Golden Years, 'Shutdown' Head Whiteley Jr.

Tim O'Donohue's Governmentshutdown and Hillwood Stable's Golden Years, both Maryland stakes winners, share highweight assignment Jan. 24 for the $100,000 Frank Whiteley Jr. Stakes at Laurel Park.

O'Donohue also has co-highweight Lake Sebago in the $100,000 Marshua Stakes for fillies later on the card. Both races are for 3-year-olds; the Whitely is run at seven furlongs while the Marshua is contested at six furlongs.

Golden Years, a West Virginia-bred by Not for Love  , excelled last year with three wins from four starts, all over the Laurel surface. Last time out, the Rodney Jenkins trainee cruised in the seven-furlong Marylander Stakes by 7 1/4 lengths Dec. 6. He makes his sophomore debut from post 5 with jockey Victor Carrasco in the irons under a 122-pound assignment.

Governmentshutdown, a Kentucky-bred Exchange Rate   gelding, broke his maiden May 3 at Pimlico Race Course and came off that victory to take the May 16 Rollicking Stakes over three others including Hootenanny. Rested by trainer John J. Robb since running fifth in the June 28 Bashford Manor Stakes (gr. III) at Churchill Downs in his lone start away from Pimlico, Governmentshudown will be ridden by Julian Pimentel from post 7 of 9 while also carrying 122.

A lone filly, Gypsy Judy, will take on the boys in the Whiteley. She gets a weight break and carries 111 from the outside under Horacio Karamanos.

In the Marshua, Robb and O'Donohue partner with the talented Lake Sebago, a daughter of Munnings   who has three wins and two seconds from five starts. The bay filly won the Nov. 15 Smart Halo at Laurel in her stakes debut and came back to take the Dec. 6 Gin Talking Stakes by two lengths with a closing six-wide drive.

Lake Sebago, who drew the far outside in a group of nine, will be ridden by Sheldon Russell and carries 122 pounds.

Co-highweight in the Marshua is Pennsylvania-bred Rockin Jojo, a Street Magician   filly who races for owner Michael Cox and trainer T. Bernard Houghton. In her last start, she won the Nov. 29 Blue Mountain Juvenile Fillies Stakes at Penn National.