Banishing, a gelding trained by David Jacobson, continued his scorching 2025 campaign with a powerful victory in the Grade 2, $1 million Charles Town Classic on Friday. After a breathtaking early move on the backstretch, jockey Tyler Gaffalione had little to do but nurse him to the wire on the way to a commanding 2 1/4-length victory.  Before the start of his 5-year-old season, Banishing had never run in a stakes race, but after moving forward in Jacobson’s barn at the end of last year, he has now run in nine straight and won four. In early May, he maintained his elite form from Oaklawn Park with a runner-up finish behind Mindframe in the Grade 1 Churchill Downs. In July, he cut back to 6 1/2 furlongs and took down star sprinter Booth by a nose.  The locale hasn’t mattered all year, nor has the distance or field quality. In the span of a few months, Banishing has become one of the strongest and most versatile older dirt horses in the country, and that improvement was on full display at Charles Town on Friday.  :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. The three-turn, 1 1/8-mile Charles Town Classic got off to an eventful start when all but one runner in the field of eight broke with a chance to take the early lead. Gaffalione had to regroup when Banishing was squeezed out of contention on the rail while several rivals continued charging forward.   “He got shuffled back and that wasn’t plan A,” Jacobson said. “That was probably plan C. But it worked out. He was much the best today and he overcame the track, which Tyler said. He had a hard time going around these turns.”  By the time the field entered the stretch for the first time, 2-1 favorite Skippylongstocking had taken a hard-fought lead over Komorebino Omoide through an opening quarter-mile in 23.77 seconds. The early leader was trying to become the first horse to win the Charles Town Classic three times, but he started to tire after a half-mile in 47.97 and faded to last on the far turn.   Komorebino Omoide took over when Skippylongstocking retreated, but his time in front was short-lived. As the field approached the far turn, sparring back and forth to get into striking position, Gaffalione angled Banishing to the five path and moved from sixth to first with a devastating turn of foot.  The surging gelding was not done when he picked off Komorebino Omoide early on the far turn. He and Gaffalione kicked away to a 1 1/2-length lead entering the stretch and extended to lead by even more when the stalkers faded. Willy D’s made a late charge after starting fifth, but he never came close to catching the winner. Banishing completed the distance in 1:53.26 and paid $7.40 to win.  Willy D’s, a 4-year-old gelding trained by Mike Maker, was coming off his first stakes victory at Horseshoe Indianapolis last month and finished three lengths clear for second in his graded-stakes debut. Gould’s Gold, the only runner who didn’t break forwardly, closed from last to finish third for trainer Kenny McPeek.  Jacobson has boldly handled Banishing all year, and after his Charles Town Classic triumph, the gelding may embark on one of his most ambitious trips yet. After the race, Jacobson said that he plans on shipping him to Saratoga with the intention of entering him in the Grade 1 Jockey Club Gold Cup on Aug. 31. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.