Jockey Jeiron Barbosa wins three races
LAUREL, MD—Maybe, just maybe, Howgreatisnate is returning to the form that propelled him to stakes victories at Delaware and Parx in 2022 and at Monmouth the following year.
His regular rider, Julio Hernandez, expected a bigger effort this afternoon than in Howgreatisnate’s previous start, a third-place finish in a high-level allowance at Delaware on July 21. Hernandez’s faith was rewarded when the gelding rallied up the inside to win Sunday’s featured ninth race at Laurel Park, a $56,000 allowance at seven furlongs.
“In the last race, we were counting on him to run better,” Hernandez said. “Right after the race, he got sick. We gave him a little time off, and he’s been working better than ever.”
Trained by Andy Simoff, Howgreatisnate was bumped from both sides leaving the gate. Hernandez let him settle into a rhythmic stride while saving ground at the back as Dr. Steve and Power Grid battled for the lead through fractions of 23.39 and 46.29 seconds.
Power Grid turned for home in front, but Hernandez kept patiently scraping the paint. The rail opened up, and Howgreatisnate powered through the opening to win by 3 ¾ lengths in 1:22.91 on the fast track.
“I knew he was going to show up today,” Hernandez said. “We weren’t rushing him to get closer to the pace. This was the horse we’ve been waiting for a year.”
Power Grid finished second, 1 ¾ lengths behind the favorite, multiple stakes-placed Zero Blitz. Derbyness, stakes-winner Worcester, Bump N Run, and stakes-placed Dr. Steve completed the order of finish.
Bred by B D Gibbs Farm in Kentucky, Howgreatisnate is by Speightster out of Bee Dees Bid (by Tapit). Purchased for $67,000 as a yearling by John Guarnere’s Imaginary Stables, Howgreatisnate won his first four starts as a 2-year-old, including the restricted $100,000 First State Dash Stakes at Delaware and the $75,000 Future Stars Stakes at Parx.
Howgreatisnate put his unbeaten streak on the line in his seasonal debut, the Grade 3 Gotham Stakes at Aqueduct, but he stumbled at the start and unseated his jockey.
Shortly after that race, he bounced between barns, moving to Elizabeth Dobles, Richard Dutrow Jr., and Fernando Abreu before returning to Simoff’s care late last summer.
Howgreatisnate won his first start back in the Simoff barn, a restricted allowance at Delaware on September 14. He hit the board in four of his next seven starts, without a victory, before today’s start.
Hernandez feels that Howgreatisnate, a versatile sort who has won at distances ranging from six furlongs to 1 Mile 70 Yards, is very effective at seven furlongs, but is better “when he gets into his own stride at farther than this [distance].”
*Jockey Jeiron Barbosa wins three races
Jockey Jeiron Barbosa rode three winners on Sunday’s card.
He gave Parkes ($23) an exquisite ride in the third race, sitting the pocket, easing out at the right time, and rallying for trainer Suzanne Stettinius. Barbosa then guided first-time starter Miss Checkers ($39.80) to an outside-closing victory in the seventh race. In the day’s final race, Barbosa took no prisoners with Life Boat ($19,60), who took them every step of the way in the first start off the Kevin Joy claim.
This is not Barbosa’s first hat trick at Laurel Park this year.
He won three races on May 30, June 21, and June 26.
Barbosa, 22, a native of San Juan, Puerto Rico, was one of three finalists for the 2022 Eclipse Award for champion apprentice jockey. That year, he captured the Laurel Park spring meet with 20 victories, tied Angel Cruz for top honors at the Laurel fall meet with 44 wins, and won the Pimlico fall meet with 12 wins.
He finished second in this year’s Laurel Park spring meet standings, three wins behind champion Yedsit Hazlewood. At the current meet, Barbosa is tied for second with 15 wins, one behind Mychel Sanchez.
*Around the track:
Live racing resumes Thursday with a special ten-race program. Gates open at 11 am ET, the first post time is 12:00 pm ET, and two “Value Pick 5” wagers feature a LOW 12% takeout. There is a $11,992 carryover into the late “Value Pick 5” (races 6-10).
The free “Laurel Park Handicapping Guide” is available on every race day. It features picks, analysis, trainer stats, trip notes, horses to watch, track bias information, and more from The Maryland Jockey Club’s handicapping team. Thursday’s guide is available Wednesday evening. Click here to view it.
Never miss a second of the action on the Laurel Park YouTube channel. Click here to watch full pan and head-on replays.
Watch “Today at the Races,” the Maryland Jockey Club’s morning handicapping show every racing day at 11 am ET on the Maryland Jockey Club’s X account. Click here to watch.