By far the longest shot on the board June 5 in the $200,000 Connaught Cup Stakes (Can-IIT), Riverside Bloodstock's Dimension provided the stunner of the day at Woodbine.
Video: Connaught Cup S. (G2T)
After a slow start in the seven-furlong turf sprint, the 8-year-old Medicean gelding was still able to stay within striking distance early, rallied in the middle of the track in the stretch, and outfinished last-out graded stakes winner Passion for Action to win by a half-length. Bye Bye Bernie completed the trifecta, another length back.
The Canadian champion sprinter of 2015, Stacked Deck, broke well and set the pace, setting fractions of :24.15 and :46.83 through a half-mile. Dimension put a head in front at the top of the stretch and never relented, battling with Passion for Action through six furlongs in 1:09.66 before hitting the wire in 1:21.84 under jockey David Moran.
Moran got a good indication Dimension might be ready to run during a recent training session.
"He has good back class. He was a proper horse a couple of seasons ago and seemed to lose his way a little bit, but (trainer) Conor (Murphy) asked him to take him out the other day for a jog--two miles," Moran said. "I got one mile in, got scared, and had to gallop him for a while. He was going to buck me off. He really felt good."
Dimension's last graded win came back in the 2013 Play the King (Can-IIT). His last victory was a score in the 2014 Kentucky Downs Turf Dash, which he followed with six straight off-the-board finishes.
"He loves it up here with the European style turf course, but he hasn't had a lot of luck in this race," Murphy said. "Two years ago, he stumbled out of the gate and never got into it, and last year it rained heavily a couple of hours before the race and he really needs quick ground."
The winner paid $42.70, $8.80, and $8.90 across the board. Passion for Action brought $3.50 and $4.30, and By Bye Bernie delivered $6.70 to show.
Glenville Gardens and Stacked Deck completed the order of finish.
Dimension has a 6-6-1 record from 32 starts with $467,539 in earnings.
