Eons barely gets nose down to repeat in Prince County George's
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For the second straight year, Eons was successful in Laurel Park’s $100,000 Prince George’s County Stakes for 3-year-olds and upward at 1 1/8 miles on turf.
In 2022, Eons finished second, beaten a nose, in the Prince George’s County, but was placed first by the stewards after they deemed that Eons was interfered with during the stretch run.
Eons was involved in another photo finish on Saturday. Only this time, he got his nose down at just the right moment to deny Pao Alto in 1:47.75 seconds over the “good” turf course.
The Prince George’s County shared top billing on the nine-race program with two other $100,000 stakes, the Big Dreyfus for fillies and mares at 1 1/8 miles on turf, and the Caesar’s Wish for fillies and mares traveling one mile.
A 7-year-old horse by Giant’s Causeway, Eons raced three wide on the first turn as odds-on favorite Royal Patronage stepped the first quarter in 23.97 seconds.
Jockey Victor Carrasco sensed that Royal Patronage was going to back down the pace, so he urged Eons forward to press from the three-path, outside of both Royal Patronage and Beacon Hill, through a half-mile in 48.21 and six furlongs in 1:11.29.
Despite the wide trip, Eons was still punching on turning into the stretch, and he passed a tired Beacon Hill and a disappointing Royal Patronage before being confronted from the outside by Pao Alto.
Pao Alto, who settled in last on the backstretch, appeared to be doing better, but Eons refused to quit. Carrasco nudged the veteran along, and they nibbled back at Pao Alto, ultimately getting to the wire first after a thrilling stretch battle.
Sky’s Not Falling finished another 1 1/4 lengths behind in third place. Royal Patronage and Beacon Hill completed the order of finish.
Camp Hope, Royne, and Tiz the Bomb all scratched. Eons returned $16.80 as the longest shot on the tote.
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Bred in Kentucky by Camas Park Stud, Eons sold for $300,000 as a yearling, and is owned by Mark Grier. As a 3-year-old in 2019, he captured the Stanton Stakes and the Grade 3 Kent Stakes, both at Delaware Park.
Eons rebounded from a winless 2020 to take Colonial’s Buckland the following year. Along with the Prince George’s County, Eons nabbed the Bensalem MATCH Series Stakes at Parx in 2022.
The 2023 edition of the Prince George’s County marked Eons’ first victory this season. He finished seventh versus allowance rivals at Keeneland April 7, ran second in a similar spot at Laurel on May 6, then placed third against allowance competition here on June 17.
“He was supposed to run at Turfway Park,” trainer Arnaud Delacour said in a post-race interview broadcast by Laurel Park. “That didn’t happen because the race didn’t go. At Keeneland, he ran okay, but he needed the race, and he’s been improving ever since.”
Eons is out of the multiple stakes-winning mare Golden Antigua. He is a full brother to multiple French Group 2 winner Tableaux and multiple Grade 3-winning dirt router Giant Gizmo from the family of Grade 1-winning dirt router Mi Selecto.
Eons has won 8 times from 28 starts for earnings of $634,985.
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