Ridden by Victor Carrasco for trainer Arnaud Delacour, Eons ($16.80) was running in the Prince George’s County for the third straight year. He was third behind multiple graded-stakes winner Pixelate in 2021 and finished second by a nose in 2022 but was promoted to the win following the disqualification of first-place finisher English Tavern for interference.

“It means a lot, especially with a 7-year-old that’s been with us since he was 2. It’s wonderful. He’s a tough horse,” Delacour said. “He got going early and he kept going.”

Royal Patronage, Pao Alto’s Graham Motion-trained stablemate and himself a Group 2 and 3 winner in England, broke alertly from his inside post and was in front around the first turn after going the opening quarter-mile in 23.97 seconds over an Exceller turf course rated good, with Beacon Hill to his outside and Eons in the clear three wide in third.

The running order went unchanged after a half-mile in 48.21 when Beacon Hill started to drop back and Eons moved up to challenge the leader midway around the far turn Six furlongs went in 1:11.29 when Eons took the lead but was soon joined by Pao Alto, a Group 2 winner in Qatar and Group 3 winner in France, on the far outside.

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Eons and Pao Alto hooked up in mid-stretch and powered to the finish together, with Pao Alto forging a short lead inside the sixteenth pole before Eons battled back on the inside to prevail in a photo finish. It was 2 ¼ lengths back to Sky’s Not Falling in third, with Royal Patronage and Beacon Hill completing the order of finish. Camp Hope, Royne and Tiz the Bomb were scratched.

Bred in Kentucky, Eons began his 2023 campaign running seventh in a 1 1/16-mile allowance April 7 at Keeneland, his first start in six months. He entered the Prince George’s County off back-to-back efforts over the Laurel turf, finishing second to Sky’s Not Falling going a mile May 6 and third to stablemate Doctor Davis June 17, both as the favorite.

“He was supposed to run at Turfway Park just to set him up for Keeneland. That didn’t happen because the race didn’t go, so we went to Keeneland a little short,” Delacour said. “He ran OK, but he needed the race and he’s been improving ever since.”

By Giant’s Causeway out of the Hansel mare Golden Antigua, Eons now has eight wins, three seconds and two thirds and surpassed $600,000 in purse earnings from 28 starts. Prior stakes victories have come in the 2022 Bensalem, 2021 Buckland and 2019 Kent (G3) and Stanton.

In the Big Dreyfus, Sparkle Blue and jockey Jorge Ruiz cruised to a 2 1/4-length victory. A Grade 3 winner, Sparkle Blue, owned by Catherine Park and Augustin Stable and trained by Graham Motion, now has five wins from 11 outings and more than $475,000 in the bank. She is trained by Graham Motion.

Hybrid Eclipse defended her title in the the Caesar’s Wish, the only stake of the day on the main track. Under jockey Joe Rocco, Jr., the Brittany Russell trainee was up late to win a three-horse photo, with last-out Obeah Stakes winner Award Wanted and Intrepid Daydream in third. The three were covered by just three parts of a length. Hybrid Eclipse is owned by The Elkstone Group LLC.