Onyx Ten rallies up the rail in Xtra Heat

LAUREL, MD – At first, trainer Henry Walters was unsure what to expect from Barbadian Runner, a $5,000 yearling purchased at Timonium.

“He never showed he could be a stake-winner,” Walters said. "But he always was a decent sort. We never had high expectations from the beginning, but he’s been a nice surprise.”

At Laurel Park on Saturday, Barbadian Runner earned his first stakes victory over a game Crab Daddy in the $100,000 Spectacular Bid Stakes for 3-year-olds at seven furlongs.

Owned by AJ Will Win Stables, Barbadian Runner tracked the pace while four wide and in between horses under jockey Forest Boyce as Aqueduct shipper Scheduling Dude cleared to the lead and the rail through an opening quarter in 22.87 seconds.

Scheduling Dude stopped badly entering the turn – jockey Mychel Sanchez believed the horse may have bled – and that allowed Crab Daddy to inherit the lead while flanked from both sides by Hawkstone and a three-wide Right Wing Runner.

Meanwhile, odds-on favorite Tony Eclipse, who raced directly behind Scheduling Dude when that horse stalled, was shuffled out the back door and lost many lengths.

Boyce followed Right Wing Runner’s cover, eased Barbadian Runner into the clear in the upper stretch, and they ran to the lead. Despite lugging in just a tad, Barbadian Runner had enough in the tank to keep a resurgent Crab Daddy at bay.

Another unlucky runner, Sacred Thunder, finished a half-length back in third after a traffic-filled journey. Right Wing Runner, Hawkstone, Tony Eclipse, and Dats Mr. Tap completed the order of finish. Scheduling Dude was eased and walked off the track. Brereton's Baytown withdrew.

Barbadian Runner finished up in 1:25.85 and returned $14 as the third choice in the betting.

“I had a perfect trip,” Boyce said. “He's as game as they come. The last couple of times, he lugged in real bad. Today, a little bit, but not as much as before. He ran a little straighter today. I think that really made a big difference.

Walters, a veteran trainer on the Maryland circuit, notched his first stakes win since Basketball Court prevailed in the 2004 Horatius Stakes, also at Laurel.

He believes that some key equipment changes made prior to his most recent start, a third-place finish in Laurel’s Heft Stakes on Dec. 28, helped Barbadian Runner achieve his full potential.

“The first time he lugged in [when third in a first-level allowance on turf on Oct. 25], we took it as something that just happened. After he did it the second time [third in the Maryland Juvenile on Dec. 7), we put the blinkers on and changed the bit, and it’s all worked well.”

Barbadian Runner was bred in Maryland by Shamrock Farm and is by Barbados. His dam, the Northern Afleet mare Quiet Run, is a half-sister to Grade 3 winner It Happened Again, stakes-winner Lucky Sam and Grade 3-placed Murch.

Although Barbadian Runner has some stamina in his female family, Walters isn’t sure whether he wants to stretch his colt out in distance just yet.

“I think he’s a sprinter," Walters said. "His dad was a sprinter. On the turf, I’d love to run him longer, but maybe on the dirt, I’ll keep him seven-eighths or shorter.”

*Xtra Heat Stakes

A turnback in distance coupled with a beautiful pace-tracking, ground-saving ride by J. G. Torrealba propelled Onyx Ten to the winner’s circle in the $100,000 Xtra Heat Stakes for 3-year-old fillies at six furlongs.

Trained by Gary Capuano, Onyx Ten settled in the prime pocket position as Not Too Late set fractions of 23.71 and 46.99 seconds while prompted from the outside by Wisconsin Gal.

Not Too Late drifted off the inside turning into the stretch, and Onyx Ten moved through an inviting opening along the fence to make the lead. She surged past Not Too Late and held off Shkhara Fire’s late burst to prevail by a length in 1:12.54.

Shkhara Fire finished a length ahead of Not Too Late. Then came Wisconsin Gal, My Charm, and Luminous Secret. Atlantis Queen and Chickin Lickin scratched.

Not Too Late returned $6.20 as the betting favorite.

Onyx Ten was cutting back in trip after finishing second as the odds-on chalk in a two-turn allowance race on Dec. 27. In that race, she was rank in the opening furlongs, made an early bid to the lead, and understandably faltered late.

“She’s a little nervous filly,” said assistant trainer Tori Capuano. “I think that was the reasoning [why she was pulling in the allowance]. She just needed to settle down. She finished great [today]. She didn’t stop. She just kept going and galloped out good. She’s a nice horse. I really like her.”

Foaled in Maryland, Onyx Ten is a homebred owned by Frank Sample, and is by Street Magician.

A 12 ½ length maiden winner in her second start, a waiver maiden at Delaware on Aug. 2, Onyx Ten finished second in her stakes debut 12 days later, the restricted Blue Hen Stakes. She placed third in her penultimate start last year when beaten 3 ¼ lengths by divisional leader Caprice in the Maryland Juvenile Filly.

Onyx Ten has won two of nine starts for lifetime earnings of $131,065. Gary Capuano mentioned that he would like to stretch Onyx Ten back out in distance eventually.