Laurel: Ah Day cuts back successfully

Trainer King Leatherbury improved his already sterling statistics with horses switching from routes to sprints when Ah Day ($24.40) upset the $50,000 Horatius Stakes for 3-year-olds at Laurel Park.

Since January 2005, Leatherbury is now 6 for 25 (24 percent) going from routes to sprints with a return on investment of $5.43.

Ah Day, the beaten favorite at odds-on when he stretched out to a mile for a first-level allowance last time out, sat back off extremely fast fractions of 21.87 and 45.20 seconds set by Rainbow Inthestorm. He responded when Ryan Fogelsonger asked him for run along the rail in deep stretch and overtook Eagle Head by a length. Great Seneca, previously unbeaten in three starts, was another three lengths back in third as the 9-5 favorite.

The time for six furlongs on a fast track was 1:11.26.

Ah Day, now 2 for 5 lifetime, had finished nearly six lengths behind Great Seneca when they last met in the Dancing Count.