Jockey Jeiron Barbosa rides three winners
LAUREL, MD—The dependable and consistent Derbyness moved to the lead on the far turn, opened a clear lead, and just had enough left to fend off razor-sharp Preacha Meyers in Sunday’s co-featured ninth race, a second-level allowance for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/16 miles.
Derbyness broke from the advantageous inside post position and secured a tight pocket on the clubhouse turn as Go Joe Won set fractions of 24.18 and 48.55 seconds. Preacha Meyers prompted the pacesetter on the backstretch, but Derbyness grew aggressive when jockey Sheldon Russell eased him three wide and into the clear.
Derbyness pulled his way forward to confront Go Joe Won and dispatched that foe with minimal fuss after six furlongs in 1:13.04. At that juncture, it appeared that Derbyness was home and dry, but trainer Brittany Russell wasn’t counting her chickens just yet.
“He’s had a few frustrating moments,” she said in the winner’s circle. “Even today, it looks like he’s going to win for fun, but it always feels like he idles just a bit. Sheldon just said it’s when you let his head go.”
Derbyness began to shorten his stride slightly in the midstretch, while Preacha Meyers, seeking his fifth straight victory for trainer Jamie Ness, kept chugging along.
The wire came in the nick of time for Derbyness, who prevailed by a neck in 1:46.65 on the fast track. Preacha Meyers was 7 ½ lengths ahead of Indy Magic, with Go Joe Won and Straight to Water completing the order.
Secret Zipper scratched. Derbyness paid $4.60 as the betting favorite.
“I was happy with how Sheldon handled it,” Brittany Russell said. “I’ve seen ‘Derby’ in front by quite a few and let himself get nailed right on the line, so I had a flashback there.”
Bred in Maryland by Ness’s Jagger Inc. in partnership with Super C Racing, Derbyness is a 5-year-old gelding by Hoppertunity out of the multiple stakes-placed Up Hill Battle, by Street Magician.
He won three of eight starts for Ness before being claimed by Brittany Russell on behalf of Stuart Grant’s The Elkstone Group for $40,000 in 2024.
“He was a Maryland-bred with conditions,” Russell said, explaining the reason for the claim after Derbyness earned a state-sired allowance at Laurel last year.
Derbyness won his final two starts of 2025, then went to the shelf for ten months. Brittany Russell likes what she sees from the gelding since he’s returned to serious training.
“Physically, he looks better,” she said. “He’s stronger. I even noticed, walking into the paddock today, how good his coat looks. Sometimes, everything clicks at the right time, so hopefully that carries through the rest of the season.”
Derbyness has now won twice in four starts this year, and Brittany Russell cited the $150,000 Maryland Million Classic at Laurel on October 24 as a potential long-term objective.
“He’s been a fun horse. He’s been good to us. Since we claimed him, we’ve had a good time with him.”
*Jockey Jeiron Barbosa rides three winners
Jockey Jeiron Barbosa won three races on Sunday.
Barbosa, with eight wins in his last 19 starts since June 15, came from behind aboard trainer T J Aguirre’s Zen Dreams ($5.40) in the third race.
His second win on Father’s Day came in the sixth race with Hot Boss ($5.80), trained by Suzanne Stettinius.
Barbosa then captured the co-featured eighth race, a $40,000 optional claimer for 3-year-olds and up at one mile on the Kelso Turf Course, in a gate-to-wire fashion aboard Read On ($10.60) for trainer Lacey Gaudet.
“[Lacey] gave me simple instructions,” Barbosa said after Read On’s gutsy victory. “She said if he takes the lead, he takes the lead. If somebody goes and sends, stay behind them. I saw nobody go. [Zevon] took back a little bit, and I decided to go. When [Read On] is in front, he’s got a big heart.”
Barbosa’s aggressive split-second decision on the first turn paid dividends as Read On cleared to the lead, putting both Sticktothesystem and Zevon on a hard chase through an opening quarter in 23.87 seconds. Read On passed the half-mile in 47.70 seconds, then braced for multiple challenges.
Zevon took the first crack at the leader. Tapit Kissit Winit steadied between rivals on the second turn, angled outside, and loomed boldly. Can Group wound up a rally from the back of the pack.
It was all for naught, however, as Read On always found a little more to deny Can Group, winning by three-quarters of a length in 1:34.74 on firm ground. Tapit Kissit Winit finished third, half a length behind Can Group.
“I’m just riding my race, and at the three-eighths, I knew I had a lot of horse,” Barbosa continued. “He picked it up. When I asked him in the stretch, he did everything. When he changed leads, he gave me a kick.”
Gaudet, who has won with 22% of her starters since February 1, claimed Read On, a 6-year-old gelding by Ghostzapper, for $25,000 after the horse finished ninth at Turfway Park on March 21.
Read On, owned by Liberty House Racing, Team Gaudet, and Penwood Racing, was a strong investment. He won his first start for the partnership, a $20,000 claimer at Laurel on April 25, then was claimed for $40,000 this afternoon after taking the winner’s share of the $53,000 purse.
Barbosa, 22, was one of three finalists for the Eclipse Award for champion apprentice jockey in 2022. That year, he captured the Laurel Park spring meet with 20 victories, tied with Angel Cruz for top honors at the Laurel fall meet with 44 wins, and won the Pimlico fall meet with 12 wins.
In 2023, Barbosa repeated as champion rider at the Pimlico Fall Meeting.
He won three races earlier this year on the May 30 card at Laurel Park.
With three racing days remaining in the current Laurel meet, Barbosa is tied for second in the jockey standings with Jorge Ruiz. Yedsit Hazlewood leads with 19 wins.
*Around the track:
Laurel Park carded two steeplechase races on the Father’s Day program. Hold Out ($6.80) dominated the field in his steeplechase debut in the opening race, drawing away by 14 ½ lengths. Conor Tierney rode for trainer Meriwether Morris. Hold Out appears likely to head to Saratoga for steeplechase events later this summer. In the second race, Morning March ($61) pulled off a major upset for jockey Freddie Procter and trainer Katherine Neilson.
Live racing resumes Friday with an eight-race card. There are two “Value Pick 5” wagers, each with a low 12% takeout. The first post time is 12 pm ET.
The free “Laurel Park Handicapping Guide” is available on every race day. It provides picks, analysis, trainer stats, trip notes, horses to watch, track bias info, and more from The Maryland Jockey Club’s team of handicappers. Friday’s guide is available Thursday afternoon. Click here to view it.
Laurel Park proudly hosts the De Francis Dash Day Handicapping Challenge, a one-day contest available both on-site and online. The event takes place Saturday, June 27, at Laurel Park or via Xpressbet, TVG/4NJBETS, and HPI. The $500 contest ($250 entry fee, $250 bankroll) offers Win, Place, Show, Exacta, and/or Daily Double wagering on the full schedule of live races at Laurel Park, plus select races at Monmouth Park. Contestants must play at least five (5) Laurel Park races, with a minimum $50 bet per race. The last race of the contest will be the final race at Laurel Park. Monmouth Park races are optional. There are no mandatory Monmouth Park races. Based on 120 entries, the total prize pool is $30,000, including one full seat to the Breeders’ Cup Betting Challenge ($10,000 value) and two National Horseplayers Championship Prize Packs ($5,350 value each, each including a $400 flight voucher and a hotel stay). Additionally, the top five finishers will split $8,300 in prize money, with $4,150 going to the winner, $1,660 to the runner-up, $1,245 to third place, $830 to fourth place, and $415 to fifth place. All entry fees are returned as prizes. The listed prizes are estimates, and the actual prizes will depend on the final number of participants. For entry information and contest rules, visit here.
Never miss a second of the action on the Laurel Park YouTube channel. Click here to watch full pan and head-on replays.
Watch “Today at the Races,” the Maryland Jockey Club’s morning handicapping show every racing day at 11 am ET on the Maryland Jockey Club X account. Click here to watch.
