LAUREL, MD. 11-15-14---Zayat Stables LLC’s Zee Bros, dismissed at odds of 29-1, proved to be the swiftest of all in the $350,000 Frank J. DeFrancis Memorial Dash. The De Francis Dash was the marquee race in Saturday’s Fall Festival of Racing at Laurel Park, which featured six stakes.

D. Wayne Lukas trains the 4-year-old son of Brother Derek, who was making his fourth start for his Hall of Fame connections. Lukas sent Zee Bros out to win gate-to-wire over non-winners of two allowance company at Keeneland in his previous start. In his only other foray into Maryland, Zee Bros won the 2013 Chick Lang Stakes on the Preakness undercard while in Seth Benzel’s barn.

“Nobody does it better than Wayne when it comes to running in the big races,” said assistant trainer Tim Austin. “We got this horse right after the Saratoga meet. It took a few weeks to figure him out but in his last four workouts, I know they saw a big improvement in him. This horse is really doing well right now and we are glad to win this race for Mr. Zayat.”

Zee Bros completed the 6-furlong distance in 1:08.77, just under a second off the track record of 1:07.95.

Happy My Way backed off the speedy pace but rallied to take second. Bern Identity finished third. Dads Caps, the 9-5 betting choice, finished fourth.

Zee Bros paid $60.20 and topped a $471.20 exacta, a $1,557.20 trifecta and $4,669.10 superfecta.

Jose Ortiz, who was originally scheduled to ride La Verdad, picked up the mount for the injured Alex Cintron, who suffered multiple facial fractures, including a broken jaw, in a spill at Laurel Friday afternoon. He is expected to miss 6-8 weeks. Two other mounts Cintron was scheduled to ride this afternoon, Stormin Monarchos (Richard Small Stakes) and Who’s In Town (Safely Kept Stakes), also won on the nine-race card.

“My agent called Mr. Lukas when La Verdad was scratched,” Ortiz said. “I was available because I had taken off of all of my mounts to come here today. I was very sorry to have to get this mount the way that I did and I wish Alex the best. Mr. Lukas told me that this horse had the talent and the speed, to make sure that we broke well and go after it. I kept him exactly where he needed to be and when I asked him he gave me all that I needed. I was pretty sure I had them beat about half-way down the stretch.”

It was the second De Francis Dash score for Lukas, who has six Preakness Stakes (G1) victories. He also won in 1999 with Yes It’s True.

Joe Bravo (jockey, Happy My Way), “This race really tested the speed. I thought we’ve got to try something. Down the stretch he really excelled.”

C.C. Lopez (jockey, Bern Identity), “I thought he ran well. No excuses. I tried to bide my time and make a run. Just not good enough.”

Julian Pimentel (jockey, Dads Caps), “He just didn’t fire. We had a perfect trip. We couldn’t get to the winner. He just drew off.”

Favorite Tale, Heaven’s Runway, Smash and Grab and Mico Margarita completed the field. Local star Ben’s Cat was also scratched.

Introduced in 1990, the De Francis Dash is one of the elite 6-furlong sprints in the country with four of the previous 22 winners-Housebuster (1991), Cherokee Run (1994), Smoke Glacken (1997) and Thor’s Echo (2006)-earning Eclipse Award honors for champion sprinter.
 

About Laurel Park
Laurel Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida and is one of North America's top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world's largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a major producer of televised horse racing programming through its HRTV cable and satellite network and is North America's premier supplier of virtual online horse racing games, as well as a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.