Funny Guy faces open-company stakes test in General George

The New York-bred Funny Guy won restricted stakes at all three New York Racing Association tracks in 2020 and will try to defeat open company for the first time when he starts in Saturday’s rescheduled Grade 3, $250,000 General George Stakes traveling seven furlongs at Laurel Park.

The General George is among six stakes on the Saturday card, which also includes the Grade 3 Runhappy Barbara Fritchie for fillies and mares.

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Trained by John Terranova, Funny Guy shipped from New York last week for the General George, which was scheduled to be run Feb. 13 but was postponed for a week because of inclement weather.

“Outside of hoping we didn’t get a little too fat, everything’s great,” Terranova said with a chuckle. “We haven’t had a good track, so he’s just been out for gallops. He’s pretty fit.”

Funny Guy finished second at 4-5 in last month’s Say Florida Sandy, a seven-furlong sprint for New York-breds at Aqueduct. Terranova said that Funny Guy struggled over a deep, loose racetrack that day.

“He’s a big, heavy horse,” he said. “He kind of slides and glides, so it was tough for him to get through it. He just got up and won the race prior and had to really work.”

Entrants for Saturday’s graded stakes start without Lasix. Funny Guy raced Lasix-off in the Say Florida Sandy.

“We scoped after the last race and there was no bleeding,” Terranova said. “He’s very healthy that way.”

General George entrant Laki won the Grade 3 Frank J. De Francis Memorial at Pimlico last year, but is winless in three starts since. Trainer Damon Dilodovico called the delay and the Lasix-off rule “not ideal” for the 8-year-old Laki.

“I wouldn’t say he’s had bleeding problems, but he’s no spring chicken,” Dilodovico said.

Laki breezed a half-mile in 46.40 seconds on Feb. 6.

“That was a really good effort,” Dilodovico said.

Share the Ride wheels back in three weeks after finishing third in the Grade 3 Toboggan at Aqueduct. He placed second in the Fire Plug on Jan. 16 at Laurel while racing with a bar shoe, but ran without it last time.

Lebda makes his third start as a gelding. He has tactical speed. Majestic Dunhill finished second in the 2019 General George. Both of his dirt wins came on wet tracks.

Informative, Arthur’s Hope, Chilly in Charge, and Tattooed complete the field.

Wide Country Stakes

Street Lute is the leading 3-year-old filly in the region and brings a four-race win streak, all stakes, into the $100,000 Wide Country for 3-year-old fillies at seven furlongs.

Trainer John Robb recognized the talent right away.

“She’s been a special filly from Day 1,” Robb said Wednesday. “She had an eye injury and would drop her head and let my wife put the drops in every two or three hours. Not many horses do that. She does everything right. The kind of horse you love to have around.”

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Street Lute won the six-furlong Xtra Heat by five lengths on Jan. 16 at Laurel. She was entered for the Wide Country last Saturday when it also was postponed by a week.

“Going into last week’s race, we were in good shape,” Robb said. “We missed quite a bit this week. I went around the barn with her Monday, and she’s been to the track every day since. I think we’re all right.”

Little Huntress, a second-out maiden winner by 14 lengths on Dec. 27 at Laurel, will receive Lasix for the first time in the Wide Country. She set the pace in both of her starts.

“We’ve put her in situations in the morning to see her best way of going, but this is a free-rolling filly,” trainer Brittany Russell said.

Fraudulent Charge comes off a nose loss to Street Lute in the seven-furlong Gin Talking on Dec. 26 at Laurel.

Miracle Wood Stakes

Kenny Had a Notion and Maythehorsebwithu engaged in a race-long battle in last month’s seven-furlong Spectacular Bid at Laurel, with Kenny Had a Notion winning by a neck. They will renew their rivalry in the $100,000 Miracle Wood Stakes for 3-year-olds at a mile.

Kenny Had a Notion raced six times at 2 and won stakes on turf and dirt. “He seems to get better with racing,” trainer Dale Capuano said.

Maythehorsebwithu, first or second in his last four starts, has been training well, said Russell, who trains him.

“We’re just trying to keep them happy,” Russell said Wednesday. “We’re hoping the next couple of days don’t mess us up. We were lucky this morning as we had a nice racetrack and let them all skip. But if we’re locked in the shed row tomorrow, it’s hard to say what happens Friday and Saturday.”

Tiz Mandate rallied for fourth behind a moderate pace in the Spectacular Bid.

◗ Cordmaker looks to break a long losing streak in the $100,000 John B. Campbell Stakes for 4-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles. Cordmaker last won in September 2019 and has gone nine races without a victory. Cordmaker comes off a third in the one-mile Jennings on Jan. 16 at Laurel. He had a difficult trip in that race and his rider misjudged the finish.

Other strong contenders in the John B. Campbell include Dixie Drawl and Galerio.

◗ Lucky Stride rallied from off a fast pace to win last month’s Wayward Lass at Tampa Bay and might find a similar race shape in the $100,000 Nellie Morse for fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles. Trained by Michael Trombetta, Lucky Stride will face challenges from Wicked Awesome, Lucky Move, and Landing Zone.