Laurel Park’s spring meet wrapped up Sunday with a hard-fought feature win by Bouncer, who dug in gamely to take the eighth race, a third-level allowance sprint, and in doing so helped jockey Jaime Rodriguez secure a share of the riding title.

The six-furlong contest on a fast main track served as the closing feature of the meet and delivered a thrilling finish. Bouncer, a 5-year-old gelding trained by Jamie Ness and owned by DEA Thoroughbred Racing LLC, stalked the early pace three wide under Rodriguez. Turning for home, he ranged up outside the leaders, hooked up in a fierce stretch duel with favored Haileysfirstnotion, and edged past late to win by a neck in 1:10.07.

“He broke a little bit sharper today,” Rodriguez said of Bouncer, who returned $9.40 to win. “I was planning like, the five [Haileysfirstnotion] and the three [Arden’sluckytobe], they go into a duel, and the five broke a little bit step slow. I see the three in front, in the lead. I wanted to put a little bit of pressure early. Once we hit the three-eighths pole, the five moved. I say, I got you, but I need you. And then once he moved, I move with him, because my horse is that type of horse — he likes to run in company. When he’s by himself, gonna get lost.”

The victory was Bouncer’s seventh from 22 career starts, pushing his earnings past $350,000. Bred in Florida by Helen C. Alexander, the son of Adios Charlie has proven a durable and honest competitor.

For Rodriguez, the win was his second on the card and lifted him into a four-way tie atop the Laurel spring jockey standings with 14 wins. He shares the title with Sheldon Russell, Ismerio Villalobos, and Jevian Toledo. Each rider added a single victory Sunday — except Rodriguez, who doubled up to maintain his five-meet streak of winning or tying for the Laurel riding crown.

“Everybody was winning. Everybody was even, you know,” Rodriguez said. “And I’m really grateful, you know, and happy for everybody. Everybody had the time to win. Everybody got to enjoy, you know, and let everybody eat.”

The final standings highlight just how competitive the rider colony was this spring. Russell needed just 49 mounts to reach 14 wins, while Villalobos won 14 of 63 and Toledo 14 of 76. Rodriguez’s 14 came from 71 starts.

With the conclusion of Laurel’s spring meet, racing in Maryland will go dark until the seven-day Timonium stand at the Maryland State Fair kicks off Aug. 22.

Rodriguez, meanwhile, will spend much of the summer in Delaware, where he has a six-win lead for that title. A meet title would mark his fifth in a row at that track. Rodriguez said he might also ride at Monmouth Park during the summer but expects to return to Maryland in the fall.