Backsideofthemoon posts career-best performance in Queens County S.

Backsideofthemoon rolled to a six-length win in Saturday’s $100,000 Queens County S., the second stakes win for the son of Malibu Moon who has now earned $722,216 in a career than includes nine top-three finishes in black type races.

Malibu Moon now has eight stakes winners this year, topped by Come Dancing’s win in the Honorable Miss S. (G2). A perennial leading sire, Malibu Moon now has 125 black type winners and is nearing $130 million in lifetime progeny earnings.

Backsideofthemoon wasted little time getting the lead in the 1 1/8-mile Queens County, taking the lead just after the break. Musical Heart chased in second through six furlongs in 1:13.17, when Backsideofthemoon began to pull away. He was unchallenged in the stretch to finish the time in 1:52.94. His Beyer Speed Figure of 106 is a career-best.

“All the credit goes to [owner] Mike [Repole]. We were going to scratch and run tomorrow,” trainer Rudy Rodriguez said. “I called Mike and he said, ‘You know what, Rudy? Just leave him there. I think he’ll be good in there.’ So, I have to give the credit to Mike. He plays the game very aggressively. We’ll see what he wants to do next out.”

Backsideofthemoon, who won the 2018 Jazil S., was bred in Kentucky by Doug Branham.