LAUREL PARK 2011 WINTER MEETING WILL FEATURE 15 STAKES RACES
LAUREL, MD. 12-30-10---The 2011 Laurel Park winter meeting will feature 15 stakes races after the Maryland Jockey Club, Maryland Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association and Maryland Horse Breeders Association agreed to a schedule.
Headlining the program are a pair of Grade 2 $150,000 seven-furlong sprints on President’s Day weekend: the Barbara Fritchie Handicap for fillies and mares on February 19 and the General George Handicap for males two days later.
“We couldn’t focus on the stakes schedule until we had racing dates,” said Maryland Jockey Club racing secretary Georganne Hale. “Having a Saturday stakes program is important because it means better horses and people like to come out to watch them run.”
The 49-day winter stand begins Saturday with a nine-race card.
Sheldon Russell returns after missing the final two months of the 2010 season with eight broken ribs, which occurred in a spill here on Oct. 30. Russell trailed Forest Boyce in the rider standings by only three wins prior to the injury. The 23-year-old has three mounts on opening day, including stakes winner Northpoint Costas in the sixth race.
“I am happy because the goal was to be back January 1st,” said Russell, who has suffered a serious injury in all four years as a jockey. “I have been working horses in the morning the last two weeks and really started feeling really good just before Christmas.”
“He is relentless and resilient,” added Russell’s agent Marty Leonard. “We are trying to come back on horses with good chances to get business rolling again.”
Live racing will take place at the central Maryland track four days a week on a Wednesday through Saturday schedule (with holiday exceptions) through Saturday, March 26.
Post time for the meet will be 12:35 p.m.
-mjc-
Mike Gathagan
Vice President-Communications
Maryland Jockey Club
410-578-4461 (Pimlico)
301-470-5461 (Laurel Park)
240-876-7403 (Mobile)
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