A return to Laurel Park on Saturday could place Fort Washington alongside one of the oldest names in American turf racing history, with the veteran gelding bidding to become only the second horse in 125 years to win the Dinner Party Stakes in consecutive seasons.
Focus Keyword: Fort Washington Dinner Party Stakes
The seven-year-old, trained by Hall of Fame conditioner Shug McGaughey, captured the Grade 3 contest by a length last year and now returns seeking another major success for Magic Cap Stables in the $250,000 feature over 1 1/8 miles on turf at Laurel Park.
Fort Washington enjoyed the finest campaign of his career in 2024. The son of War Front followed his Dinner Party triumph with victory in the prestigious Arlington Million at Colonial Downs three months later, adding another top-level success to a steadily growing résumé.
Another win on Saturday would see Fort Washington match Hall of Fame gelding Sarazan, who won the race back-to-back in 1925 and 1926. Across a durable 31-race career, Fort Washington has recorded eight victories and earned more than $1.4 million while developing into one of the most reliable turf closers in the older horse division.
“He’s a very nice horse,” McGaughey said. “He’s won some races and he won one big race and hopefully we’ll be on the road to some others.”
Originally campaigned by breeders Joseph Allen and Peter Brant, Fort Washington later came fully under the ownership of Joe Anzalone’s Magic Cap Stables shortly before his upset success in the Monmouth Stakes in 2024.
McGaughey adjusted the horse’s programme last autumn after a below-par effort at Kentucky Downs, giving the gelding an extended break before returning with the Pegasus World Cup Turf Invitational and Canadian Turf at Gulfstream Park earlier this year. Fort Washington finished sixth in the Pegasus after encountering a difficult outside draw and later ran fourth in the Canadian Turf.
“He ran down at Kentucky Downs and he didn’t run very well, so I just decided to pull the plug on him and gave him some time,” McGaughey explained. “I ended up giving him more time than I originally thought, but he was just turned out and playing.
“Then we brought him back with the Pegasus in mind. He ran a good race in the Pegasus. He just had an outside post that hurt him. He wasn’t beat far.”
Fort Washington has drawn Post 4 for this year’s Dinner Party Stakes, with Junior Alvarado retaining the ride after partnering the gelding in each of his last eight starts.
McGaughey believes the horse is approaching another major effort.
“The way he’s been training, the way he’s doing, he had a really good work up here at Belmont Park, I’d be disappointed if he didn’t run good,” he said.
The Fort Washington Dinner Party Stakes challenge also features several progressive rivals.
Hall of Fame trainer Todd Pletcher sends out Dresden Road for his first graded stakes appearance in the United States. The five-year-old previously built a strong record in Canada, collecting three graded victories at Woodbine Racetrack before transferring barns late last year. He returned with an allowance victory at Keeneland in April.
“He had a very successful career up in Canada and we were fortunate enough to pick him up after he was sold in the digital sale,” Pletcher said. “He has been a very straightforward horse and likes to train.”
Cruise the Nile arrives in strong form for trainer Graham Motion after winning four consecutive races, including the Henry Clark Stakes at Laurel Park last month. The improving gelding has developed into one of the more consistent turf runners on the local circuit.
What Say Three also enters with momentum after two wins and two placed efforts from his last four starts for trainer Horacio De Paz. The gelding has now won nine races from 29 career outings and continues to thrive since changing hands earlier this season.
A Bourbon for Toby seeks another step forward after finally breaking through late last year before adding an allowance success at Keeneland this spring. He returns on relatively short rest after a recent placed effort at Aqueduct.
Elsewhere in the field, Thundering has produced four straight in-the-money finishes since joining trainer Derek Ryan, while the experienced Harrow, trained by Saffie Joseph Jr., brings proven international form after winning the 2025 Barbados Gold Cup.
The Dinner Party Stakes remains one of the standout turf features on the Mid-Atlantic calendar, and Fort Washington now has the opportunity to secure a rare place in its long history.
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