There was an unexpected duel early and a familiar duel late in the $75,000 Eddie Logan Stakes Dec. 29 at Santa Anita Park.
Racing behind dueling Jerry Hollendorfer-trained stablemates Magic Musketier and Choo Choo in ideal stalking positions early on, favored Inscom and second choice Pubilius Syrus took over in the stretch and battled on to the wire.
Just like when they met in a Sept. 30 maiden special weight event at Santa Anita, Holly and David Wilson's Pubilius Syrus just found enough to edge Kaleem Shah's Inscom, but this time the margin was a head (rather than a nose) and earned the 2-year-old Candy Ride colt his first stakes win.
"He runs hard every time," said jockey Kent Desormeaux, who also rode the Vladimir Cerin-trained colt to his maiden-breaking win and to a second-place effort behind runaway winner Analyze It in the Nov. 26 Cecil B. DeMille Stakes (G3T) at Del Mar. "We were loaded turning for home and he just kept after (Inscom). ... (It was a) very professional effort."
Magic Musketier had a head in front of Choo Choo and set fractions of :23.32, :46.89, and 1:10.88 through six furlongs, but the two favorites made wide moves in the final turn and the front-runners didn't appear to have much hope at the top of the lane. Inscom had a head in front of Choo Choo with a furlong to run, but could not hold off the outside closing drive of Pubilius Syrus, who finished off the mile test in 1:34.58 on firm turf.
Choo Choo held for third, 1 1/4 lengths behind the top two. Blended Citizen, Magic Musketier, Ayacara, Hardboot, and East Rand completed the order of finish.
Bred in Kentucky by Payson Stud, out of the grade 3-winning Pulpit mare Ruthenia, Pubilius Syrus now has a 2-1-1 record from six starts and $112,140 in earnings. He was a $140,000 purchase by the Wilsons at the 2016 Keeneland September yearling sale.
