Barboza's longer-priced entrant pays $59.60 in Carry Back Stakes

As expected, trainer Victor Barboza Jr. wound up in the winner’s circle for the $75,000 Carry Back Stakes at Gulfstream Park on Friday. The colt beside him could not have been a bigger surprise, however.

When Barboza’s front-running 1-5 favorite, Here Comes Francis, hit a wall in the stretch after setting blazing early fractions, his stablemate happened to be just behind to inherit the lead. Mati Gol, the longest shot in the five-horse field, easily powered past on the sealed sloppy track and never looked back at 28-1 odds, paying $59.60 to win.

The upset winner of the Carry Back made his stakes debut on the turf in May, finishing third in the $75,000 Roar. His previous four starts on dirt were in statebred company and he had not won since December. Here Comes Francis, on the other hand, had never trailed in two prior starts and earned a 97 Beyer Speed Figure for his maiden victory in March.

But when Barboza’s heavy favorite, a stakes winner coming off a two-month layoff, completed the opening quarter-mile in 21.80 and half-mile in 43.99, his longshot suddenly seemed like a potent threat. Mati Gol and jockey Jose Morelos moved from fourth to second on the far turn to get within striking range, and Here Comes Francis and jockey Emisael Jaramillo had nothing left when they pulled alongside in the stretch.

:: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now.

Mati Gol won by 3 1/2 lengths and finished the sloppy seven-furlong sprint in 1:23.65. Insurmountable, a last-out maiden winner trained by Antonio Sano, was a clear-cut runner-up at 24-1. The $1 exacta paid $124.60. Forged Steel, a consistent stakes contender on turf for Saffie Joseph Jr., also switched back to dirt on Friday and got up for third, 3 1/4 lengths behind Insurmountable.

Despite leading by as many as four lengths on the backstretch, Here Comes Francis faded to fourth, falling behind runners for the first time in his three-race career.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.