It’s been a fortnight of rollercoaster emotions for trainer Larry Jones and jockey Gabriel Saez following the Kentucky Oaks win of Proud Spell and the tragic demise of the brave Eight Belles in the Derby just 24 hours later. The duo returned to the winner’s circle on the Preakness undercard thanks to the mighty effort of four-year-old Buy The Barrel, who won the $150,000 G2 Allaire DuPont Distaff Stakes.
Despite sitting three wide on both turns of the mile-and-sixteenth (1700m) contest, the E Dubai filly was positioned handily just off the pace to deliver a decisive late run which saw her streak clear of her rivals and win by two-and-a-half lengths.
This was the first graded stakes win for Buy The Barrel, who was bred by her owner Hinkle Farms in Kentucky. She has now triumphed seven times, most recently in last month’s Bayakoa Stakes at Oaklawn Park.
Also on Saturday, Darrange became the first black type performer for his sire Grandera when third in the Listed Gibson Carmichael Stakes at Flemington over a mile. The two-year-old colt is out of the Charnwood Forest mare Diamonds And Dust. First-season sire Grandera is also the sire of the winning fillies Grand Oscar and Just Marika.
