Heavily favored Up With the Birds, driving to the lead in upper stretch, sprinted away from his rivals to register an impressive 2 3/4-length score in the $484,426 Breeders' Stakes to wrap up the 2013 Canadian Triple Crown.
MAHUBAH'S CORNER
Now the winner of four consecutive races, Strait of Dover not only went gate to wire to defeat Irish Mission but set a new Woodbine track record of 2:01.99 for the Polytrack surface.
Luis Contreras will attempt to become the first jockey to win all three jewels of Canada's Triple Crown with different horses when he rides Pender Harbour in the $500,000 Breeders' Stakes on the Woodbine turf Aug. 7.
Stormy Lord, who notched his first stakes score in the Toronto Cup, will get a distance test when he faces a dozen 3-year-old rivals in the $500,000 Breeders' Stakes on the Woodbine turf course Aug. 15.
Gallant outfought the favored filly Milwaukee Appeal for a hard-earned nose victory July 12 in the $429,350 Prince of Wales Stakes, the second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown at Fort Erie.
Emma-Jayne Wilson became the first female jockey to win the Queen's Plate in 148 editions when she guided 15-1 shot Mike Fox to a late-running half-length victory in the first leg of the Canadian Triple Crown at Woodbine Sunday.
Wando, who swept Canada's Triple Crown of Thoroughbred racing in 2003, was retired Thursday morning because of a leg injury.
There won't be a Canadian triple crown winner in 2004, but a good rivalry has emerged in its absence after A Bit O'Gold turned the tables on Queen's Plate winner Niigon by a head in the $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes on sloppy going at Fort Erie Sunday.
Ontario-bred Wando became the first horse in 10 years to sweep Canada's Triple Crown Saturday, overcoming trouble to register a 1 1/2-length victory in the $500,000 Breeders' Stakes for 3-year-olds on the turf at Woodbine.
Seven horses will try to end Wando's bid for the Canadian Triple Crown as they contest Saturday's Breeders' Stakes at Woodbine.
Fourteen horses are expected to compete in Sunday's Queen's Plate at Woodbine. Some of the runners had their final workouts Wednesday, including Shaws Creek.
The $500,000 Prince of Wales Stakes, second leg of the Canadian Triple Crown, will highlight a $1.9-million stakes schedule at Fort Erie Race Track this season.
Sweetest Thing earned her third victory in four career starts and her first stakes win in taking Saturday's Breeders Stakes at Woodbine by 7 1/2 lengths over Flaming Sky, a maiden Sky Classic colt.
Bits and pieces from around the industry
Scatter the Gold's bid to follow in his mother's footsteps by sweeping the Canadian Triple Crown fell a little over three lengths short Saturday as the Sam-Son Farm's homebred finished third in the $500,000 Breeders' Stakes at Woodbine. The Todd Pletcher-trained Lodge Hill earned the win, completing the 1 1/2-mile turf race, run over firm turf, in 2:28.97.
Sam-San Farm's Scatter the Gold was installed as the 4-5 morning-line favorite to win the Breeders' Stakes Saturday at Woodbine. A win over the six other 3-year-olds entered in the 1 1/2-mile turf race would earn son of Mr. Prospector a sweep of the Canadian Triple Crown, duplicating the feat of his mother, 1991 Canadian Triple Crown winner Dance Smartly.
