Barbadian Runner all heart in the Deputed Testamony
Jockey Julian Pimentel wins first race since 2021

LAUREL, MD—The last time trainer Ron Moquett won the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash was in 2015, when Gentlemen’s Bet won by disqualification.

Eleven years later, Moquett stood beaming in the Laurel Park winner’s circle after his 4-year-old gelding Hymn’s drama-free victory in Saturday’s 2026 edition of the $175,000 De Francis Dash for 3-year-olds and up at six furlongs.

“When you look back at the winners, for a guy who grew up loving sprinters, it’s a marquee race,” Moquett said about the De Francis Dash. “It’s had its ups and downs, but it’s consistently been a top-tier sprint race. I’m very happy to win it. If the race had another $100,000 purse and was just called Something Sprint, it wouldn’t mean as much as it does carrying that name, so that’s cool.”

Hymn is now unbeaten in three starts since being gelded.

“We were a little slow to geld him because he’s so beautiful and we loved his family,” Moquett admitted. “We thought that if he ran like he looked, he had the potential to be something someone would breed to. It killed me to geld him, but I’d rather have a good gelding than a slow colt.”

Hymn is very good, as evidenced by his powerful stretch rally in the Dash, one of four stakes races on the program.

Faust and Celtic Contender sparred for the early lead through fractions of 23.10 and 46.91 seconds, with Wickedivine sitting a pocket trip just inside Hymn.

Celtic Contender and jockey Forest Boyce swept to the lead in the upper stretch, but Bejarano swung Hymn outside for a clear run, and Hymn unfurled his long stride.

He charged past Celtic Contender in the stretch and drew off impressively to win by 5 ½ lengths in 1:11.51 on the fast track. Celtic Contender nipped Wickeddivine by a head for second. Faust, Petingas Twin, and Pentathlon completed the order of finish.

Hymn was Bejarano’s second winner of the day. He piloted Mongolian Apple ($21.60) to a front-running victory in the fifth race.

“We thought he would be a little back off the pace with some of these,” Moquett said. “There are some really nice horses in there that can set some nice fractions. He’s naturally in that position, and the [outside] post position was advantageous for us.”

Hymn paid $5.40 to win as the betting favorite. Slam Notion, Haileysfirstnotion, Full Moon Madness, and Fire Pit were scratched out.

Bred by Fleur De Lis Stables, Hymn is a son of McKinzie out of the stakes-placed Salt Bae, by Paynter. He was a $140,000 yearling buyback and then sent to Moquett. Campaigned by Fleur De Lis, William Sparks, and Bret Jones, Hymn won his debut by four lengths last year but had trouble focusing on the task at hand.

“From the moment he walked into our barn, you could tell he had something on his mind,” Moquett said earlier this week. “He was calling out to every female horse and pony he had ever seen since he was 2 years old.”

Since being gelded, Hymn has put it together, winning a first-level allowance at Oaklawn on April 10 and a second-level heat at Churchill on May 16.

Hymn has won 4 of 13 starts, earning $408.639. Moquett mentioned the Grade 2 Alfred G. Vanderbilt Stakes at Saratoga on June 25 as a potential next stop for Hymn.

*Barbadian Runner all heart in the Deputed Testamony

They should start calling him Barbadian Warrior.

Displaying the resiliency that helped him beat back local legend Post Time in last year’s Maryland Million Classic, Barbadian Runner parried a late thrust from Adero to win the $125,000 Deputed Testamony Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at 1 1/8 miles.

Owned by AJ Will Win Stables, trained by Henry Walters, and ridden by Forest Boyce, Barbadian Runner’s Cinderella story continued onward and upward.

Barbadian Runner, a $5,000 yearling purchase that has now earned $932,050, used his excellent tactical speed to sit just off pacesetter Catalytic’s splits of 25.42 and 50.48 seconds.

Catalytic’s rider, Sheldon Russell, tried to sneak away in the third quarter, clocked at 1:15.90, but Boyce would have none of it. She pushed the button, Barbadian Runner responded, and they opened a clear lead inside the three-sixteenths pole.

Adero loomed boldly and seemed to have the momentum to pass Barbadian Runner, but the gritty gelding refused to yield.

At the wire, Barbadian Runner won by a nose. Adero finished 2 ¼ lengths ahead of Catalytic. Xcellent Start, who placed fourth, was declared a non-starter after the stewards ruled he was held by an assistant starter at the gate. Cadet Corps and Duke of Duval followed. Jokestar, Warp Nine, and Sacred Thunder withdrew.

Barbadian Runner ran nine furlongs in 1:52.90 and paid $3.20 to his many backers.

“Those are nice horses, a solid group,” Boyce said. “Today, the dirt is so quick, and we needed to be close. Luckily, he’s willing to do it right now. I appreciate him stepping up to the plate and being ready to run it a little differently than he normally would.”

Barbadian Runner, the best Maryland-bred older dirt horse stabled at the grounds, is considered a throwback because he raced without a break longer than 45 days between his career debut, a fourth-place finish on June 30, 2024, and his second-place run behind graded stakes winner Post Time in the Robert T. Manfuso Stakes on December 20, 2025. Barbadian Runner has triumphed at distances ranging from 5 ½ furlongs to 1 1/8 miles on both wet and fast tracks.

The Deputed Testamony was his third run in 2026.

“Fortunately, it was a slow enough pace,” Walters said. “I thought he’d have something left, and he did. He’s so versatile. If the early pace was fast, he’d kick in when he’s supposed to. He’s a very easy horse to manage.”

Bred by Shamrock Farm, Barbadian Runner is by Barbados and out of Quiet Run, by Northern Afleet. His dam is an unraced half-sister to Grade 3 winner It Happened Again.

A seven-time stakes winner, Barbadian Runner has won 9 of 23 races. While short-term plans are pending, Walters said defending Barbadian Runner’s Maryland Million Classic is a future goal.

The $150,000 Maryland Million Classic is held at Laurel Park on October 24.

*Around the track:

*Jockey Julian Pimentel won his first race since 2021, guiding It’s Electric ($13.80) to victory in the sixth race, a maiden special weight at 1 1/16 miles on turf. It was Pimentel’s ninth start since his comeback.

“I had been spending a lot of time with family and friends, taking care of myself at my home in Columbia,” Pimentel told TMJC’s Emily Fewster after the win. “My good friend and agent, Roniel Gerardo, was instrumental in getting me back into the saddle. He kept asking me to come back, and I reconsidered.”

Pimentel, who captured three graded stakes aboard the popular Ben’s Cat between 2012 and 2014, also won the Grade 3 General George Stakes in 2017 aboard Imperial Hint.

Pimentel rode his first North American winner in 2000 and was a finalist for the Eclipse Award for Outstanding Apprentice Jockey the following year. Pimentel has won 1,807 races, and his mounts have earned $59,001,633.

*Trainer Brittany Russell and jockey Sheldon Russell won three races Saturday. Oracle of Beaufort ($9.20) was placed first via disqualification in the opening race. First-time starter Everday’s a Bonus ($6.80) uncorked a furious finish to win the third, and Maida ($5.00) powered away from her rivals in the $125,000 Alma North Stakes

*Laurel Park was proud to host Tom Hashimoto and Taka Morita, representatives of the Japan Racing Association. They appeared in the winner’s circle after Thundering (11.20) prevailed in the Japan Racing Association Turf Cup.

The Japan Racing Association Turf Cup underscores the close relationship between The Maryland Jockey Club (TMJC) and the Japan Racing Association (JRA).

On March 7, Bill Knauf, President and General Manager of TMJC, was present at Nakayama Racecourse to present the winner’s trophy for the Grade 3 Laurel Park Sho Nakayama Himba Stakes.

*Jockey Jeiron Barbosa rode two more winners, moving into first place in the Laurel Park jockey standings with only one day left in the meet. Barbosa prevailed aboard Probable Angle ($10.60) in the second race and Just Do Believe in the fourth. Yedsit Hazlewood is one win behind in second place. Jorge Ruiz is in third, four wins behind Barbosa.

*The race for the trainer’s title is also extremely tight. After Brittany Russell’s big day on Saturday, she moved into a one-win lead over Jamie Ness. Jose Corrales and Michael Trombetta are tied for third, two wins behind Russell.

*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. Sunday’s guide is available. Click here to view it.

*Sunday is the final day of the Laurel Park Preakness Meet. There will be mandatory payouts on all wagers with carryover potential, including both “Value Pick 5” bets, the Chesapeake Pick 6 Jackpot Wager, and the Jackpot Super High 5 (Race 6).