All eyes on Great Stuff, Do Share in General George Stakes

Great Stuff and Do Share have a lot in common.

They are late-running sprinters, come into the Grade 3 General George at Laurel Park on Saturday off Aqueduct stakes wins, and figure to be the first and second betting choices in the seven-furlong race. They are drawn side by side in the outside posts of the 10-horse field.

The $250,000 General George is race 9, begins the late pick three, and immediately precedes the feature race of Winter Carnival Day, the Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie.

Do Share, who has post 10, got the jump on Great Stuff in the six-furlong Gravesend and won by a half-length. Great Stuff finished a closing fourth and was beaten three-quarters of a length.

Do Share has not started since the Gravesend due to a since-lifted equine herpesvirus quarantine in the Belmont Park barn of his trainer, Linda Rice. While the quarantine was in effect, Do Share missed the Fire Plug Stakes at Laurel and the Toboggan at Aqueduct.

Manny Franco will be aboard Saturday.

:: Get bonus PPs for Saturday's Grade 2 Barbara Fritchie card at Laurel Park

Great Stuff rallied from far back to finish third in the six-furlong Dave’s Friend in his race following the Gravesend. Most recently, he rallied strongly to win the Grade 3 Toboggan going away by 2 1/2 lengths. He earned a 102 Beyer Speed Figure in that race, a number higher than anyone else in the General George has ever run.

Although it is not fair to mention Great Stuff in the same breath as his more accomplished David Jacobson-trained stablemate Stallwalkin’ Dude, who is being rested on a Kentucky Farm and will be out until spring with an ankle injury, the way he came home in the Toboggan points him out as the horse to beat in the General George.

Jacobson claimed Great Stuff on behalf of Bruce Golden for $50,000 out of a conditioned-claiming race at Saratoga in 2016. He has since won 4 of 11 starts sandwiched around a nine-month layoff.

“He ran a few good races for us and then he had a little injury and we had to give him some time,” Jacobson said. “Since he’s come back he just keeps getting better. Bruce and I were very impressed with his last race. He wasn’t just picking up the pieces in that race. He beat some nice horses and did it very well.”

Dylan Davis will be in from New York to ride.

With the late-running favorites stuck on the far outside, lightly raced Cowboy Mz and Awesome Banner, who may be the quickest runners in the field, become dangerous from posts 1 and 2.

Awesome Banner broke an 11-race losing streak, dating back to late 2016, with a determined effort in the Fire Plug Stakes at Laurel on Jan. 20. Trained by Kenneth Decker, he sped six furlongs in 1:08.94 and earned a 97 Beyer.

Cowboy Mz is the most lightly raced horse in the field with only eight starts. He is based at Parx Racing with Marcos Zulueta, and appears to be faster early than Awesome Banner. From post 1, jockey Mychel Sanchez has little choice but to send him.

Something Awesome came up three-quarters of a length short of catching Awesome Banner in the Fire Plug and should enjoy the extra furlong of the General George. He was impressive winning two optional-claiming races after being sent to trainer Jose Corrales by the Stronach Stable in October.