IN a dramatic turnaround of form Stardom delivered at the right moment, proving too strong for rivals in the sixth running of the $3.75-million Winston “Fanna” Griffiths OD Classic at Caymanas Park on Sunday.

Conditioned by Gary Subratie and ridden by Dane Dawkins, Stardom just held off a fast-finishing I Love Birdie (Reyan Lewis) to win the Graded Stakes feature over 9½ furlongs (1,900m) by three quarters of a length.

It was a well-timed ride as Stardom settled in third going into the clubhouse turn and onto the main track, tracking Eye of the Tiger (Abigail Able) and Tia Maria (Tajay Suckoo). He maintained a steady gallop down the backstretch while Dawkins bided his time.

Approaching the distance, Stardom swept past rivals and hit the front full of running. He opened up in deep stretch and looked all over an easy winner. But inside the final furlong he began to shorten a bit.

Thankfully for the Subratie camp, Stardom had built enough of a buffer to hold off the late surge of I Love Birdie. Tia Maria finished third as the final time was recorded at 2:04.2 (25.3 x 50.1 x 1:15.3 x 1:43.4).

Tevin Foster should not be left of the celebration party as he rode a noticeable three winners in consecutive races on the nine-race card. He won aboard I Am Fred for trainer Jason DaCosta, Native Isle for trainer Phillip Lee, and Belleza Gris for trainer Patrick Lynch in the sixth, seventh, and eighth races, respectively.

Racing is to continue on Saturday.