Ten Cent Town holds on in George Barker
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A confidently handled Ten Cent Town held off a final bid from a feisty Antonio of Venice for a half-length victory in the $50,000 George Barker Stakes for older New York-bred sprinters on the Monday program at Finger Lakes, the first stakes of the season at the Farmington, N.Y., track.
Ten Cent Town ($5.34), who notched his first stakes win, continues to prove a solid claim by his latest connections. The gelding won by a neck on April 12 at Aqueduct, and was claimed for $35,000 by Brad Cox for owner Michael Dubb. In his first start for the barn, a second-level New York-bred allowance, he was second by a neck on May 7.
Ten Cent Town won his lone prior start at Finger Lakes, in July 2023 under local native Reylu Gutierrez, who had the return call Monday. Gutierrez was content to let Ten Cent Town, who broke from the outside in a scratch-reduced field of six, track local veteran and stakes winner Lady’s Golden Guy through an opening quarter of 22.97 seconds on a sloppy, sealed track. Favored Antonio of Venice, a multiple restricted stakes winner on the NYRA circuit, was well held behind the leaders down the backstretch, then found a seam between them to bull through as the tempo quickened into the far turn. Gutierrez let Ten Cent Town roll to pick up the lead as Lady’s Golden Guy backed out of it, and Ten Cent Town took a 1 1/2-length lead to the top of the stretch.
Antonio of Venice switched outside for a final try to the wire and was gaining at the end as Ten Cent Town was vigorously hand-ridden through the final yards for the win.
The time for the six furlongs in the slop was 1:11.47.
After Antonio of Venice, it was 3 1/4 lengths to Quiet Wisdom in third, followed by Cable Ready, Lady’s Golden Guy, and Tacony Road.
Six of the original 12 entrants in the Barker were scratched: Hit the Post - a stakes winner last year at Finger Lakes - along with Crypto Causeway, Hay Hay Harry, Pompous Prince, Seams Like Destiny, and What's Up Bro. All were listed on Monday morning as stewards' scratches, with no additional details provided. Crypto Causeway, Hay Hay Harry, and Pompous Prince had already been entered back in a strong allowance-optional claiming race on the Wednesday card; Seams Like Destiny is entered in a separate allowance the same day.
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