Tommy Danzigger, ridden by Pedro Alvarado, won the $300,000 Canadian Derby (Can-III) Aug. 22 in an 8-1 surprise at Northlands Park in Edmonton, Alberta.
Edgar B. Smith owns Tommy Danzigger, who registered his first graded stakes win for trainer Robert Gilker.
The British Columbia-bred son of High Demand is based at Hastings Park, where he won the restricted British Columbia Stellar's Jay Stakes in front-running style by two lengths in his last start Aug. 3. The bay gelding improved his career mark to 3-3-2 in nine starts.
Tommy Danzigger stalked the early pace of Theglow before taking over before completing a half-mile in the 1 3/8-mile event. With three furlongs to run, he led Scorewithcater by three lengths but needed to buckle down in the stretch run to win by 1 1/2 lengths over Scorewithcater. The late-running It Happened Again ran on for third, seven lengths in front of the favored Stylish Citizen.
The final time was 2:23 following fractions of :49.80 for a half-mile, 1:16.20 for six furlongs and 1.42.40 for a mile.
"He broke real well, and I knew that the horse that broke on top hadn't faced the kind of horses he was running against today, so I just let him go for the first part," Alvarado told Daily Racing Form. "Once I made the lead, I had a lot of horse the whole way and I kept looking back waiting for another horse to come after him. Finally, I just turned him loose, and he really took off."
Thomas Newton Bell and Ross John McLeod bred Tommy Danzigger. Out of the General Meeting mare Freedom Meeting, he sold for $12,353 as a yearling at the Canadian Thoroughbred Horse Society 2007 Summer Mixed Sale (British Columbia Division).
He defeated 11 rivals in the Canadian Derby and paid $19.30, $9 and $7.10. Scorewithcater returned $4.90 and $4.10 and completed a $2 exacta worth $98.90. It Happened Again was $4.90 to show.
Stylish Citizen, Bronze Barbarian, Quiet Approach, Mr. Shadar, Theglow, Cool Diablo, Crowned Royal, Tease the Tiger and Almost Time completed the order.