The co-featured Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash on Saturday’s September to Remember card at Laurel Park will match a competitive field of eight older horses, who are trying to raise their game. The Grade 3, $250,000 De Francis Dash is one of eight stakes on a card that begins at 12:25 p.m. Eastern. The program also includes the Grade 3 Baltimore/Washington International Turf Cup and the Laurel Futurity and Selima for 2-year-olds. The Futurity and Selima have had their purses doubled this year to $200,000 and their distances lengthened to 1 1/16 miles in the hope of establishing them as viable routes to the Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf and Juvenile Fillies Turf. The De Francis top three of He Hate Me, New York Central, and Wonderful Light all have ties to Maryland. He Hate Me is owned by Kevin Plank’s famed Sagamore Farm, which is located northwest of Baltimore. New York Central scored his lone stakes win in the Grade 3 Maryland Sprint on Preakness Day. Wonderful Light is 2 for 2 over the Laurel surface. He Hate Me is the horse to beat in the six-furlong De Francis, especially if he can avoid getting caught up in a pace battle with the Ohio star Altissimo and Sparticle, a last-out claim for $25,000. Trained by Stanley Hough, He Hate Me has been given ample time to recover from his sharp runner-up effort in the restricted Tale of the Cat Stakes at Saratoga in early August. “We’re thrilled to be able to run in this race,” Hough said. “We hope to make Sagamore proud.” In the six-furlong Tale of the Cat, He Hate Me battled for the lead between horses, put away Pat On the Back – who runs in Saturday’s Kelso Handicap at Belmont Park – nearing the sixteenth pole, then succumbed to the deep closer Bon Raison late by three-quarters of a length. “He got off a step slow and then kind of rushed up there,” Hough said. “I thought he might have been the best horse that day. He’s a little more comfortable tracking horses.” New York Central has raced only once since winning the Maryland Sprint – a seventh at Belmont Park – and will be coming off a more than two-month layoff for trainer Steve Asmussen. He is owned by WinStar Farm, China Horse Club, and the SF Racing of George Soros. “He had a little freshening after his last race and he’s done well,” WinStar President and CEO Elliott Walden said. New York Central figures to settle before making his bid Saturday. Wonderful Light, who is trained by Michelle Nevin, has run admirably in all three of his starts since returning from an 11-month layoff. He is coming off consecutive optional-claiming wins at Saratoga and Laurel and figures to stalk the leaders, then pounce. Pace-dependent Bon Raison has been beaten twice since winning the Tale of the Cat at 8-1. He would benefit if He Hate Me gets caught up in quick fractions. In the day’s other stakes: Selima: Sky Kitten, trained by David Donk, has finished strongly in both her starts, including a third to the promising Godolphin-bred and -owned Micheline last out in the Sorority Stakes at Monmouth over a mile of turf. She closed from sixth to win her debut over New York-breds in an off-the-turf race at Saratoga. Sharing romped in a seven-furlong off-the-turf maiden race at Saratoga as the favorite while making her second start. Trained by Graham Motion, she closed from well back in her debut sprinting on turf. Her dam is Shared Account, who won the 2010 Breeders’ Cup Filly and Mare Turf for Motion. Laurel Futurity: Field Pass and Doc Boy, both distance turf winners, are the likely favorites in this race, but don’t count out Mischievous Alex, who set the pace and then weakened late in the Sapling at Monmouth while stretching out from 5 1/2 furlongs to a mile. He should benefit from that outing, and it’s a good sign John Servis brings him back on three weeks’ rest. This will be his turf debut. Bald Eagle Derby: Jais’s Solitude just missed winning the 1 1/8-mile Virginia Derby at Colonial Downs for trainer Eddie Kenneally and looks capable of getting 1 1/2 miles in this $150,000 turf race. He’s No Lemon comes off a first-level optional-claiming win going 1 3/8 miles for Motion at Saratoga and should certainly be going the right direction at the finish. Laurel Dash: Dubini ran well once again in the Grade 3 Turf Monster at Parx, finishing a clear second behind Pure Sensation in the 11-horse field. Having said that, he is now winless in his last 13 starts dating back to August 2017. This 5 1/2-furlong turf race is wide open, and Dubini once again is well spotted by trainer Kate DeMasi. Sensible Lady Turf Dash: This 5 1/2-furlong sprint for fillies and mares could offer one of the best matchups of the day. Goldwood has won four consecutive turf sprint stakes at Monmouth Park, all for trainer Jorge Duarte Jr. Her most recent Beyer Speed Figure, a 93, is a career best. Escapade is 4 for 5 since being sent to trainer Jonathan Thomas and 2 for 2 this year, but will have to use her speed from post 1 in this 13-horse field. Goldwood is cross-entered in the $150,000 Turf Amazon at Parx, but on Friday Duarte said she would run at Laurel. Weathervane: Needs Supervision, winner of the Silverbulletday at Fair Grounds in January for trainer Jeremiah O’Dwyer, returns from a seven-month layoff with a 47-second bullet gate work in this new six-furlong stakes for 3-year-old fillies. Expect her to come back running. Maryland-bred Bunting ran too well to lose the statebred Miss Disco Stakes last time out and also figures for the Laurel Park home team.