He might have been the longest shot of the Gary Capuano trio, but Wild Warrior proved to be the distance specialist of the group in the $100,000 Private Terms Stakes at Laurel Park on Saturday. Relishing every inch of the two-turn, 1 1/16-mile race, the 3-year-old colt overcame a tight stretch run to score by a neck over Code of Silence. “He got a little checked or steadied turning for home,” Capuano said. “I don't know exactly. I couldn't see exactly what happened, but then he was able to get outside off the course there and grind it out." Despite being bet down to 5-2, Wild Warrior was still the third choice in the field of five, while stablemates Let’s Go Lando and Hollywood Import closed at 9-5 and 2-1. He paid $7.20 to win. At the top of stretch, it seemed like Capuano was at risk of a swinging strikeout when Code of Silence, a state-restricted stakes winner last year, overtook his three runners from last for trainer Tim Keefe. Hollywood Import, a two-time stakes winner at seven furlongs, led into the far turn after completing the opening quarter-mile in 23.78 seconds and half-mile in 48.24, but he was spent by the time Angel Cruz urged Code of Silence into command. :: Access the most trusted data and information in horse racing! DRF Past Performances and Picks are available now. Let’s Go Lando, Capuano’s trusted closer, did his best to make up ground along the rail, but his rally proved insufficient as Code of Silence continued to roll in front. Wild Warrior, who had stalked in second, was Capuano’s last resort, but the colt seemed hopelessly boxed in at the top of the stretch. Unlike the riders on Capuano’s other 3-year-olds, jockey Yedsit Hazlewood clearly had a bundle of energy to work with aboard Wild Warrior. The trick was to get him clear, and with a furlong to go, he finally managed to tip the colt to the outside for a charge down the center. “I wasn’t sure he was going to catch that horse,” Capuano said. “The horse had a pretty good lead on him at the 16th pole. When he got outside, he just kind of grinded it out in the last 40 yards. He really dug in.” Code of Silence finished fast and held off Let’s Go Lando by three-quarters of a length, but he could not stave off both late bids. With a final acceleration, Wild Warrior prevailed in a photo, completing the 1 1/16-mile distance in 1:47.84. An allowance winner around two turns in December, Wild Warrior was always supposed to return to route distances as a 3-year-old. Capuano briefly considered him for the $200,000 Withers at Aqueduct but was forced to abandon those plans because of poor weather. Instead, the colt had to make his 2026 debut in the $100,000 Spectacular Bid at Laurel, a seven-furlong stakes. The distance suited Hollywood Import just fine in a gate-to-wire victory, but his stablemate was left spinning his wheels in fifth after a tough trip inside. Back at 1 1/16 miles Saturday, Capuano said he was excited about Wild Warrior’s prospects before the race. One could argue it’s the race he had been waiting for, and he inarguably took advantage to defeat several familiar rivals on his own terms. After giving all three of his runners a distance test Saturday, Capuano said Wild Warrior and Let’s Go Lando will both point to the $150,000 Federico Tesio at 1 1/8 miles next month. Hollywood Import is not out of consideration for that race, but the trainer may try to find something shorter for the front-runner. Beyond the Wire Persistent behind tiring rivals, Miss Fulton Gal rallied late to win her first stakes in the $100,000 Beyond the Wire at Laurel Park on Saturday. Seemingly third-best at the top of the stretch, the 3-year-old filly never quit under jockey Raul Mena and rolled by to win by a head. “With an eighth to go, I thought maybe we could get out off the rail and get up for second,” trainer Mike Gorham said. “Then, she got to a 16th to go, and she just seemed like she had another gear.” The story of the Beyond the Wire can essentially be told through its bizarre final furlong, which began with 8-1 outsider Some Ride cruising out in front after overtaking 1-2 favorite Peach Tie in midstretch. The race was transforming into a comfortable procession when Some Ride weakened at the last decisive moment. The race was suddenly wide open and Peach Tie, who had been all but resigned to a runner-up finish a few strides earlier, suddenly found herself in front again. Her finish in the one-turn mile was less than inspiring, however, and her second stint in command was even shorter than the first. Miss Fulton Gal, who was 3 1/2 lengths back at the top of the stretch, tore straight through a wide gap between her two tiring rivals to steal the jolting photo-finish victory. It took her four tries to break through in allowance company, but she didn’t waste any time becoming a stakes winner in her eighth career start. She completed the mile in 1:40.64. “I'm not quite sure if she had dirt in the face or not, but she's not real big on the dirt in the face,” Gorham said. “You can see that when she got clear, she kind of re-rallied and got the money.” Coming off a 2 1/4-length allowance victory around two turns, Miss Fulton Gal earned considerable betting attention and vied for favoritism ahead of her second career stakes start. She ultimately settled at 3-1 and paid $8.20 to win, validating those who trusted her at the distance. Peach Tie, who was going for her third straight stakes victory for Brittany Russell, was forced to settle for second, despite being given a second chance at the win. In her first defeat on dirt, she finished a half-length ahead of Some Ride, a last-out maiden winner trained by Anthony Dutrow. Already proven around two turns, Miss Fulton Gal should be a highly logical contender in the $150,000 Weber City Miss at Laurel next month. Gorham said it was an obvious next move for the filly, who could continue improving with more distance. The winner of that race gets an automatic spot in the Grade 2 Black-Eyed Susan in May. :: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.