IT took seven tries, but Round The Twist finally figured out the winning post.

The four-year-old chestnut colt broke his maiden Saturday, June 20, 2026 with the kind of performance that makes trainers believe the wait was worth it.

Going 7½ furlongs (1,500m), Round The Twist, trained by Alford Brown and ridden by Raddesh Roman, didn’t just win — he dominated.

He crossed the line 7½ lengths clear of Modern Monarch (Tevin Foster) and Drop Off (Tajay Suckoo) in 1:35.3, slicing fractions of 24.1, 48.0, 1:14.2, 1:28.2 along the way.

The race told a story of maturity. He broke well from the gate and settled in third down the backstretch, tracking
Prince Zayden with Shane Richardson up, and Drop Off. No panic, no wasted energy, just a colt learning his job.

The move came at the six-furlong (1,200m) marker when Round The Twist slid into second, then pounced.

Approaching the half-mile turn at 800m, Roman let him roll and he hit the front full of running, and from there it was “smooth sailing”, as the chart callers like to say.

In deep stretch he turned the pressure on again, cruising under the wire with ears pricked, a maiden no more.

— Ruddy Allen