BALTIMORE – WinStar Farm, China Horse Club and SF Racing’s New York Central, racing at his favorite distance, scooted through an opening along the rail and drew off to a 1 ¾-length triumph in Saturday’s $150,000 ClearSpan Maryland Sprint (G3) at Pimlico Race Course.

The 33rd running of the six-furlong Maryland Sprint for 3-year-olds and up was the first of five graded-stakes, and nine stakes overall, worth $2.8 million in purses on a 14-race program highlighted by the 144th Preakness Stakes (G1), the Middle Jewel of the Triple Crown.

In earning his first career stakes win, New York Central ($6.60) completed the distance in 1:08.74 over a fast main track to break the previous stakes record of 1:09.07 set by Forest Wildcat in 1996.

It was the third straight Maryland Sprint win for jockey Ricardo Santana Jr., following Switzerland in 2018 and Whitmore in 2017. New York Central is trained by Hall of Famer Steve Asmussen, who also saddled Switzerland.

Multiple-stakes winner Lewisfield was pressed on the lead to his outside by Wentz, going a quarter-mile in 22.65 seconds and a half in 44.84, while Santana was unhurried in fourth. Proforma came widest of all to join the fray on the far turn, but New York Central had room along the rail to surge to the lead as Proforma put away a stubborn Lewisfield, who finished third for the second straight year.

New York Central was racing for the third time since finishing second at odds of 31-1 in the 2018 Pat Day Mile (G3). He won his comeback in February at Oaklawn Park, improving his record at six furlongs to 3-0, and was most recently fifth in the seven-furlong Commonwealth (G3) April 6 at Keeneland.

$150,000 ClearSpan Maryland Sprint (G3) Quotes

WinStar Farm’s Elliott Walden (Co-owner, New York Central): “He had a little bit of an issue after the Pat Day Mile behind, so we turned him out and were real patient with him and it’s paid off. He’s come back great and Steve felt like this was a perfect spot for him. He did a great job. I think he’s a one-turn horse. He ran very well in the Pat Day Mile to be second at a mile around one turn. The way he was able to just sit behind the pace and then kick like he did, they ran fast, so it was a big race.”

(Met Mile? ) “Probably not coming back in three weeks after running hard like this. But maybe something in Saratoga, maybe those Grade 1s up there would be something to shoot for.”

Ricardo Santana Jr. (Winning jockey, New York Central): “We got a clean break. That's what we were worried about, because sometimes he doesn't break. He broke pretty good today, and I just had patience that the rail would open. I know my horse. He's a fighter and he'll go through. As soon as I asked him, he went on through. I had plenty of horse at the three-eighths [pole]. I just wanted to have plenty of patience to make the right move. I didn't want to move too early. This is a long stretch. I just had to have a little patience, and thanks God we took the win."