Luis Contreras

Left a Message Delivers in Flaming Page

Left a Message made her first trip to Woodbine a memorable one by earning her first stakes score in Wednesday’s $101,200 Flaming Page Stakes, at Woodbine. Trained by Tom Proctor for owner Glen Hill Farm, the grey daughter of Mr. Greeley arrived at the 1 1/2-mile turf stake off a narrow neck loss at Arlington […]

Five Iron Wires Toronto Cup

Five Iron made every pole a winning one to capture Saturday’s $127,750 Toronto Cup, at Woodbine. Five Iron, a chestnut son of Sharp Humor trained by Brian Lynch, came into the 1 1/8-mile turf stake off a front-running score in the Victoria Park Stakes and found that same style to be a winning one in […]

Five Iron Goes Gate to Wire in Victoria Park

Five Iron took command out of the gate and would not be denied a front-running victory in Sunday’s $153,300 Victoria Park Stakes, at Woodbine. Five Iron, trained by Robert Martin for Fred Allor, came into the 1 1/8-mile ‘Poly’ event off of a third-place finish in the Marine Stakes, a neck behind Victoria Park rival […]

Langstaff Remains Unbeaten with Bold Ruckus Triumph

Langstaff, ridden energetically by Luis Contreras, collared pacesetters Click and Skyrish near the shadow of the wire to take the co-featured $125,800 Bold Ruckus Stakes Saturday at Woodbine. It certainly didn’t look like Langstaff, a son of Saffir, would make it in time, as favoured Click and Skyrish were engaged in a bitter stretch-long duel […]

Delightful Mary Makes the Grade in Hendrie

Delightful Mary rallied from off the pace to earn her first graded win in Saturday’s $150,000 Grade 3 Hendrie Stakes, at Woodbine. The five-year-old daughter of Limehouse, trained by Mark Casse for owner John C. Oxley, came into the Hendrie off a 15-month layoff, but showed no signs of rust surging to the lead in […]

Pyrite Mountain Scales New Heights in Wando

Pyrite Mountain, ridden by Luis Contreras for trainer Mark Frostad, announced his Queen’s Plate intentions by outbattling John Oxley’s Uncaptured in the $100,000 Wando Stakes Sunday at Woodbine. Sent postward the 7-2 second choice behind 2-5 Uncaptured, Canada`s Horse of the Year in 2012 for trainer Mark Casse, Pyrite Mountain was content to lag behind […]

Thoroughbred Racing Begins Saturday at Woodbine

The 2013 live Thoroughbred racing season begins Saturday at Woodbine, the first of 133 programs slated for the year. A total of 87 horses were entered Wednesday for the Opening Day 10-race card, which begins at 1:00 p.m., highlighted by the featured $150,000 Star Shoot Stakes, at six furlongs for three-year-old fillies at 4:36 pm. […]

Casse and Contreras Defend Their Titles and Wise Dan Wows

There were familiar names on top of the leaderboard at the end of Sunday’s huge 13-race season-ending card at Woodbine, a campaign that saw plenty of stellar performances on both the main track and E.P. Taylor Turf Course, including a resounding score by a potential U.S. Horse of the Year. Mark Casse recorded his sixth […]

A ‘Quality’ Performance Wins Display

Avie’s Quality sat off the early pace of Clearly Now, before launching an impressive move to capture Saturday’s $150,800 Display Stakes, at Woodbine. The dark bay son of Elusive Quality-Fly for Avie, trained by Josie Carroll for owner Ivan Dalos, entered the Display Stakes off an emphatic five-length maiden score on November 14. Hey You […]

Blue Heart All Heart in Jammed Lovely

Luis Contreras picked up his fifth win on the card, piloting Blue Heart to a narrow score in Saturday’s $150,000 Jammed Lovely Stakes, at Woodbine. Contreras won with five of his eight mounts on the afternoon, having his pictured snapped with Inclusa (Race 1), Run in Aruba (Race 3), Consolidator Joe (Race 4) and Mount […]

Leinan Rallies to Glorious Song score

Leinan sat off the swift early pace of favoured Mechaya, before launching a smart rally to take Sunday’s $155,500 Glorious Song Stakes, at Woodbine. Leinan, trained by Josie Carroll and ridden by Luis Contreras, relaxed in the early running as Mechaya opened up a six-length lead down the backstretch. Following splits of :22.12 and :45 […]

Atlantic Hurricane has a Passion for the Ontario Fashion

Atlantic Hurricane, a chestnut daughter of Halo’s Image, took her second consecutive Ontario Fashion Stakes crown, nosing out a gutsy Youcan’tcatchme in Sunday’s Grade 3, $155,500 feature at Woodbine. The five-year-old mare, under Luis Contreras, came into the six-furlong event off a fifth-place finish, as the favourite, in the Avowal Stakes (seven furlongs on the […]

Post Positions for Breeders’ Cup

Six Woodbine-based horses are among the final entries for the 29th Breeders’ Cup World Championships, set for Santa Anita Park, in Arcadia, California, this Friday, November 2, and Saturday, November 3. Post-positions and morning-line odds for Delegation (Post 2, Dirt Mile), Dynamic Sky (Post 6, Juvenile), Pool Play (Post 1, Classic), Spring in the Air […]

Pender Harbour Repeats in Bunty Lawless

Pender Harbour was an impressive repeat winner of Sunday’s $126,200 Bunty Lawless Stakes, at Woodbine. The four-year-old chestnut, trained by Mike De Paulo and once again partnered by regular rider Luis Contreras, captured two-thirds of the Canadian Triple Crown last year en route to being named Canada’s outstanding three-year-old horse. Pender Harbour stalked the early […]

Wise Dan, Cityscape Top Ricoh Woodbine Mile

Morton Fink’s Wise Dan and Juddmonte Farms’ Cityscape headline a solid field of nine for Sunday’s Grade 1, $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile. The 16th edition of one of the premier grass races in North America will be televised live across Canada on The Score in a special two-hour presentation from 4:00 pm – 6:00 […]