Barbara Fritchie, General George head 15-stakes lineup for Laurel's winter meet

A pair of Grade 2 events during the President’s Day holiday weekend, the Barbara Fritchie Handicap for fillies and mares and the General George Handicap for older males, highlight 15 stakes that Laurel Park will hold during its 49-day winter meet that begins Saturday.

The Barbara Fritchie, on Feb. 19, and the General George two days later are both seven-furlong sprints worth $150,000.

The remainder of the stakes will be worth $75,000 apiece, a bump of $25,000 each from a year ago.

Saturday’s nine-race card marks the return of jockey Sheldon Russell, who missed the final two months of the 2010 season recovering from eight broken ribs sustained in a spill on Oct. 30. Russell, 23, has three mounts on opening day, including stakes winner Northpoint Costas in the sixth race.