Abiding Star stretches win streak to four

Abiding Star, a 3-year-old son of top sire Uncle Mo, won his fourth consecutive start Wednesday when he defeated older rivals in a third-level optional-claiming race at Parx.

Abiding Star will now be pointed to the $100,000 Parx Derby on May 7, according to Ned Allard, who trains the colt for Gil Campbell.

Abiding Star was the 3-1 third choice Tuesday, as the older runners Nasa and He’s So Fine were bet down to even-money and 7-5. Abiding Star went right to the front in the mile-and-70-yard race and then pulled away from Nasa to win by 8 3/4 lengths over a sloppy track.

Abiding Star earned a career-best Beyer Speed Figure of 83 on Tuesday. His Beyers have now risen in four straight races.

Abiding Star was sent to Allard last fall as a maiden who had raced four times. After two more starts against straight maiden company, Abiding Star was dropped into a $40,000 maiden-claiming race, which he won by two lengths. He has since won a first-level allowance at Parx, the $80,000 Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park, and Tuesday’s race, which offered a purse of $56,700.

Abiding Star’s victory prompted Campbell and Allard to supplement him to the Triple Crown for $6,000, with the intention of running in last weekend’s Federico Tesio Stakes at Laurel, a Win and You’re In race for the Preakness, but those plans had to be abandoned after the Parx backstretch was put under an equine herpesvirus quarantine that prohibits horses from leaving the grounds.