Vineyard Haven wins De Francis Dash in the slop

LAUREL, Md. (AP) — Vineyard Haven has won the Frank J. De Francis Memorial Dash over a sloppy track at Laurel Park, the colt's first win in more than a year.

Ridden by Alan Garcia, the 3-year-old Vineyard Haven found running room on the inside and took the lead in deep stretch Saturday to win by a half length over Ravalo.

The winning time for the six-furlong, Grade 1 race was 1:09.62. Vineyard Haven paid $3.60 on a $2 win bet.

Vineyard Haven, who won two Grade 1 races last year, was the 4-5 favorite in the eight-horse field. Fleet Valid was third, followed by Sacred Journey, Ah Day, Peace Chant, Roaring Lion and True Quality.

Vineyard Haven finished first in the King's Bishop at Saratoga in his previous start but was disqualified for interference and placed second.