by Pete Denk

Larry Jones and Gabriel Saez, trainer and jockey of the ill-fated Eight Belles, returned to the winner’s circle together after Hinkle Farms’ homebred Buy the Barrel won the $150,000 Allaire DuPont Distaff Stakes (G2) at Pimlico Race Course on Saturday.

“We know we had the protesters outside, and it’s kind of bittersweet for us,” said Jones. “It’s good to get back and be on the winning side and have everything work like it’s supposed to.

“[Eight Belles’ death] got to all of us a bit. I’m sure Gabriel wasn’t as aggressive. It’s hard to bounce back off something like that, but you have to. It’s like when you get thrown from a horse. You have to get back on him.”

The DuPont was the first graded stakes victory for Buy the Barrel, a four-year-old E Dubai filly out of Affordable Price, by Drouilly (Fr).

Saez and Buy the Barrel stalked the pace from third while taking both turns three wide. She passed front-running Bear Now inside the eighth pole and drew off to victory.

Lexi Star nipped Bear Now by a nose for second. Final time for 1 1/16 miles was 1:42.43 on a track rated as fast.

Jones said Buy the Barrel is coming into her own as a four-year-old.

“Something we’re very proud of in our program, normally our horses get better with age. We don’t beat them up at two,” Jones said. “As a two-year-old we felt like we had a very promising candidate, but she needed to be brought along slow, and thank goodness the owners knew that and gave us the opportunity to develop her and bring her along in the right kind of way.

"Now here she is four years old and she’s improving all the time.”

Buy the Barrel has won seven of 16 starts and earned $309,740. Jones said her next objective will be the $1-million Delaware Handicap (G2) at Delaware Park on July 13.

For an Equibase chart, click here. 

Pete Denk is sales editor of Thoroughbred Times