LAUREL, MD. 09-06-14---Heavy favorite Bern Identity fought hard to the wire to capture the $100,000 Dave’s Friend Stakes, the third of four stakes races at Laurel Park Saturday afternoon.

Sent to post as the 3-5 betting choice, Bern Identity pushed by frontrunner King Henry and held off late mover Trickmeister to prevail by a length in 1:08.99 for the 6-furlong distance.

“My horse is a good horse,” Lopez said. “The game plan was to get to the front and improve my position. I knew I was going to have some company down the backside so I tried not to panic. I was keeping him next to me without using my horse too much. He went about his business and dug in the last part to hang on.”

The Kelly Breen trainee has now won three stakes races at three different tracks in the last 35 days after a 553-day layoff. The Indian Charlie colt took My Frenchman at Monmouth Park (Aug. 2) and Tale of the Cat Stakes at Saratoga (Aug. 22) before this victory. Bern Identity won three races as a 2-year-old in 2012, including the Hopeful (G2) and was on the Triple Crown trail before being injured breaking out of the gate in the Holy Bull Stakes (G3) in his 3-year-old debut.

“This is a little bit of validation” Breen said. “We were thinking about the Breeders’ Cup. He needed a fast time so this is a big stepping stone for him. I can’t believe we got him back to this level. He has his problems. He came back from injury after 20 months off. This horse has a lot of heart.”

The winner paid $3.40. He improves his record to six wins in 10 races with earnings of $782,200.

About Laurel Park
 Laurel Park is a Stronach Group company, North America’s leading Thoroughbred racetrack owner/operator. The Stronach Group racetracks include Santa Anita Park, Gulfstream Park & Casino, Golden Gate Fields, Portland Meadows, Laurel Park and Pimlico Race Course, home of the world-famous Preakness. The company owns and operates the Palm Meadows Training Center in Florida and is one of North America's top race horse breeders through its award-winning Adena Springs operation. The Stronach Group is one of the world's largest suppliers of pari-mutuel wagering systems, technologies and services. Its companies include AmTote, a global leader in wagering technology; Xpressbet, an Internet and telephone account wagering service; and Monarch Content Management, which acts as a simulcast purchase and sales agent of horseracing content for numerous North American racetracks and wagering outlets. The Stronach Group is also a major producer of televised horse racing programming through its HRTV cable and satellite network and is North America's premier supplier of virtual online horse racing games, as well as a leading producer of social media content for the horseracing industry.