Barbadian Runner, Maskedandmummed take weekend stakes * The Racing Biz

Barbadian Runner, Maskedandmummed take weekend stakes

The Biz
November 24, 2025

Barbadian Runner did it again, and so did Maskedandmummed, topping Saturday’s Midlantic stakes action. Laurel Park hosted three stakes, while Charles Town featured one.

Three-year-old Barbadian Runner won his sixth stake of the year, pushing his seasonal earnings to more than $700,000, while the two-year-old Maskedandmummed won her second stake of the year. In doing so, she brought – perhaps – some clarity to the local juvenile division, which had seen five different winners in its first five stakes.

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Barbadian Runner, the 2-5 favorite after defeating Grade 2 winner Post Time in the Maryland Million Classic, justified the hype with a decisive 4¼-length victory in the $100,000 Richard W. Small Stakes at Laurel Park. Tracking the pace before launching a strong bid under Forest Boyce, the durable 3-year-old gelding drew clear despite carrying top weight and overcoming mid-race traffic. Boyce said, “He might be little, but he tries so hard every time,” as the victory marked his seventh win from 19 starts.

*Barbadian Runner earned his sixth stakes win of the year at Laurel Park on Saturday. Photo by Jim McCue/MJC.*

Purchased by AJ Will Win Stables for just $5,000 and now the earner of $790,630, Barbadian Runner has become a Maryland fan favorite and a relentless campaigner who hasn’t had more than a 45-day break since debuting in June 2024. Trainer Henry Walters said the modest purchase has exceeded every expectation and hinted the iron-tough gelding may finally get a winter vacation. The win was especially meaningful for Boyce, who credited her former mentor Dickie Small, the race’s namesake.

West Virginia Futurity

Maskedandmummed posted a front-running score in Saturday’s $75,000, seven-furlong West Virginia Futurity for state-bred two-year-olds as Ron Sigler trainees ran one-two, with B’s Wild Candy closing into second. Maskedandmummed is the only state-bred two-year-old to win two stakes this year. Though the race is open to both males and females, fillies occupied the top three spots after the top male hopeful, Yolo Manolo, was scratched.

With Antonio Lopez up, Maskedandmummed led through a half-mile in 47.44 seconds while being hounded by Truth and Justice, spurted clear entering the lane, and held the late-running B’s Wild Candy safe to win by 1 ¾ lengths in 1:26.60 over a good main track. A homebred for Casey’s Legacy LLC, Maskedandmummed, the 2-5 post time favorite, now has three wins and almost $123,000 in earnings from seven career starts.

Dave’s Friend Stakes

Petingas Twin earned his first stakes win in dramatic fashion, nipping Prince of Jericho by a nose in the $100,000 Dave’s Friend Stakes. Trained by Anthony Farrior and ridden by rising star Yedsit Hazlewood, the 4-year-old gelding surged three wide into the stretch after tracking a contested early pace, stopping the clock in 1:12.08 for six furlongs. Prince of Jericho, returning from a nine-month layoff, fought on gamely but came up just short.

Claimed for $20,000 by owner Jim Wolf as a debuting 3-year-old, Petingas Twin has improved since being gelded earlier this year, a decision Farrior said has made him smoother but also more aggressive in his training. Now a six-time winner with $288,086 in earnings, he continues a strong meet for Hazlewood, whom Farrior praised as “a smart kid” worthy of an Eclipse Award.

Willa On the Move Stakes

In the $100,000 Willa On the Move Stakes, Grammy Girl continued her sharp recent form and benefited from a ground-saving ride by Mychel Sanchez to edge favored Takethemoneyhoney by a head. Racing back just nine days after a strong Aqueduct allowance effort, the Saffie Joseph Jr. trainee stalked from the pocket while Miss Harriett set fast fractions, then slipped through inside turning for home to outfinish the stakes winner Takethemoneyhoney, returning after six months away, in 1:18.56 for 6½ furlongs.

A $25,000 yearling purchase by Mastery whose dam is a half-sister to multiple Grade 1 winner Classic Empire, Grammy Girl has revitalized her form since returning to New York for the fall. The win gave the 4-year-old her first stakes victory and improved her record to 5-for-18 with earnings of $286,050. Pointing to her pedigree, Joseph said, “We wanted to see if we could get a stakes win, and she pulled it off.”