Dancer's Bajan captures Sir Barton

Dancer's Bajan ($7.40) wore down Archers Alyancer and Sand Cove in the final strides to take the $125,800 Sir Barton Stakes Wednesday night at Woodbine. The win was the 1,500th of trainer Bob Tiller's career.

Sand Cove, the even-money favorite, set moderate fractions on an uncontested lead in the 1 1/16-mile event for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds and upward.

Dancer's Bajan stalked three wide throughout and took dead aim at Sand Cove and Archer's Alyancer at the eighth pole before inching by to score by a half-length in a time of 1:43.60.

Archers Alyancer came from fifth to nose out Sand Cove for second in the seven-horse field. Severi was scratched.

Patrick Husbands rode Dancer's Bajan.

"I had a beautiful trip," said Husbands, who has won the Sir Barton four times. "He didn't stop trying. He gave me 110 percent."

Dancer's Bajan, a 4-year-old gelding, banked $75,000 in his third stakes win of the year for 3 Sons Racing Stable and boosted his career earnings to $786,902.

His other stakes scores this year came in the 1 1/16-mile Steady Growth and the 6 1/2-furlong Shepperton.

"He's a come-from-behind sprinter, and he'll go long," said Tiller. "He's versatile - that's what makes him so dangerous."

Dancer's Bajan had disappointed in his last two races, finishing last of five in the seven-furlong Overskate on Sept. 20 and fourth of five in the seven-furlong Mt. Sassafras on Oct. 8.

"I wasn't pleased with his last couple of races. I almost sent him home after his last race," said Tiller. "There was no pace, and he wound up fighting for the lead. He likes to have something to run at."