Stakes winner CRONINTHEBARBARIAN put in a strong effort to finish runner-up, beaten just a nose, in Gulfstream Park West’s Pulpit S. Racing a mile on the turf, the 2-year-old colt bySTROLL broke from post two in this 12-horse field and stalked the pace early on about seven lengths off the lead. In behind horses as they turned for home, CRONINTHEBARBARIANforced his way through a narrow opening in the stretch to grab the lead and then dug in to battle another to the wire. Two races back, CRONINTHEBARBARIAN was a two-length winner of the $200,000 Kentucky Downs Juvenile and has now won or placed in four of five starts.
