Fort Washington doubles up in G3 Dinner Party
G1 winner wins 2nd straight Dinner Party
Nick Hahn
May 16, 2026
There was plenty different about this year’s $250,000 Dinner Party Stakes (G3) and last year’s edition: venue, turf condition, competitors and pace.
But, despite the venue change from Pimlico to Laurel and the condition change from good turf to firm, the ultimate result didn’t change as Fort Washington became the race’s first repeat winner in precisely 100 years.
Sarazen – 1925 and 1926 winner – say hello to Fort Washington.
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In today’s Dinner Party, jockey Junior Alvarado had Fort Washington close to a moderate early quarters of 24.53 seconds and 49.19 for the quarter-mile and the half in the mile and an eighth test on the turf. Up front, 10-1 outsider Harrow, with Tyler Gaffalione aboard, was controlling the tempo.
Heavily favored Cruise the Nile (2-5), with Jorge Ruiz aboard, pressed the early pace and took the lead rounding the second turn. But Fort Washington went to the attack and put a head in front out of that turn.
A bit slow to switch leads, Fort Washington finally did so in mid-stretch and inched away. He proved relentless in his drive to the wire to win by three-quarters of the length as A Bourbon for Toby raced up for second. The final time of the Dinner Party was 1:47.15.
“I had a good trip,” said Alvarado. “Slow pace, he put himself in a good spot. When we turned for home, he finished up the job very good. I didn’t have to do anything, really. He broke out of there and he put himself in that position. I knew we were traveling in a slow pace, and I was fine with where I was. I didn’t have to be too far back. I thought he was much the best today.”
Last year at Pimlico on turf listed as good, Alvarado used another wide trip to to overcome a slow pace in a ten-horse field.
Fort Washington, owned by Joe Anzalone’s Magic Cap Stables, paid $7.80 to win as the second choice in the field of five, depleted by the scratches of morning line favorite Dresden Row and Thundering. The exacta returned $23.00 one a one-dollar ticket.
“Sure was nice to see him get back in the winter circle,” praised Reeve McGaughey, who saddled Fort Washington for his father, trainer Shug McGaughey. “He ran very well in the Pegasus from the outside post. His last race [when fourth in the Grade 3 Canadian Turf] wasn’t exactly what we wanted, but we thought we had a few excuses there, and he trained well coming into this. He backed it up.”
Junior Alvarado kept Fort Washington wide in a five-horse field, a tactic that often is unproductive. As Reeve watched from the winner’s circle, he liked what he saw.
“He’s better off in the clear,” assessed Reeve. “He likes kind of a long, sustained run, so not really a horse you would want to get stopped anyway. We wanted to keep our eyes on Graham’s horse [Cruise the Nile] and he ran well. Everything worked out the way we wanted.”
Fort Washington now has eight wins and career earnings of $1,560,291 from 32 starts. Bred in Kentucky by Joseph Allen LLC and White Birch Farm, Inc., Fort Washington is a son of War Front out of Azaelia (FR), by Turtle Bowl (IRE).
Another repeat win could lie in Fort Washington’s future in the Arlington Million run at Colonial Downs. Last year’s victory in that event was the only Grade 1 win of the seven-year-old’s career. This year’s renewal is scheduled for Aug. 1.
“I’m sure that’ll be the far-off goal, and we’ll probably figure something out in between then,” added Reeve McGaughey.
The name of the Dinner Party Stakes is derived from a gathering in Saratoga Springs. The first winner of the Dinner Party is a horse you may have heard of: Preakness.
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