CARSON’S RUN, owned by West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey, rallied from last place in the field of nine, stormed down the outside to put away the front-running My Boy Prince for an emphatic 2¼-length tally in Saturday’s $500,000 bet365 Summer Stakes (G1T) over one mile of turf at Woodbine.
Sporting Bouchey’s brand new blue-and-white with a horseshoe silks, jockey Dylan Davis helped guide Carson’s Run to his first stakes win and earn a fees-paid berth in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf, a one-mile race which will be run this year at Santa Anita on November 3.
The Summer was delayed for some time as favoured MY BOY PRINCE had to return to the paddock for a shoe repair. The Ontario-bred owned by Gary Barber was coming off a 14-length romp here in the restricted Simcoe Stakes, and set the pace once underway, cutting out fractions of :23.46, :47.10 and 1:11.32 while racing on the inside. The steel-grey colt could not quite contain the winner’s rally and had to settle for second money as the 9-5 favourite.
Carson’s Run, a debut winner on turf at Saratoga and most recently second by half a length in the Grade 3 With Anticipation, is a son of Cupid – Hot N Hectic, by Henny Hughes.
“He did very well there because he saved all the ground he could and then when he angled him out at the quarter pole, we had to come wide obviously, but that way you don’t get any traffic,” said Christophe Lorieul, assistant to Carson’s Run’s conditioner Christophe Clement. “He had a clear run from quarter pole to the wire and he really showed what he is today.”
Go for Gusto, one of two fillies in the field, gave trainer Mark Casse a two-three finish in the Summer, also coming from the backfield to finish a half-length behind her stablemate.
Tunechi ran fourth, another 1 ¼ lengths back, with Souper Attentive, Western Whirl, and King of the Track the fifth- through seventh-place finishers. Souper Attentive and King of the Track also hail from the Casse barn.
Airosa, who along with Go for Gusto was also entered in the Natalma Stakes, was sent off as the 5-2 second choice. Trained by Kevin Attard, Airosa appeared to be well-placed under jockey John Velasquez but emptied out on the final turn and ended eighth, outfinishing only stablemate Bucyk. Bolt Enoree and Golden Canary were cross-entered in the Natalma Stakes (G1T) and were scratched.
Finishing in 1:35.70 for an 80 Beyer Speed Figure over a course rated “good,” Carson’s Run returned $8.60 as the third choice.
“He is a great ride; I’ve ridden him all three starts,” said Davis. “His last start, he got a little intimidated being in between horses. I thought he could have done a better job in there, but he is still learning.
“Today, we wanted to go with the outside route and keep a clear trip on him. We saved all the ground going into the turn – nice real big turn here – and he was able to get it done.”
Carson’s Run was a $170,000 purchase in Ocala this January after being purchased as a yearling for $67,000 at the 2022 Fasig Tipton Summer yearling sale. He was also a $35,000 ‘short’ yearling purchase by Pick View from breeder Frankfort Park Farm in Kentucky.
The Summer winner is the first foal for Hot N Hectic, a winner once in six races. Second dam Wicked Wish, a two-time winner, is the dam of the millionaire Rated R Superstar, a multiple Grade 3 stakes winner of 13 races.
The Clement barn was winning its second Summer Stakes, having captured the 2019 renewal with Decorated Invader.
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SHE FEELS PRETTY, owned by Lael Stables and trained by Cherie DaVaux, stormed to a big win in the Johnnie Walker Natalma Stakes (G1) to also earn a berth to the Breeders’ Cup World Championships. The two-year-old filly by Karakontie (Jpn) – Summer Sweet, by More Than Ready, provided trainer DeVaux with her first Grade 1 victory.
The Natalma, a $500,000 turf race contested over one mile of grass, is part of the Breeders’ Cup Challenge Series and gives the winner a fees-paid berth in the $1 million Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies Turf. That Grade 1 one-mile event will be run at Santa Anita on November 3.
“I was very confident, I got to say she was feeling very confident,” said Velazquez. “I made sure I put her in a good position behind Dylan Davis [rider of Ozara], a horse that could take me a little way down. When we turned for home, I moved her to the clear and her ears went up and I said, ‘Wow, look at this.’ I went after her and she instantly responded. The way she did it was very impressive.”
Colebrook Farms’ Simply in Front, the only non-winner in the 13-filly field, was well-placed throughout and ended a solid second at odds of just under 30-1.
English invader Dazzling Star, the 7-5 favourite to give trainer Charlie Appleby an eighth straight Grade 1 success at Woodbine and a third win in the Natalma, broke slowly and while she made up ground was never able to enter serious contention. The Godolphin homebred finished 2 ½ lengths behind the runner-up.
Ozara, looking to give the Christophe Clement barn a sweep of the day’s Grade 1 features for two-year-olds, raced prominently and appeared to be in with a big chance turning for home only to flatten out slightly and finish fourth.
Golden Canary ended fifth after setting fractions of :22.86, :47.01, and 1:11.81 before weakening.
Ready to Jam, Rhapsody, Bolt Enoree, Dea Matrona (FR), She’s Fire, Ms. Tart and Brocknardini rounded out the official order of finish.
Dancing Duchess had crossed the finish line in sixth place but was disqualified and placed 13th after the stewards found her guilty of causing interference to several rivals via a chain reaction at the eighth pole.
She Feels Pretty paid $18 as the third choice after completing the mile in 1:35.34, an 86 Beyer Speed Figure.
“I have been very confident with her, especially with her training at Saratoga,” said DeVaux. “Every single day that she has trained she physically matured, she mentally matured. She goes out there and you can’t tell that she is a two-year-old filly. She looks like she is one of the older fillies and more impressively just how she trains every single day she is happy to do it, it gave me the confidence going into this, especially taking this big step.”
She Feels Pretty, who was knocked down for $240,000 at the Keeneland yearling sale last September, was starting for just the second time after scoring by a neck in a 5 ½-furlong turf race at Ellis Park on July 16. She was bred by Payson Stud in Kentucky.
Her dam, Summer Sweet, won three of 22 races and $117,548 and this is her second foal. Her first foal, Lakeside Music, won her only race. Summer Sweet is a half-sister to to stakes winners Summer Breezing and Adirondack Summer.
~ with files from Bill Tallon for Woodbine Communications
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