Barkley gets up in time to win Seattle Slew

In another thriller, Barkley edged Mach One Rules by a head in the $50,000 Seattle Slew Stakes at Emerald Downs on Sunday. Undefeated in six starts, Barkley paid $3.20.

It was the third straight stakes in which Barkley got up to beat his rival by a narrow margin. He won the Coca-Cola by a neck and the Auburn by a head. In all three races, it looked like Mach One Rules was the winner, but each time Barkley rallied to get up in the last jump.

With Javier Matias aboard, Barkley broke sharply in the 1 1/16-mile race for 3-year-olds and dueled with William Crotty through a slow first quarter in 24.68 seconds. Mach One Rules took over the lead after a half-mile and opened a clear lead approaching the quarter pole. He was still two lengths clear of Barkley at the eighth pole but couldn’t hold off the winner, who had started his rally when Matias moved him off the rail at the top of the stretch. Super Hawk rallied to finish a distant third.

“He always knows where the wire is,” said Matias. “At the eighth-pole, I thought we were going to lose, and then he comes right back.”

Trainer Howard Belvoir had similar thoughts.

“I keep saying I think he’s beat, but then he gets outside and switches to his right lead, and he wins the race.”

The final time was 1:43.26.

The win brought Barkley’s career earnings to $132,275. He is owned by Belvoir and Rising Star Stable III.