Sandbar prevails in Maryland Sprint Handicap
BALTIMORE – Joe Sharp grew up the son of a trainer just down the road from Pimlico in West Virginia. By his late teens, his racetrack wanderlust had kicked in, and within the last eight months, after taking out his trainer’s license, Sharp had experienced far more success than he had a right to expect when based primarily in Kentucky.
Things came full circle for Sharp when the 30-year-old trainer got his first graded stakes victory Saturday by sending out Sandbar to capture the Grade 3, $150,000 Maryland Sprint Handicap on the Preakness undercard at Pimlico.
“It’s really nice to get this first one here in Maryland,” said Sharp. “This is where my dad [Marc] ran quite a few horses when I was just a kid.”
Sandbar, claimed last September for $30,000 by Ken and Sarah Ramsey, pressed the pace from the get-go in the six-furlong Maryland Sprint before finally getting the best of the front-running Happy My Way inside the eighth pole. With Joel Rosario urging him on, the 4-year-old gelding edged away to win by three-quarters of a length over 12-1 shot Service for Ten, who closed late along the rail to get second by a head from Happy My Way, the 2-1 second choice in a field of eight older horses. Coup de Grace, the 19-10 favorite, was never a factor when fifth.
The winner paid $10.80 as the third choice after finishing in 1:09.81 over a fast track. It was the first stakes triumph for Sandbar, a Kentucky-bred by War Pass, and his fifth win from 19 overall starts.
After learning under his father in his youth in the Charles Town, W.Va., area, Sharp plied his trade as a jockey for several years in the upper Midwest, then worked for years as an assistant to trainers Mike Stidham and Mike Maker before going out on his own last September. He is best known in some circles as the husband of standout jockey Rosie Napravnik. They live in Louisville, Ky., and are expecting their first child next month.
Into this weekend, Sharp had won with 55 of his first 217 starters (25 percent).
The $2 exacta (5-8) paid $132.60, the $1 trifecta (5-8-4) returned $369.40, and the 10-cent superfecta (5-8-4-6) was worth $169.15.
