The gelding Barbadian Runner and the filly Onyx Ten each broke six-race losing streaks winning $100,000 3-year-old sprint stakes Saturday at Laurel Park.
Barbadian Runner, a second-out maiden winner in July, had raced with mild competitiveness in three previous stakes tries, but on Saturday won a long stretch battle with Crab Daddy to capture the Spectacular Bid by a head.
The top two benefited from tough luck that befell principal rivals. Sacred Thunder, who’d soundly beaten Barbadian Runner, wound up third by a half-length after encountering traffic in upper stretch. Things went even worse for 3-5 favorite Tony Eclipse, who was tracking pacesetting Scheduling Dude while racing along the rail when the leader stopped badly at the three-furlong marker around the far turn. Tony Eclipse’s rider, caught unaware, pulled sharply on the reins to keep from rear-ending the horse in front of him, his mount losing all momentum and the better part of 10 lengths before mounting a wide rally that fizzled before the eighth pole.
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While Tony Eclipse was fading to sixth, Barbadian Runner, Forest Boyce up, collared Crab Daddy, who’d taken the lead when Scheduling Dude stopped, and briefly appeared to be going clear. Barbadian Runner, too, began losing steam, Crab Daddy pushing back to miss by a narrow margin.
Barbadian Runner ran seven furlongs over a fast track in 1:25.58 and paid $16 to win.
Scheduling Dude was pulled up but walked off the course.
Bardadian Runner is a Maryland-bred by Barbados out of Quiet Run, by Northern Afleet, and is trained by Henry Walters for AJ Will Win Stable.
Onyx Ten wound up favored at 2-1 in the Xtra Heat for sophomore fillies, prevailing by 1 3/4 lengths under J.G. Torrealba. Stalking a moderate pace set by Not Too Late, Onyx Ten found stride at the three-sixteenths pole, rallying inside the leader for what wound up a fairly comfortable victory. Shkara Fire closed mildly for second, a half length in front of Not Too Late.
Trained by Gary Capuano for her breeder, Frank Sample, Onyx Ten is another Maryland-bred who, like Barbadian Runner, scored a second-start maiden win over the summer before meeting with six defeats, several of those solid showings. She clocked 1:12.54 for six furlongs and paid $6.20, and Onyx Ten is a daughter of Street Magician and the Hard Rock Ten mare Chattolanee.
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