her sophomore campaign. In her only previous graded attempt, she ran sixth in the Prioress Stakes (G2) at Saratoga Race Course, one of two races in which she was off the board when shipped outside Maryland.
The opposition is headed Five Hellions Farm's Dontletsweetfoolya and Barry Schwartz's homebred filly Sharp Starr, both stakes winners.
"It would be special to be able to come back and win a race like this, especially with a filly like her," trainer Horacio DePaz said of Sharp Starr, winner of the Go For Wand Handicap (G3) at Aqueduct Racetrack last fall. "We developed her as a 2-year-old and she's kind of taken us to Saratoga and stuff and competed very well in New York. It's nice when you can develop one like this."
The General George follows the Barbara Fritchie as the eighth race, a sprint that drew numerous runners from the Fire Plug Stakes at Laurel Jan. 16, though not the winner, Wendell Fong.
Share the Ride, runner-up in the Fire Plug and subsequently third in the Jan. 30 Toboggan Stakes (G3) at Aqueduct, makes his third start of 2021.
Miguel Penaloza trains the 6-year-old Candy Ride gelding for owner Silvino Ramirez.
Stakes winners Laki, Lebda, and Majestic Dunhillare his principal adversaries.
R A Hill Stable's Majestic Dunhill returns to the northeast from Florida, where he was 10th in the Mr. Prospector Stakes (G3) at Gulfstream Park Dec. 19. The George Weaver trainee won the Bold Ruler Handicap (G3) over Share the Ride at Belmont Park last fall.
Laurel Park, Saturday, February 13, 2021, Race 7Entries: Runhappy Barbara Fritchie S. (G3)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Sharp Starr (NY)
Alex Cintron
120
Horacio DePaz
3/1
2
2Club Car (KY)
Victor R. Carrasco
120
Ben Colebrook
6/1
3
3Dontletsweetfoolya (KY)
Jevian Toledo
120
Lacey Gaudet
7/2
4
4Estilo Talentoso (KY)
Alexander Crispin
120
Juan Arriagada
10/1
5
5Suggestive Honor (ARG)
Jorge Ruiz
120
Marco P. Salazar
50/1
6
6Hibiscus Punch (KY)
Horacio Karamanos
120
Justin J. Nixon
12/1
7
7Needs Supervision (KY)
Feargal Lynch
120
Jeremiah O'Dwyer
12/1
8
8Hello Beautiful (MD)
Sheldon Russell
120
Brittany T. Russell
8/5
Laurel Park, Saturday, February 13, 2021, Race 8Entries: General George S. (G3)
PP
Horse
Jockey
Wgt
Trainer
M/L
1
1Laki (MD)
Horacio Karamanos
122
Damon R. Dilodovico
9/2
2
2Funny Guy (NY)
Sheldon Russell
120
John P. Terranova II
9/5
3
3Lebda (KY)
Alex Cintron
120
Claudio A. Gonzalez
8/1
4
4Majestic Dunhill (KY)
Feargal Lynch
120
George Weaver
10/1
5
5Fortunate Friends (FL)
Jevian Toledo
120
Shaun C. Morrow
20/1
6
6Share the Ride (KY)
Victor R. Carrasco
120
Miguel Penaloza
3/1
7
7Informative (KY)
Roimes Chirinos
120
Uriah St. Lewis
30/1
8
8Arthur's Hope (NY)
Alcibiades C. Cortez
120
Marco P. Salazar
20/1
9
9Chilly in Charge (PA)
J. D. Acosta
120
Miguel Vera
12/1
10
10Tattooed (MD)
Angel Cruz
120
Timothy L. Keefe
15/1