Barbadian Runner becomes racing’s newest millionaire
Unlikely star wins Delaware’s Battery Park Stakes
Frank Vespe
October 3, 2026
Racing’s best story kept on giving, and its most unlikely star kept on winning Saturday at Delaware Park.
Bargain-basement purchase Barbadian Runner rallied from well back to run down Cooke Creek in late stages to win Saturday’s $200,000 Battery Park Stakes at Delaware Park. The win, Barbadian Runner’s 10th in the unlikeliest of unlikely careers, pushed his career bankroll to more than $1.1 million.
Barbadian Runner cost just $5,000 as a yearling and is by a sire, Barbados, who then stood at Maryland’s Shamrock Farm — which also bred him — but now stands at Ronney Brown’s Pellinor Lane Farm in West Virginia. For $1,000.
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How do you even try to put that in perspective?
“You don’t,” said owner Scott Groh, who races as AJ Will Win Stables. “Just blessed. That’s all.”
He added, “When they were taking the pictures, my knees were knocking. I had surgery earlier this week, so my stomach was thumping, and I’m excited, man. It’s awesome.”
“He’s been on the cusp of $1 million for the last couple of races,” said trainer Henry Walters. “Glad he got it done.”
Barbadian Runner now has 10 wins from 26 career starts. He had a streak of 12 consecutive exacta finishes snapped last out when a troubled fifth in the Grade 2 Charles Town Classic, a race in which he could never quite stretch his legs.
No worries: he perhaps started a new streak today.
Sent off as the 1-2 favorite, the Maryland-bred gelding ($3) rallied under Forest Boyce to complete 1 1/8 miles in 1:50.95 over a muddy, sealed track the win.
Defending Battery Park champion Cooke Creek led through fractions of 23.83 seconds and 48.90 and still held a clear advantage at midstretch. But Barbadian Runner, still fourth and five lengths off the pace after six furlongs in 1:12.89, advanced between rivals and closed stoutly to take command in the final sixteenth to win by three parts of a length.
Cooke Creek held second, 2 3/4 lengths ahead of Cool Intentions, with Bendoog and Magical Ways completing the order. Hill Road was scratched.
Barbadian Runner paid $3.00 to win. The exacta returned $5.70 for a one-dollar wager.
“They haven’t been making up a ton of ground today, so you didn’t want to be quite that far back,” said winning rider Forest Boyce. “I had a feeling they were gonna go a little bit quick, and I was gonna try to be as close as I could, and that’s just kind of where we landed.”
Boyce said she’d felt a little nervous with a half-mile to go because she was encouraging Barbadian Runner and not making up much ground.
“But then at the quarter pole, I said, ‘I got them,’” she added.
Boyce has been aboard for 18 of Barbadian Runner’s 26 starts, her patient style perfectly fitting the gelding. She leaned down to give him a smooch on the mane as they approached the winner’s circle.
Next up for Barbadian Runner could be a defense of his Maryland Million Classic title in three weeks at Laurel Park. Last year he scored an upset over heavily favored millionaire Post Time in that event. This year, if he posts, he’ll be the heavily favored millionaire.
Before that, though, it was time to celebrate. Racing’s newest millionaire had arrived – “in style,” as Boyce put it.
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