Taliano Takes Barretts Juvenile

When the 2-year-old colt Taliano worked five furlongs at Fairplex Park on Sept. 15, the clockers caught him in a sharp one minute flat.

Jack Van Berg, Taliano’s trainer timed him even faster, in 59 3/5 seconds.

“I thought there might have been something wrong with my watch,” Van Berg said. “But then I always felt that this colt had a lot of talent.”

Taliano, ridden by Danny Sorenson, backed up that workout Sunday at the Pomona track, winning the $100,000 Barretts Juvenile by three lengths. Elan, the odds-on favorite, couldn’t hold the lead in the stretch and finished second. Charmer Baron was third in the five-horse field.

Taliano’s victory meant that both of the weekend’s stakes for 2-year-olds were won by maidens. Saturday’s Barretts Debutante winner, Last Kiss, had not won in two previous starts.

Taliano, who paid $17.80 for $2, had run only once before, finishing fifth at Del Mar on Aug. 31. Mike Smith rode him that day.

Van Berg’s horse gave Sorenson his second consecutive win in the Juvenile. The 44-year-old jockey, who won three races at Fairplex on opening day, won last year’s stake with Sweet Stepper, who was a 15-1 shot.

The run around the first turn Sunday was marred by Love When You City, who came out and forced Elan wide. Sorenson was sitting behind the two troubled horses.

“When that happens on this bullring,” Sorenson said, “the best thing you can do is stay inside, because the horses’ centrifugal force will carry them to the outside.”

Paying $52,000, Van Berg bought Taliano at the Barretts sale of unraced 2-year-olds at Fairplex in May. For the same owners, Joe and Lola Sample, he also paid $20,000 to buy another colt, You Crack Me Up, who finished off the board in his debut in Sunday’s fourth race.

“We had looked at [Taliano] and liked him,” Van Berg said. “But when the bidding started, I couldn’t get a hold of Joe on the phone to check with him. When I finally reached him and said what we had paid for the two, he said that I better not buy any more.”

Taliano is a Kentucky-bred son of Rubiano, winner of the Eclipse Award for best sprinter in 1992, and the Clever Trick mare Shes A Calling. Sunday’s win was worth $55,000. The time for 6 1/2 furlongs was 1:17 1/5.

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Finality, ridden by John Velazquez, beat Union Place by one length in the $200,000 Jamaica Handicap at Belmont Park. Finishing third under Kent Desormeaux was favored Chiselling, who was trapped behind horses in midstretch. Finality, who has won four of five grass starts at Belmont and is winless in four turf races at other tracks, paid $21.... Bonapaw, winner of Saturday’s Vosburgh at Belmont, is not eligible for the $1-million Breeders’ Cup Sprint at Arlington Park on Oct. 26. The owners of the 6-year-old gelding, James and Richard Dennis, said they might take on a partner for the one race if someone would be willing to pay the $200,000 supplementary fee that’s needed to run. First place in the race is worth $520,000.