Barbadian Runner Seeks Repeat in MD Million Classic

AJ Will Win Stables' Barbadian Runner, listed as the 2-5 favorite on Horse Racing Nation's morning line, will defend his title in Saturday's $150,000 Brown Advisory Maryland Million Classic for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles. 

The first of 12 races on Jim McKay Maryland Million Day starts at 11:15 am ET. Gates at Laurel Park open at 10:00 am. General admission is free of charge.

This is the 41st edition of the Jim McKay Maryland Million, presented by Brown Advisory. Known as "Maryland's Day at the Races," the Jim McKay Maryland Million honors the state's thoroughbred industry. Maryland-bred horses that are not Maryland Million-eligible may enter a Maryland Million race only if fewer than eight Maryland Million-eligible horses are entered.

Barbadian Runner (Forest Boyce, post 2), a true rags-to-riches story, sold for $5,000 as a yearling and has emerged as "Maryland's Horse" for trainer Henry Walters. The 4-year-old gelding by Barbados surpassed one million dollars in earnings in his most recent start, a win in Delaware's Battery Park Stakes on October 3.

"We looked at several horses at that yearling sale," Walters said in a video feature earlier this week. "We had about ten that we were really interested in. The ones before him, we didn't get. We either changed our mind late or we got outbid. When his number came up, we had looked at him earlier on, and he looked like he'd fit in our program."

Walters immediately liked Barbadian Runner. "He always did everything slightly above average. Not anything that would amaze you, but he was certainly a willing participant in his training, and we liked him all along."

Barbadian Runner has a record of 28 starts, including 10 wins, 8 seconds, and 4 thirds. He has won stakes races at Laurel, Monmouth, Charles Town, and Delaware.

"The more he ran, the more he blossomed," Walters explained. "It was quite a surprise to me that he would go a route of ground because he was built like a sprinter, and trained like a sprinter. Once he had a half-dozen races in him, he showed that he wanted to go longer."

Madison Avenue Racing Stable and Morris Kernan Jr.'s Market Maven (6-1 morning line, Mychel Sanchez, post 1) might pose the stiffest test for Barbadian Runner on Saturday.

The 8-year-old gelding by Super Ninety Nine finished first in the 2023 Maryland Million Classic but was disqualified for interference in the stretch. The race still haunts trainer Jamie Ness.

"I've been doing this a long time, and I felt that in a race like that, I shouldn't have come down," said Ness.

Market Maven has had several trainers over the past few years, but he always seems to reunite with Ness. He won his most recent start, a $25,000 claimer at Parx on October 5.

Bonuccelli Racing's Wickeddivine (8-1 ML, Jeiron Barbosa, post 8), third in the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash on June 27, races beyond six furlongs for the first time in his career.

His trainer, Kenny Cox, benefited from Market Maven's disqualification from the Maryland Million. His charge, Ain't Da Beer Cold, was placed first. 

"He is a very versatile horse," Cox said about Wickeddivine in a video feature. "He will do whatever you ask him to do. Every rider that's ever ridden him in the afternoons has always told me the horse wants to go further. We've just never got to the point to stretch him out."

Stakes-winner Sacred Thunder also entered, along with Goodbye Note, Omar Comin, In the Dance, and Davyjonz. Derbyness, Roll On Jesse, and Bill of Rights are on the Also Eligible list.