Arabian Lion Roars in Sir Barton Stakes

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Arabian Lion Roars in Sir Barton Stakes
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Photo: Anne M. Eberhardt
Arabian Lion captures the Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico Race Course

Arabian Lion  understood the assignment May 20 in the $99,000 Sir Barton Stakes at Pimlico Race Course. The son of Justify   led from start to finish over four other 3-year-olds in the 1 1/16-mile contest.

Guided by Hall of Famer John Velazquez, the chestnut colt sped through easy fractions of :24.47 for the first quarter and a half in :48.13 and crossed the wire in 1:41.13 ahead by four lengths. Bob LaPenta, e Five Racing Thoroughbreds, and Madaket Stables' Tapit's Conquest  and Fern Circle Stables and Magdalena Racing's Denington  were second and third, respectively, followed by Sheriff Ronnie , campaigned by Designated Hitters Racing, and Hamilton Smith's Feeling Woozy .

Arabian Lion, heavily favored, paid $2.80 to win for a $2 wager.

"I should have run him in the Preakness! I didn't think he could lose in the Lexington (Stakes, G3). I think that race helped him, and I wanted to give him one more time around two turns," trainer Bob Baffert said. "He is such a beautiful horse, a smaller version of Justify and I think he is just starting to wake up.

"What I saw today, in that time was impressive. The Belmont (Stakes, G1) will be a possibility for him."

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The Belmont, the third leg of the Triple Crown, is a 1 1/2-mile race June 10.

Arabian Lion's victory preceded tragedy for the Hall of Fame conditioner. Two races later, his sprinter Havnameltdown  was euthanized after suffering a catastrophic injury in the Chick Lang Stakes (G3).

Saturday's victory gave Baffert his fourth score in the Sir Barton and Velazquez his second.

"I wanted to keep his mind on running because he got to the stretch and started drifting out," Velazquez said. "He has changed a lot from two starts back when I rode him. It didn't seem like he wanted to go the two turns, he's a different horse from two starts back."

Saturday's win was the colt's first stakes win for owner Zedan Racing Stables since his debut win Oct. 9 at Santa Anita Park. The victory comes on the heels of a close runner-up finish behind First Mission  in the Lexington last month at Keeneland. A West Coast shipper, his other start this year was in the Robert B. Lewis Stakes (G3), where he set the pace and finished last of four behind to stablemate Newgate .

A son of the 2018 Triple Crown winner, out of the stakes-placed Unbound , he was bred in Kentucky by Bonne Chance Farm. Consigned by Hidden Brook last year to the Ocala Breeders' Sales Company's Spring Sale of 2-Year-Olds in Training, he sold to agent Gary Young for Zedan Racing Stables for $600,000.


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