Ron Sadler said he was “having a heart attack” as the field turned for home in the $100,000 Steady Growth Stakes on Sunday at Woodbine as his trainee RON’S GIZMO, the race’s big favourite, had a lot of work to do to get to the leaders.
The giant dark bay seven-year-old, a $25,000 claim by Sadler’s clients Linda Theil and Harri Hosein in June 2023, had worked his way up to the higher optional claiming levels and even ran third in the the 2023 Steady Growth. In 2024, the son of Giant Gizmo – Street Kid by the late Lemon Drop Kid came within a head of winning the Durham Cup Stakes (G3) so the move down to Ontario-sired races again was a perfect fit.
The scary stuff for Sadler and the owners came early in the 1 1/16 mile race, however, as jockey Rafael Hernandez had to check the gelding off heels into the first turn, relegating the pair back to the end of the field. Hernandez patiently let his big mount gather himself and then angled him wide, almost five-wide, heading into the backstretch. Up front, Maakwa and last year’s Steady Growth winner Secret Reserve were in a fierce pace battle, but they had also opened up many lengths on the field.
Into the stretch, Secret Reserve hung tough while the three-year-old No More Options charged to a short lead. Ron’s Gizmo had started his wide move and was motoring down the middle of the track. In the final yards, Ron’s Gizmo got up to nab Secret Reserve and No More Options for a half length win in 1:43.35 for a 91 Beyer Speed Figure, according to Daily Racing Form.
“Raffie told me he had a little trouble on the first turn,” said Sadler. “But Raffie didn’t panic, kept him to his job, and wow, down the lane.”
Sadler trained Ron’s Gizmo for breeder Kanny Ng for half a dozen races at the outset for the gelding’s career before Pat Parente took over as trainer in 2021. Late in 2022, Sadler, Hussein, and Theil claimed Ron’s Gizmo for $25,000 and the horse promptly won his return in June 2023.
Ron’s Gizmo had a variety of jockeys through his 2024 campaign, but ran well for everyone. The Steady Growth win was his eighth from 31 races and his earnings now top $373,000.
Sadler, who has been training horses since the mid 1980s, was honoured with the HBPA Ontario Award of Excellence in 2023. This year, Sadler won 13 of 59 starts and set a personal earnings mark of over $355,000.
Secret Reserve, trained by Mike Mattine for Stacey Van Camp and Carlo d’Amato, was a strong second in a season that saw him go winless in nine races. No More Options, owned by Mary Self, ended the local season with three wins in 10 races including the Lake Ontario Stakes. The $5,000 purchase has won five of 15 races and over $260,000. No More Options is a son of Frac Daddy and is trained by Zeljko Krcmar.
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