Stronach Stables' homebred Barracuda Boy remained unbeaten in 2006, pulling off a mild surprise in gate-to-wire fashion in Saturday's $150,400 Durham Cup Stakes (G3) at Woodbine.

At the finish of the 1 1/8 mile Polytrack affair, 4-1 second choice Barracuda Boy and jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson were 5 1/4 lengths the best over Sextet, in 1:50.49, knocking 1.16 seconds off the track record set two weeks ago by Shillelagh Slew (1.51.65 in the Ontario Derby on October 1) over Woodbine's new Polytrack surface.


11-1 shot Pellegrino finished a further 5 lengths back in third, while the heavy 1-2 favorite, Gouldings Green and jockey Corey Lanerie, who had shipped to Woodbine back on July 30 to capture the Seagram Cup before winning the Turfway Park Fall Championship, finished a disappointing fourth, 13 lengths behind the winner. It was the fifth win in a row this year for Barracuda Boy and Wilson has been aboard for all of them. The five-year-old gelded son of Unbrided's Song hadn't raced since August 20, when he scored by almost 5 lengths in a 1 1/16 mile allowance event while on the front end throughout.

Considering his first two races of the season came in $20,000 claimers, Barracuda Boy has scaled the ladder in a hurry in only his 10th lifetime start, after not making it to the races as a two and three-year-old. "It's a matter of confidence," said Wilson, celebrating her fifth added- money win of the season. "They come from a streak of wins where they get their confidence. This is a game of confidence and he was successful.

I was anticipating having some speed to stalk, but he broke sharp and put himself in his usual bowed neck position. Being on the front end, he relaxed for me and as we hit the backside, I was very content on where I was sitting."

Trainer Nick Gonzalez, who has conditioned Barracuda Boy for all of his races except his debut a year ago August, said, "He's not an easy horse to train because he's such a big, robust, good-feeling horse. You've got to have a good rider on him at all times. He takes his training real well, though. I wasn't really concerned about his fitness. I was more concerned maybe about him being accompanied on the front end or close to the front end. That might have taken a bit out of him, but he was pretty fit going into the race."

Results chart from DRF