Laurel: Toby's Corner returns in General George

About 48 hours after he brings his Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom back to the races, trainer Graham Motion will do the same with his other Grade 1-winning 3-year-old colt from last year, Toby’s Corner.

Toby’s Corner, unraced since upsetting Uncle Mo in the $1 million Wood Memorial at Aqueduct last April, will make his return to the races in Monday’s Grade 2, $200,000 General George Handicap at Laurel Park.

Toby’s Corner drew post 4 and was installed as the 3-1 second choice by track linemaker Frank Carulli. Caixa Eletronica drew post 6 and was made the slight 5-2 morning line favorite in the seven-horse field. The General George, run at seven furlongs, will go as race 9 on a 10-race card that begins at 12:35 p.m. Eastern.

In the week leading up to last year’s Derby, most handicappers felt Motion’s best chance at winning the race was with Toby’s Corner. But following his final workout, Toby’s Corner came up lame behind and never made the ship from Fair Hill, Md., to Churchill Downs.[bc_video_id:244359:]

There was never an official diagnosis made of the injury, Motion said. But there was noticeable problem.

“It could have been it was just a soft tissue deal in his hind end,’’ Motion said. “He was off that Monday morning, absolutely. Every time when I got him going along again he would come up off again in his left hind to the point where we had to give him a break. We gave enough time where he seemed to recover from it.”

Toby’s Corner has been on the same training schedule as Animal Kingdom. Whereas Motion has a goal of the $10 million Dubai World Cup at Meydan next month, he has no major target with Toby’s Corner.

“I haven’t set a goal for him,” Motion said. “I feel like getting him started and then we go from there.”

One reason Motion chose the General George is because Toby’s Corner is 2 for 2 at Laurel, both in one-turn mile races.

Eddie Castro, aboard for both of the colt’s stakes wins last winter in New York, has the call again on Monday. Toby’s Corner is the 121-pound highweight, spotting four to 10 pounds to the field.

Caixa Eletronica, trained by Todd Pletcher, has had the majority of his success in one-turn races. He is coming back just two weeks after finishing third in the Grade 3 Toboggan going six furlongs at Aqueduct.

Yawanna Twist, a recent second-level allowance winner at Aqueduct, Eighttofasttocatch, a Laurel-loving gelding, Fordangshore, This Ones for Phil, and My Cuz C J complete the field.