Class is 'Leader' of non-graded stakes on Preakness undercard

After a heavy rain Friday morning at Pimlico the track had some time to dry

out in advance of the Preakness Stakes, which led to a fast track and the turf

being labeled as good on Saturday. There were four non-graded stakes on the

undercard for the crowd to enjoy before the running of the second leg of the

Triple Crown.

Two races before the main event, Lane's End Racing's Class Leader came from

far off the lead to get up by a head at the wire in the $100,000

Sir

Barton Stakes for his first stakes win. The Neil Howard-trained

three-year-old colt paid $5.60 as the 9-5 favorite.

"He's a nice colt. He's kind of a big colt, still growing up, but a very nice

colt," Howard said. "I think he has a future. We couldn't be happier. He had to

work but that's the kind of horse he is. It just takes a while for him to get

his feet under him. We all agreed he was a little close in the Illinois Derby,

but the horse that won (Dynamic Impact) is a very nice horse running in the

Preakness today. We weren't quite ready for that."

Class Leader crossed the wire in 1:43 3/5 going 1 1/16 miles over the main

track with James Graham in the saddle.

"He ran a great race," Graham said. "I didn't take him, he took me. I didn't

ask him, he went. I was a good passenger. The only trouble we had was in the

first turn. We got a little squeezed and he dropped the bit, but he came back

running. (The running time of) 1:43 for a mile and a sixteenth -- that's running

there."

Lael Stables' Ageless secured his second stakes in a row in the $100,000

The

Very One Stakes, which began the non-graded stakes action earlier on the

card.

"It just worked out with a great trip," trainer Arnaud Delacour said. "I was

not quite sure how she'd handle the ground. We had a lot of rain yesterday.

Obviously, she didn't mind. She saved ground and came with a big kick at the

end. She likes this distance, but I think she's good anywhere from 5 to 6 1/2

(furlongs)."

The five-year-old mare slipped through along the rail in midstretch to

prevail by three parts of a length with Luis Garcia in the irons as the 2-1

favorite.

"It was good to save ground, but it wasn't my idea to sit on the rail,"

Garcia said. "It's just how the race developed. I wasn't sure the rail would

open. I was behind the 6 (Quality Lass). Finally she left the rail a little bit

and my filly slipped through. I loved it. We went for it the last eighth of

mile."

Ageless stopped the teletimer in :58 4/5 for the five-furlong sprint over the

turf.

Stonestreet Stables and George Bolton's Meadowood captured his stakes debut

one race later in the $100,000

Chick

Lang Stakes for three-year-olds to remain undefeated from three starts.

The son of Harlan's Holiday wore down 7-5 favorite Brewing in the stretch and

pulled away for a three-length victory with Javier Castellano aboard.

"I had beautiful trip," Castellano stated. "I really liked the way he did it

today. It was really professional how he did it. He got in behind and at the top

of the stretch he took off. He's going to be a good horse in the future.

"The only speed horse was the 9 (Brewing). I didn't want to hook him and that

was the horse to beat. I just wanted to track him and get him at the right time

and the right place."

Meadowood covered six furlongs over the fast main track in 1:10 and paid

$12.10 as the 5-1 fourth choice.

"It worked out perfect with him sitting second just off the lead," trainer

Derek Ryan said. "This is a classy horse and he's the kind that doesn't need to

have the lead. I got him in the middle of January. We had entered in a stake in

New York and scratched out of that and this race came up and looked like a good

spot."

Castellano posted back-to-back stakes scores when Tim E. O'Donohue Racing's

Wallyanna stalked the pace before wresting away command in midstretch and

galloping off to victory the $100,000

James W. Murphy Stakes following the Chick Lang. 

The Mike Pino charge ran a mile over the turf in 1:39. The 5-2 second choice

returned $7.80 to his backers for the score

"Our goal today was to take him back a little bit, then kick it to the

finish," Castellano stated. "I was able to take him back and rate behind the

leaders. He sat beautiful on the backside. Turning for home, the front runner

drifted a little bit and I had to check. We steadied and then he showed good

acceleration when I asked him for run. It was very impressive the way he did it

today."

The dark bay son of Langfuhr finished 4 3/4 lengths ahead of leader Open the

Bank, with 2-1 favorite Special Envoy finishing fifth.

"He didn't break great but it was probably perfect for him," Pino said. "He

was super sharp and the break kept him off the lead. I claimed him and when we

first got him he had a presence and acted like a good horse. I couldn't have

asked for this race to go better. He's a young horse and is still learning."