Mountaineer: Musicinthehouse confirms affinity for dirt in Sophomore Sprint Championship

Musicinthehouse trains on the Polytrack at Turfway Park. But he does his best running on dirt at Mountaineer Racetrack.

A 3-year-old gelding who is 3 for 4 at Mountaineer but 1 for 12 everywhere else he has run, Musicinthehouse ($21.60) rallied from second in the stretch to score by 1 1/2 lengths in Tuesday night’s $85,000 Sophomore Sprint Championship. Black Hornet, the 8-5 favorite, steadied at the start after getting bumped, and came from 5 1/2 lengths behind at the eighth pole to finish second. Go Duke Go, the pacesetter at 15-1, finished third.

Musicinthehouse, ridden by Albin Jimenez for owner-trainer Maria Pinzon, completed six furlongs on a fast track in 1:11.64. His $52,630 share of the purse nearly doubled his career bankroll to $110,333. He prepped for the stakes by winning a nonwinners-of-three allowance by six lengths on Nov. 2.