Corporate Power nosed out Gould’s Gold in a three-way photo finish for a win in the $100,000 Sir Barton Stakes.
Ridden by Javier Castellano, Corporate Power ($5.20) was confirmed the winner following a stewards’ inquiry and jockey objection of Joel Rosario, who finished third aboard Imperial Gun.
Winning time for the 1 1/16 miles of a track rated good, Gun, alleging interference in the stretch. The winning time was 1:44.98 over a main track rated good.
Gould’s Gold led at the top of the stretch, but Corporate Power came with a steady run on the far outside and raced in close quarters with Imperial Gun. Corporate Power forged a short lead inside the sixteenth pole and held off Gould’s Gold.
The inquiry and objection claimed the winner interfered with Imperial Gun in the stretch. The final results went unchanged.
“It was only his fourth race. He has a lot to learn. I put blinkers on him to keep him a little more focused,’’ winning trainer Shug McGaughey said. “With racing he’s going to get more focused. This was his best race. I was pleased with his effort.”
With Frankie Dettori rallying Balnikhov from eighth place after three-quarters of a mile, the 5-year-old Ireland-bred mare pulled off a 1 ½-length win in the $500,000 Dinner Party (G3) race before the Preakness.
Sent off at 5-1, Balnikhov returned $12.80 on a $2 win bet. Winning time for the 1 1/8 miles over a soft turf was 1:58.90. The win ended an eight-race losing streak for the horse trained by Phil D’Amato.
Super consistent Super Chow regained his winning ways with a front-running 1 ¾-length score over Prevalence in the $100,000 Maryland Sprint (G3).
The 4-year-old colt trained by Jorge Delgado has a remarkable resume: nine wins, four seconds and five thirds in 19 races, including a fifth graded stakes win.
Ridden by Hall of Famer Javier Castellano, Super Chow ($10.40) covered the 6 furlongs in 1:11.19.
Fluffy Socks stalked the pace over a soft turf, took over on the far turn and cruised to a 7 ¾-length victory over Five Towns in a five-horse field.
Ridden by Irad Ortiz, Jr., Fluffy Socks ($3.20) went off as the 3-5 favorite. The 6-year-old mare, trained by Chad Brown, ended a seven-race losing streak – six of those races in Grade 1 or Grade 2 company.
There were four scratches. Winning time for the 1 1/16 miles was 1:49.79.
Top rider Irad Ortiz, Jr., guided 1.80-1 favorite Frost Free to a 1 ½-length victory over Cats by Five in the $200,000 Chick Lang (G3) for 3-year-olds.
Trained by Brett Creighton, the son of Frosted won in his first graded stakes attempt, improving his record to 8-3-1-2.
Winning time for the 6 furlongs over a muddy, sealed track was 1:11.39.
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