WILMINGTON, DE – Mark Grier’s Eons fought hard in the stretch to eke out his fourth straight victory in his graded stakes debut, Saturday’s $200,000 Kent Stakes (G3) at Delaware Park.
Breaking from post 7 under Trevor McCarthy at 4/1 odds, Eons closely stalked early leader Award Winner through fractions of :24.98, :49.48, and 1:13.61. Sent two-wide after the pacesetter in the far turn, Eons drew alongside Award Winner midway through and straightened for home with a slim lead.
Sent postward as the even-money favorite, Award Winner refused to yield and fought back gamely along the rail. The two colts quickly separated themselves from the rest of the field as they battled noses apart. In the shadow of the wire, Eons was able to stick his neck ahead before stopping the clock in a final time of 1:49.26 for the 1 1/8-mile event over the firm turf course.
Despite being nailed late, Award Winner was 3 lengths clear of third-place finisher Surf and Turf, who necked out Critical Data for that placing. Empire of War, Solidify, and Sharetheblame completed the order of finish.
Aspect was a main track only entry, while He’s No Lemon and Shootin the Breeze were listed as trainer scratches.
Eons’ win was his fourth straight, having broken his maiden at Keeneland in April before taking an allowance at Pimlico in May and winning the $50,000 Stanton Stakes here last month. The 3-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway improved his career record to 6-4-0-0 with $229,165 earned for trainer Arnaud Delacour.
“He is getting better with each day – like good wine,” Delacour said. “We thought the added distance would help him and he proved it today. I would not be opposed to even running him in longer, but we will see what is available. Running him at Saratoga is definitely an option. After winning the Kent, you got to feel good about the fact we could step him up, which is something we will consider if the horse is well and he comes back okay.”
Eons returned $10.40 to win, $4 to place, and $2.80 to show. Award Winner brought back $2.60 to place and $2.20 to show, while Surf and Turf paid $6 to show.
