The De Francis Memorial Dash is a Listed American Thoroughbred horse race run annually at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. Open to horses aged three and older, it is competed on dirt over a distance of six furlongs. It is currently run in late July and offers a purse of $250,000.

Race history

The Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash is one of the elite sprints in the country. Until 2010, it was one of the only two six-furlong contests with Grade I status, and was second only to the Breeders' Cup Sprint in purse money and prestige. After the race was not run in 2008 and 2010, the race was not eligible for grading in 2011.Blood Horse: 2011 Graded Stakes: 13 Fewer Than '10 On December 3, 2015, the Maryland Jockey Club announced that the race has been upgraded to grade III for 2016 by the American Graded Stakes Committee.

The De Francis, first contested in 1990, has played host to champions Housebuster, Safely Kept, and Cherokee Run.

The inaugural De Francis Dash attracted many of the nation’s sprinters to Pimlico Race Course in the summer of 1990. Included in the field were 1989 Sprint Champion Safely Kept and sprinters Glitterman and Sewickley. But at the wire, it was Maryland-bred Northern Wolf in a track record-setting time of 1:09.

The Dash moved to Laurel for its second running. The distinguished field included two champions; Safely Kept and Housebuster as well as leading sprinters Clever Trevor and Sunny Blossom. Housebuster captured the winner's share of the lucrative purse with a five length victory. He was named Eclipse Award Sprint Champion for the second year in a row.

During the next nine years while the Dash reigned as Laurel Park's signature summer event, it was captured by two additional Sprint Champions: Cherokee Run (1994) and Smoke Glacken (1997).

The race was moved to the fall by Maryland Jockey Club Chief Operating Officer Lou Raffetto in 2001 with instant success. Taking advantage of a deep sprinting field three weeks after the Breeders' Cup Sprint, the De Francis Dash attracted a strong field of seven, including four of the top Breeder's Cup finishers with visions of an Eclipse Award.

The De Francis Dash was given Graded stakes status in 1992 and became a Grade I event in 1998. On August 7, 2008 it was announced that the race would be on hiatus for 2008, the Maryland Jockey Club cited financial distress as the reason for the races' cancellation.

It became a grade I race in 1999, but was not run in 2008 and 2010. The race lost its graded status when restored in 2011, then became a Grade III event in 2016.

The De Francis Memorial Dash (G3) is the final and championship leg of the Mid Atlantic Thoroughbred Championships Sprint Dirt Division or MATCh Races. MATCh is a series of five races in five separate thoroughbred divisions run throughout four Mid-Atlantic States including; Pimlico Race Course and Laurel Park Racecourse in Maryland; Delaware Park Racetrack in Delaware; Parx, Philadelphia Park and Presque Isle Downs in Pennsylvania and Monmouth Park in New Jersey.

Records Speed record: 1:07.80 – Richter Scale (2000) {Stakes and track record}

Most wins: 2 – Lite The Fuse (1995, 1996)

Most wins by a jockey: 3 – Craig Perret (1991, 1994, 1997) 3 – Jerry Bailey (1999, 2001, 2005)

Most wins by a trainer: 2 – Richard Dutrow Sr. (1995, 1996) 2 – Ben W. Perkins Jr. (2001, 2004) 2 – D. Wayne Lukas (1999, 2014)

Most wins by an owner: 2 – Richard Dutrow Sr. (1995, 1996)

Winners De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes since 1990 Yr Winner Age Jockey Trainer Owner Dist Time Purse Gr2020 - 6 fur.0:00.00$250,000III2019 Killybegs Captain5 Eric Cancel John P. Terranova Curragh Stables 6 fur.1:08.10$250,000III2018 Switzerland4 Feargal Lynch Steve Asmussen Woodford Racing, LLC6 fur.1:09.11$250,000III2017 Chubilicious 6 Horacio Karamanos Claudio Gonzalez David Gruskos6 fur.1:08.75$250,000III2016 Ivan Fallunovalot6 Calvin Borel W. Howard Lewis Matthews 6 fur.1:10.07$250,000 III2015 Gentlemen's Bet6 Daniel Centeno Ron Moquett Harry T. Rosenblum 6 fur.1:09.34$350,0002014 Zee Bros4 José Ortiz D. Wayne Lukas Zayat Stables 6 fur.1:08.77$350,0002013 Immortal Eyes 9 TravisDunkelberger DamonDilodovico Robert Abbo Racing 6 fur.1:08.47$350,0002012 Action Andy 5 HoracioKaramanos Carlos Garcia Robert Gerczak 6 fur.1:10.61$350,0002011 Candyman E4 Joe Bravo Anthony Dutrow Kuehne Racing 6 fur.1:09.43$150,0002010 No Race- No Race No Race No Race-0:00.00no raceII2009 Vineyard Haven3 Alan Garcia Saeed bn Suroor Godolphin Racing 6 fur1:09.62$300,000I2008 No Race- No Race No Race No Race-0:00.00no raceI2007 Benny the Bull4 Edgar Prado Richard Dutrow IEAH Stables 6 fur1:09.86$250,000I2006 Thor's Echo4 Corey Nakatani Doug O'Neill Pablo Suarez/R.Jaime 6 fur1:08.71$300,000I2005 I'm The Tiger5 Jerry Bailey Robert J. Frankel Stronach Stable 6 fur1:09.06 $300,000I2004 Wildcat Heir4 Stewart Elliott Ben Perkins Cloverleaf Farms II et al. 6 fur1:09.45$300,000I2003 A Huevo7 Ramon Domínguez Michael Dickinson Mark S. Hopkins 6 fur1:08.92$300,000I2002 D'Wildcat4 Jorge Chavez Robert B. Hess Fog City Stable 6 fur1:10.80$300,000I2001 DelawareTownship5 Jerry Bailey Ben W. Perkins New Farm 6 fur1:09.00$300,000I2000 Richter Scale6 Richard Migliore Mary Jo Lohmeier N. Fox/N.R. Kaster et al. 6 fur1:07.80$300,000I1999 Yes Its True3 Jerry Bailey D. Wayne Lukas Padua Stables 6 fur1:08.60$300,000I1998 Kelly Kip4 Jean-Luc Samyn H. Allen Jerkens Hobeau Farm 6 fur1:08.40$300,000II1997 Smoke Glacken3 Craig Perret Henry L. Carroll Roberts/Karkenny/Levy 6 fur1:09.40$300,000II1996 Lite The Fuse5 Julie Krone Richard Dutrow Richard Dutrow Sr. 6 fur1:08.80$300,000II1995 Lite The Fuse4 Julie Krone Richard Dutrow Richard Dutrow Sr. 6 fur1:08.80$300,000II1994 Cherokee Run4 Craig Perret Frank A. Alexander Jill E. Robinson 6 fur1:08.80$300,000II1993 Montbrook3 Clarence J. Ladner Dean Gaudet Israel Cohen 6 fur1:08.60$300,000III1992 Superstrike3 Danny Sorenson Bruce L. Jackson David R. Kruse 6 fur1:09.80$300,000III1991 Housebuster4 Craig Perret Warren A. Croll Jr. Robert P. Levy 6 fur1:08.60$350,0001990 Northern Wolf4 Mike Luzzi Harold A. Allen Deep Silver Stable 6 fur1:09.00$350,000

See also Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes "top three finishers" and starters Laurel Park Racecourse American Champion Sprint Horse Breeders' Cup Sprint

References

Frank J. DeFrancis Memorial Dash Stakes at Pedigree Query The Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash at Laurel Park Racecourse Race Record of Northern Wolf Race Record of Housebuster Race Record of Vineyard Haven