Berks has made it easy for his backers at the mutuel windows to decide when to bet on him – he wins every other race.

    The 3-year-old First Dude gelding has raced eight times at five tracks, and has won four times; in outing No. 2 (at Pimlico), No. 4 (at Delaware Park), No. 6 (at Delaware) and No. 8 (yesterday, at Pimlico). 

  Jeiron Barbosa was aboard for yesterday’s wire-to-wire effort in a $59,970 allowance test at six furlongs. Berks, the even-money favorite, shot to the lead, fought off 5/2 Friar Tuck down the backstretch and into the turn, edged away heading into the stretch and held off the closers to score by nearly two lengths. Bred in Maryland by owner Jagger Inc., Berks is 4-1-2 in his eight starts with earnings of $129,100, and is First Dude’s top earner in 2022 with $126,570 in the bank. He raced the six furlongs in 1:11.21 and received an 81 ‘E’ speed figure.  

    With the $37,260 winner’s check for Berks, and runner-up finishes at Gulfstream Park by Fulton Street ($4,590) and Grandma’s Pudding ($10,640), First Dude’s progeny earnings for the year soared to $1,737,662.