Barbadian Runner shows his toughness in Maryland Million Classic
:quality(75))
Barbadian Runner went from upset winner to dominant favorite to win his second straight $150,000 Maryland Million Classic on Saturday at Laurel Park.
His role between years might have changed, but the gelding is as tough now as he ever was.
“I think he's the hardest-trying horse I've ever sat on,” jockey Forest Boyce said. “Early on, everybody wanted to underestimate him, but we always felt confident in him. He'd always give you a little bit more each time.”
When Barbadian Runner stunned Post Time, a two-time graded stakes winner and runner-up in the 2024 Breeders’ Cup Dirt Mile, in last year’s Maryland Million Classic, he was already well on his way to becoming a star in the Mid-Atlantic. Bettors did not necessarily doubt the then-3-year-old in his first start against older rivals, but his competition simply seemed too strong. Exceeding those expectations launched him to new heights.
After proving every bit the Maryland-bred so many hoped he would be at 4, winning 3 of 6 starts and battling with national contenders to finish fifth in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic in August, the Henry Walters-trained gelding entered another Maryland Million Day card in a vastly more imposing light. He’s the juggernaut now.
“Last year, he was the rising 3-year-old,” Walters said. “This year, as an older horse, he was the horse everybody thought was to beat.”
In the Classic’s field of eight, anyone who might have contended with the 1-5 favorite would have had to significantly improve to do so. All but one of his seven rivals were coming out of allowance or claiming company. Barbadian Runner prepared for the state-restricted stakes by winning the $200,000 Battery Park at Delaware Park on Oct. 3, his second stakes win of the year.
Pinned down on the rail for much of the race, Boyce, who won two stakes on the Maryland Million Day card, said she expected several rivals to try and box her in. She didn’t mind, stalking in third and biding her time until it was time to move. Goodbye Note, a 21-1 longshot, completed the opening quarter-mile in 23.52 seconds and half-mile in 47.76 before fading to last.
Sacred Thunder, one of Barbadian Runner’s rivals early in his career, made a swinging move into second in what was likely the strongest effort of his career for trainer Gary Capuano. It proved hopelessly inadequate, as Barbadian Runner tipped out at the top of the stretch and made the result a foregone conclusion.
“Outside of him, the field was fairly evenly matched and they could trap us in there,” Boyce said. “Luckily, we were able to navigate that and it was no big deal.”
With the natural ease of a million-dollar earner, the heavy favorite easily pulled away from the wanting field behind him. He won by 4 3/4 lengths, completing the 1 1/8-mile distance in 1:49.84 and paying $2.40 to win.
Sacred Thunder finished just as clear for second at 27-1, finishing 4 3/4 lengths ahead of Market Maven, a last-out claiming winner trained by Jamie Ness.
The storybook continues for Walters, who has now won nine stakes with Barbadian Runner since January 2025. In his first four decades as a trainer, he won one, when Basketball Court won the $40,000 Horatius at Laurel in March 2004.
“We’ve had a good ride,” Walters said. “Thankfully, he’s a gelding, and we can do this again and again.”
Walters said he had not ruled out a few more stakes starts at Laurel this year. In 2025, the gelding completed his campaign by running in the $100,000 Richard W. Small and $100,000 Robert T. Manfuso, losing the latter race in a high-profile rematch with Post Time.
But of all the races on Barbadian Runner’s schedule in 2026, Walters claims that the Charles Town Classic and Maryland Million Classic were the only clear targets, and those will remain his goal races as a 5-year-old. The story of his rise has been told and the sunset will come in time, but for now, he is a powerhouse firmly and undeniably in his prime.
:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.