DeFrancis Dash - Pre Entries

Three of the top five finishers from the Breeders’ Cup Sprint are pre-entered for the $300,000 Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash (Grade I) at Laurel on Saturday. The Dash, headlines the Fall Festival of Racing card that features eight added money races.

With more than $1 million in purses, the fesitval is the fourth largest on the Maryland racing calendar (Preakness, Pimlico Special and Maryland Million) The post-position draw for the 10-race card will be this Wednesday.

Thor’s Echo, winner of the Breeders’ Cup Sprint, Nightmare Affair, who finished less than five lengths behind Thor’s Echo in the Sprint, and Attila’s Storm, who finished two places behind Nightmare Affair, has also been nominated. Discreet Cat was also pre-entered but he is expected to headline the Grade I Cigar Mile at Aqueduct the same day. Other likely starters include Diabolical, who ran in the Preakness Stakes, Coach Jimi Lee and Who’s the Cowboy (favorite of Patrick at Pulling Hair) plus local stars Celtic Innis and Crafty Schemer.

Below is a list of the races for the Fall Festival.

Stakes - Distance - Purse
De Francis Dash - 6f - $300,000
Laurel Futurity - 1 1/16 mile (T) - $125,000
Selima - 1 1/16 mile (T) - $125,000
Anne Arundel - 1 mile - 125,000
Laurel Turf Cup - 1 1/8 mile (T) - 100,000
April Run - 1 1/8 mile (T)-100,000
Stefanita - 7f - 100,000
MD. Million Starter Handicap -1 mile - 50,000