Gliding Alone romps in off-the-turf Green Carpet

Three weeks ago at Belterra Park, Deshawn Parker ended up doing a flip and crashing to the track when his mount, Gliding Alone, clipped heels during the stretch run. Sunday afternoon, Parker and Gliding Alone wound up in the winner’s circle.

Gliding Alone, stretching out to 1 1/16 miles after four consecutive sprints, was much the best in the $75,000 Green Carpet Stakes for Ohio-bred 3-year-olds. The race, originally scheduled for turf, was moved to the main track.

Parker kept Gliding Alone ($5.40) clear of traffic while racing five wide in fourth place down the backstretch as Blazing Charcoal set a slow pace of 49.31 seconds for the first half-mile. Gliding Alone moved into third while making a six-wide bid turning for home, took the lead at the eighth pole, and drew clear to win by five lengths. The winning time was 1:45.25.

It was the second stakes win this season and the third win in 11 career starts for Gliding Alone, trained by Luis Jurado for Richard Maynard.

Pure Gold Liner, coming back 11 days after a good try against open company in his two-turn debut at ThistleDown, finished second at 8-1. Another 8-1 shot, Sunshine’s Son Bob, finished third, three-quarters of a length behind the runner-up.