Barbadian Runner continues regional tour in Star de Naskra

Barbadian Runner, a 3-year-old gelding trained by Henry Walters, will go for his fourth stakes victory in the $125,000 Star de Naskra Stakes at Colonial Downs on Saturday. After spending most of his early career at Laurel Park, the talented local runner has spent the last few months on a tour of the Mid-Atlantic region.

“His home base is closed, so if he wants to run, I guess we have to travel,” Walters said.

After finishing fifth on the turf in the $100,000 James W. Murphy at Pimlico in May, Walters overcame his discomfort with short turnarounds and wheeled Barbadian Runner back for the $100,000 Jersey Derby at Monmouth Park later that month. When that race was taken off the turf, the gelding took full advantage of a three-horse field to win by 7 1/4 lengths.

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After that victory at Monmouth, Walters brought Barbadian Runner back off another two-week break for the inaugural $200,000 Delaware Derby, where he outran his odds to finish second behind Brad Cox colt Admiral Dennis.

“Anywhere four to six weeks is ideal for a horse like him,” Walters said. “But when we’re pushed to circumstances making it so we have to run a little closer than that, then you just adjust his training schedule to fit that purpose.”

Finally back to a four-week schedule between races, Walters said that he has been targeting the state-restricted Star de Naskra for some time. While the 5-2 morning-line favorite will cut back slightly, many of the other contenders in the field of nine are sprinters stretching out.

Saxton, runner-up in the $125,000 Jimmy Winkfield at Aqueduct in March, regressed after that performance but has worked his way back into stakes contention in three allowance starts in Maryland for trainer Brittany Russell.

“He ran really good Preakness weekend behind a very good horse that came back to win for Brad Cox in Kentucky,” Russell said. “I think he fits in just well with this group.”

Miss Disco

After dueling to the wire in a $49,000 allowance at Laurel Park last month, 3-year-old fillies Conquerthosewecan and Grayson’s Girl will make their stakes debuts for Russell in the $125,000 Miss Disco Stakes at Colonial Downs on Saturday. The trainer believes that both runners are ready for the state-restricted test at seven furlongs.

Looking back at their most recent performances at Laurel, Conquerthosewecan may have the edge entering the Miss Disco. Coming off a layoff of more than seven months, she traveled wide while vying for the early lead and still had enough left in the stretch to hold off Grayson’s Girl, who started slow for a third straight race and came up short by a neck with a more favorable stalking trip.

“I thought she was really tough and game in her last effort,” Russell said of Conquerthosewecan. “I was a little worried. She had been working well, but I wasn’t sure if we had her 100 percent cranked up. Hopefully, she can step forward off that race.”

All but one of the remaining fillies in the field of eight will enter the Miss Disco with stakes experience. Within this group, Mila Candy, fifth-place finisher in the $150,000 Jersey Girl at Saratoga, offers the most upside in her fourth career start for trainer Ilkay Kantarmaci.

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