Horvath broke his maiden in his third start on June 4, drawing away by four lengths in a $32,900 maiden special weight at 4½ furlongs on a fast Charles Town main track.
The homebred gelding was seventh of eight at the start call, but Jeiron Barbosa sent him out of the chute and he had a 2½-length lead by the quarter in :22.28. He widened the margin around the turn, put three lengths on the field in the stretch, and drew away convincingly through a half in :45.91 and a final time of 52.33. Fox Creek pressed him from the inside and held second, Danzante Bay knifed inside a rival near the sixteenth marker and was all out to save the show, and 2.10-1 second choice Shawnpatrick stumbled at the break and gave way to finish seventh of eight.
The Phil Schoenthal trainee is now 1-1-1 from three starts with $29,414 earned, in the money every time and improving on figure across the three (60, 60, 69). All three have come at Charles Town over the same 4½-furlong configuration, and his final time has dropped in each: 53.80 on debut, 52.64 in May, 52.33 in the win. He carried 117 pounds against 126 on the older maidens he beat. Bred by HnR Nothhaft Horseracing, the Virginia-certified Kentucky-bred is by Munnings out of the Benchmark mare Randie’s Legend.