Wild Catomine outfought Hot and Spicy and the favored Lexie Lou in a spirited three-way stretch run to capture the $137,992 Fury Stakes May 10 at Woodbine (VIDEO).
Trained by Mark Casse for owner John Oxley, Wild Catomine arrived at the seven-furlong Polytrack event for 3-year-old Ontario-bred fillies off of a winning debut April 19 in a seven-furlong maiden special weight.
The Fury is a key prep race for the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, which is slated for June 15.
Wild N Clever, sent to the lead by Emma-Jayne Wilson, set swift fractions of :22.35 and :44.52 as Wild Catomine, with Gary Boulanger up, sat just off her flank waiting to pounce.
Into the turn, Lexie Lou, with Patrick Husbands in the irons, made a menacing three-wide move, while Luis Contreras urged Hot and Spicy along the rail to join the front-runners at the top of the lane.
Wild Catomine edged clear of Wild N Clever as the field straightened away and then dug in bravely to fend off the advancing Hot and Spicy to earn a half-length victory with Lexie Lou just a head farther back in third. Wild Catomine covered seven furlongs in 1:22.42.
"I had a great trip. She broke good and I figured Emma (Wilson, on Wild N Clever) would be the speed, so I tracked her," said Boulanger. "She's worked in the morning beside horses and behind horses, so she's well-schooled that way. She showed a lot of class."
Wild Catomine, a bay daughter of Milwaukee Brew —Smart Catomine, by Smart Strike, bred by Anderson Farms Ont. and Rod Ferguson, banked $82,575 in victory. She remains unbeaten in two starts.
Wild Catomine was a $22,000 Keeneland November weanling purchase by Austin and Brenda Paul. The Pauls bought her out of the Anderson Farms consignment, then sold him to Casse for $111,529 through Cara Bloodstock at the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society 2012 Canadian-bred yearling sale.
Carrying 117 pounds, Wild Catomine returned $13, $6.80 and $3.90, pairing with Hot and Spicy ($5, $3.60) for a $53.20 exacta. Lexie Lou, the 121-pound high weight, paid $2.50 to show.
Wild Catomine (right) fights for the win in the Fury Stakes.
