The Baruch Handicap (Grade 3)- $200.000 Purse
SAR- For Three Year Olds and Upward
One Mile and One Sixteenth on the Inner Turf
September 5, 2022

If everyone was at an even weight in the Baruch Handicap, there would have been no questioning whether or not Banshee Star would be the one to beat. But, even with carrying 4-5 pounds more than everyone else, bettors as well as us here in the SRF still had plenty of confidence in him to get the job done. Banshee Star would show why, emphatically winning the race by nearly four lengths making his 60th career start a victorious one (another .01 in the margin would have had this listed as a four length win, not three lengths). This eight year old gelding is not showing his age at all right now, having won five of his last eight, and he was second in two of the ones he did not win and most of those are in graded races. His trainer is Calia Stable, who claimed the horse last year right here at the Spa for $16.000, and that has certainly been the right move. It is the first time that both Calia Stable and jockey I Ortiz Jr have won this race. Congratulations to them! The time of the win, over soft turf, was 1:43.95. Let’s take a look!

(1/4 Mile- :24.07)- Eight West Party, the longest shot on the board, jumps out to the early lead for TwinTowersRacing and moves around the clubhouse turn with a length and a half advantage. Right behind him, stalking his every move, is the gritty ol’ veteran Banshee Star. The eventual winner from Calia Stable is able to ride the rail all by himself, having a length or so ahead of the next group of horses. There, we find a group of three running next to one another. Lord City is on the rail for Our Athletes, with Charley Buzz (Nakamura Stables) right next to him and Akkadian (Mb Stables) running three wide. Puffman (Nakamura Stables) is a length behind them, followed in line by Grayte Trois (Gdp Inc), and then Trumbull Valley (Mb Stables).

(½ Mile- :48.41)- Eight West Party is still out front midway through the backstretch run, and has not been challenged for the top spot yet. Banshee Star is not concerned with him, and remains in a good stalking spot, while staying on the rail, though as we get closer to the turn, he moves over a lane likely in an effort to begin his move in the turn. Lord City is the quickest of the group of three right behind him, and seems poised to follow Banshee Star in the turn, which would be a wise idea. Akkadian and Charley Buzz are still in the middle of the field, but for now neither of them are showing signs of making a move. Puffman, who was behind them, seemed a little more interested in making a run and prepared to take it four wide. Room was opening up for Grayte Trois to make a move on the rail then, if he wanted it. Trumbull Valley was struggling at the back.

(Top of Stretch, 1.7F To Go)- Early in the turn, Banshee Star began to reel in Eight West Party, and it did not take him long to pull up alongside the pacesetter and to complete the pass. By the time they reached the top of the stretch, Banshee Star had a length lead, and was comfortably ahead of the rest of the field. Lord City, still third for the time being was three lengths off the pace, and there would be no reason to think that Banshee Star would let us down now. Elsewhere in the field, Puffman was not able to make the fourth lane work, and Akkadian was really dropping out of it. Charley Buzz wasn’t bad, but was also lacking response. On the rail, Grayte Trois took advantage of the opening on the rail to get ahead of a few horses, but catching Banshee Star at this point was not really realistic for him.

(Finish- 1:43.95)- There are no surprises in the stretch. Banshee Star had the race won on exit of the turn, and a veteran horse like him is not the type that’s going to collapse in the stretch. He would win while driving, pulling away from the rest of the field, making it look like he was carrying less weight than everyone else, not 4-5 more pounds than everyone. Eight West Party faded to third, and was nipped at the wire by Grayte Trois for second, but they were essentially four lengths from the win. Puffman was in the place photo, too, and finishes fourth. Charley Buzz, Lord City were next, ahead of an uncharacteristically rough race for Mb Stables, as Akkadian and Trumbull Valley were well behind.

About The Winner- Banshee Star, trained by Calia Stable and ridden to victory by I Ortiz Jr, is an eight year old gelding by Star Admiral and is out of Bella Banshee. He was bred in New York by Grimley as a yearling and acquired by Calia Stable, via Arindel, for $16.000 in a July 2021 claimer. Congratulations to the connections! The win is his 18th in 60 starts, his seventh stake win and sixth graded win. His career earnings are now $2,181.360.

Track: Soft
Time: :24   :48²  1:12⁴  1:43⁴

$2 Mutuel Prices:

$1 Exacta: 1 – 4 Paid 10.10
$1 Trifecta: 1 – 4 – 3 Paid 421.80

Scratched: None

— NS

Categories: Grade III, STAKES ARTICLES