CT: Cabin Creek Zeke “most ready” in first 2yo race
Overcomes troubled start for easy win
Ted Black
July 13, 2026
Heading into the first Charles Town juvenile race of the year July 10, trainer Anthony Farrior felt confident that he had the best runner in the group. The public thought so, too, making Cabin Creek Zeke the solid even-money favorite after his potential main threat, Jack Carson, was a late scratch.
But Farrior, jockey Jeiron Barbosa, owner Conroy Thoroughbreds (Joseph Conroy), and Cabin Creek Zeke’s backers had more than a few anxious moments when the gates opened. Away a step slow between horses, Cabin Creek Zeke was bounced from both sides before leaving the chute and for several strides he was the trailer. In 4 1/2-furlong races contested around one turn over the Charles Town bullring, such starts typically spell doom.
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As longshots Stettie Hayesen, Puff Puff Goose and A Notable Nature — the lone filly in the field — battled for command leaving the chute and down the backside, Cabin Creek Zeke overcame his rough beginning to launch a rally toward the inside entering the far turn, working his way to the fence.
Rounding the turn, Puff Puff Goose drifted out, carrying his pace rivals with him and providing an inviting opening for Cabin Creek Zeke. Cabin Creek Zeke slipped through along the rail inside the furlong pole and, despite running on the wrong lead, edged clear to a three-length score while stopping the timer in 52.78 for the one-turn dash distance.
“I’ve been there for his last couple of works, and he acted like he was ready to run,” Farrior said. “I was certain that he was fit and he’s a smart horse. I was considering [gelding] him a week or two ago, but when it looked like this race was going to go, I decided against it.”
Cabin Creek Zeke had displayed steady improvement in his morning workouts and fired a four-furlong bullet of 47 1/5 seconds from the gate last month. In fact, his steady work pattern gave Farrior confidence that the colt could win at first asking. But he also insists that while Cabin Creek Zeke is the readiest of his freshmen right now, he likely has one considerably better.
“Of my two-year-olds, he was the one most ready to run right now,” Farrior said. “If you follow my operation, you know my good ones go to Laurel and the other ones run here at Charles Town. I mean, he’s likely going to get [gelded] next week and then it will be six or eight weeks until his first stakes here. But I have a two-year-old filly at Laurel that’s probably 10 lengths better than he is. So, we’ll see when her time comes.”
Aintgottimeforthat, a state-bred juvenile son of Juba trained by Kristy Petty for owner-breeder and son, Allen W. Casey, overcame a similar start and rallied late to finish second in a promising debut for his connections. Stettie Hayesen forced the pace widest of all early down the backside and through the far turn and lasted for third for trainer Ronald Sigler, while stablemate A Notable Nature finished fourth on debut while facing boys.
Cabin Creek Zeke paid $4.20 to win and topped an exacta that returned $11 for a buck.
Cabin Creek Zeke is by Highly Motivated, a Grade 3-winning son of Into Mischief. He is out of the unraced Cairo Prince mare Coffee Pub and was bred in West Virginia by O’Sullivan Farms LLC.
“I’m happy for the owner,” Farrior said of Joseph Conroy. “He’s been a good client of mine for a long time. I believe he only paid about $20,000 for the horse.”
The next two-year-old races in the Charles Town condition book are slated for July 23 for state-bred fillies and July 24 for state-breds. On July 30 and August 1, the track offers baby races not restricted to state-breds.
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