General George Stakes
The General George Stakes is an American Thoroughbred horse race run annually on Presidents' Day in mid February at Laurel Park Racecourse in Laurel, Maryland. A Grade III event, it is open to horses age three and older. Raced on dirt over a distance of seven furlongs, it currently offers a purse of $250,000. Originally run as a handicap, the race is currently run under allowance weight conditions.
| Grade III race | |
| Location | Laurel Park Racecourse, Laurel, Maryland, United States |
|---|---|
| Inaugurated | 1973 |
| Race type | Thoroughbred – Flat racing |
| Website | www |
| Race information | |
| Distance | 7 furlongs |
| Surface | Dirt |
| Track | left-handed |
| Qualification | Four-years-old & up |
| Weight | 124 lbs. with allowances |
| Purse | US$250,000 (since 2013) |
The race is named for General George Washington (1731–1799), first president of The United States and Commanding General of the American Revolutionary Army. The General typically draws the third highest crowd of the year at Laurel Park Race Course, trailing only the Maryland Million and the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash Stakes in average attendance.
The race was held at Bowie Race Course from 1973–84 and at Pimlico Race Course in 1986. It was not held in 1979, 1982–83 or 2006. In 2006, the General George Handicap was not run due to concerns over an outbreak of the equine herpesvirus that shut down all racing in Maryland for several weeks.