LRL: Point Dume dominates in General George
Connex emotional after signature win
Frank Vespe
February 14, 2026
Point Dume left no doubt in Saturday’s $200,000 General George at Laurel Park, kicking away smartly in the lane to win by nearly four lengths.
It may be the best story in Mid-Atlantic racing, and now it’s getting even better.
The gelded son of Into Mischief – once a $450,000 yearling – has come into his own since being claimed for $40,000 by trainer Tim Kreiser and owners Bryan and David Bushey, winning two stakes and a $100,000 overnight handicap. And, for the Busheys, who race as Bush Racing Stable, his arrival is not a moment too soon.
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Bryan Bushey, diagnosed with pancreatic cancer two years ago, wasn’t supposed to see 2025. Now, he said, he’s hoping “for a couple more years.”
“You know what’s keeping him going?” asked David Bushey. “This horse is keeping him going.”
“Oh, yeah,” agreed Bryan. “I went to see him yesterday. That’s the thing: he doesn’t want to quit. I’m not quitting either.”
Point Dume showed that resilience Jan. 17 in a Laurel overnight handicap. Leading much of the way, he appeared to be swallowed up by rivals in upper stretch. But he dug in and re-rallied to win by a half-length under jockey Angel Cruz.
There was no such drama today.
“Going into this race, Tim [Kreiser] said to me, ‘I cannot have this horse any better.’” David Bushey said. “’If he doesn’t win the race, I can’t second-guess anything that I did because the horse is so razor-sharp.’”
He announced his sharpness with a brisk three-furlong move in 34 2/5 seconds Feb. 9. “And he was dragging the hotwalker around the barn,” David Bushey exclaimed.
Point Dume went off the 5-1 third choice in a field of seven, and he and jockey Angel Cruz went to the attack early, pushing to the lead as the field left the chute in the seven-furlong contest. Point Dume had a length lead after an opener in 23.25 seconds.
What we didn’t know then: it would never get closer.
Point Dume went the half-mile in 46.18 seconds, and while logical players Quint’s Brew, the 3-5 favorite, and Slam Notion (3-1), stacked up behind, none was making significant inroads.
Point Dume turned for home with a clear advantage, and by then, the only threat appeared to be the inside-rallying Blue Kingdom. But the threat was short-lived: Point Dume kicked away to win by 3 ¾ lengths, stopping the timer in 1:23.14 on a fast main track.
Blue Kingdom finished second, 1 ½ lengths ahead of show horse Quint’s Brew, who finished clear of Slam Notion.
Point Dume paid $12.20 to win and topped an exacta that returned $46.60 for a one-dollar wager.
Though he cost a king’s ransom as a yearling, Point Dume showed little early in his racing career, and by his fourth race, he was dropped into $30,000 maiden claiming company and was claimed. Nine races later, he was claimed again for the same amount, and nine races after that, the Busheys grabbed him for $40,000.
Three races later he won a Delaware Park starter allowance at odds of 11-1 – they had hesitated even entering – and then scored in the M. P. Ballezzi Appreciation Mile at Parx.
All of which ultimately led to today. After the January Laurel win going 6 ½ furlongs, the General George was a clear next step. After a score like this, it may be time to revisit the playbook.
By race’s end, by the end of a long, emotional day, Bryan Bushey, who’s back undergoing chemotherapy in his cancer fight, said his energy was flagging a bit. But his spirit certainly was not.
“We thought we had it really good with Kaylasaurus, and no doubt that was absolutely amazing,” David Bushey said of an earlier Bush Racing Stable claim that won a couple of stakes for the new connections. “But this clearly takes the cake; it’s not even close. I mean, one, to win a race for $200,000, but secondly, to be here with my dad. We say family’s first, and that’s true. It’s a family affair.”
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