The Jason DaCosta-conditioned four-year-old chestnut colt Runaway Star continued his successful rehabilitation on Saturday, November 7, 2026, securing his third lifetime victory from eight starts.
Contesting a five-furlong round event designed for locally bred four-year-old and upward non-winners of three (incorporating imported counterparts of the same classification), the son of Northern Giant out of Runaway Gal demonstrated renewed focus under jockey Tevin Foster.
Runaway Star once again tested the patience of the gate handlers before reluctantly stepping into stall number six. This pre-race antics mirrored his October 31 outing where, sent off as the heavy 4-5 favourite, he blew any realistic winning chance right at the jump with a sluggish departure.
Saturday proved a different narrative.
Belying his customary tardiness, Runaway Star sprung cleanly from the barriers, settling comfortably in third flank behind the pace-setting duel involving Margarita (guided by Raddesh Roman) and Sparkling Fire (under Richie Shakes). As the field approached the bend, Margarita successfully shrugged off her early challenger to turn for home holding a narrow advantage.
Tevin Foster maintained a cool tactical reserve aboard Runaway Star, initiating his decisive challenge approaching the two-and-a-half-furlong marker. As heads turned for the homestretch, the race materialized into a two-ply duel between Margarita on the inside and Runaway Star launching his bid from the outside.
The DaCosta trainee steadily wore down the leader inside the final furlong as Margarita began to tire, while Almasty List (ridden by Garvin Harris) flashed late to snatch second, leaving a fading Margarita to settle for third.
The winner completed the five-furlong round journey in a sluggish final clocking of 1:02.0, carved out by splits of 24.1 and 48.1, hitting the wire separated by margins of one and a half lengths and a half-length.
A retrospective glance at Runaway Star's eight-race career reveals a series of fascinating events.
After shedding his maiden tag at the seven-furlong distance in his second lifetime outing, he quickly doubled his tally over the same trip. His trajectory then hit a controversial peak when he crossed the finish line first in the classic prep, the Prince Consort Stakes, only to suffer disqualification.
That setback was compounded by a runner-up performance followed by yet another disqualification in The Kingston.
That May 4, 2025 appearance in The Kingston marked the abrupt end of his campaign as injuries forced a lengthy racing hiatus. Following an absence spanning over a year and a half, Runaway Star was readied for a return on September 27, only for the sport's cruel unpredictability to strike again as the designated rider fell.
Since returning to active competition, the colt has wasted no time making up for lost time, carding three subsequent starts that yielded two impressive victories, first sprinting four furlongs and now conquering the tricky five-furlong round circuit.
