The Eddington who didn't emerge during last year's Grade I classics finally appeared today. The chestnut son of Unbridled trumped a good field of handicap runners in the $500,000 Grade I Pimlico Special run at 1-3/16 miles over a sloppy main track on Friday.
Owned by Willmott Stables and trained by Mark Hennig, 2.60-1 second choice Eddington was the beneficiary of a quick early pace set by 4.40-1 fourth choice Presidentialaffair, who led into the stretch after going 23.25, 46.58, and 1:11.83 under Stewart Elliott but wilted as the horses raced to the wire. Eddington and jockey Eibar Coa bounded past the pacesetter after racing unhurried back in 6th down the backstretch, then 5.70-1 shot Pollard's Vision charged by the pacesetter as well to take the place. Presidentialaffair hung on to finish third over Funny Cide.
The winner, who won by 5-1/4 lengths, paid $7.20. He finished the 1-3/16th mile distance in 1:58.05 over a sloppy main track. The exacta returned $36 and the triple paid $186.60. The Pimlico Special is the first half of a Pimlico Special-Preakness Daily Double, which will be settled on Saturday.
"We had to worry about him last year because we couldn't get him to switch leads," said winning trainer Mark Hennig. "We had to give Eibar some instructions and I'm sure that they frustrated him, but he stuck with us and he's a perfect fit for this horse. This is a very prestigious race to win."
Eibar Coa, jockey of winner Eddington said, "This is a very tough horse to ride. He's a horse that's mentally young. Last time I got him upset by taking him back. He just wants to be happy. He handled the dirt well doing his own thing. In the stretch he just had another gear. Everybody saw how he finished."
Winning owner Peter Willmott said, "We all felt some frustration with this horse because he wouldn't show his true potential and it wasn't as much fun being frustrated all the time. Of course,. I'm not frustrated tonight and it's a lot of fun."
