Making his second start after placing in his Maiden Special Weight debut at Churchill in June,CRONINTHEBARBARIAN powered away to take this 5 1/2-furlong Maiden Special Weight on the turf at Ellis Park by 4 3/4 lengths. Bumped by another breaking from the inside post, the 2-year-old colt by STROLL found himself next to last in the early going. He recovered and steadily made up ground on the inside. CRONINTHEBARBARIAN swung out in the turn and by the time they reached the top of the stretch, had collared the frontrunner and then drew away for the final margin of victory. A homebred for Rick Pitino, Rick Avare, and Tom Healy’s Ol Memorial Stable, the colt out of the Tale of the Cat mare, Sweet Ober Melissa, is trained by Garry Simms.
