Woodbine’s leading rider of 2025 and Sovereign Award favourite for Outstanding Jockey RAFAEL HERNANDEZ had a super Friday and Saturday on the weekend, winning his first race of 2026 and then his first stakes race of the season.
Hernandez, who is riding at Fair Grounds racetrack this winter, zipped over to Sam Houston racetrack in Texas on Saturday to gave the four-year-old ANEGADA (Midshipman) a super ride to win the $200,000 John Connally Turf Cup on yielding turf for Three Diamonds Farm and trainer Mike Maker.
Patiently ridden by Hernandez through the 1 1/2 mile marathon, Anegada was allowed to settle off the pace in fifth early, saving ground along the rail, as Presider went to the lead. Country Caper and Ocelot tracked in second and third, with Nineeleventurbo in fourth, just ahead of Anegada as the field passed the stands for the first time.
Anegada had a dream run stalking the pace along rail down the backstretch before making a move on the final turn along the inside. Under a full head of steam and in the clear, Anegada came with a determined run, powered ahead to win by a length at 8-to-1 in 2:34.10. There was an Ontario-bred in the race, as $25,000 claim MALIBU MAMBO was sent south by trainer Martin Hinckson and owner Bruno Schickedanz for the testing race, but the nine-year-old wound up sixth.
The John Connally was the third stakes win for Anegada in his last four races as he won the Last Hurrah on Tapeta at Turfway on Dec. 27 and the Hawthorne Derby on turf in October.
Anegada was bred in Kentucky by Leonard Supchak and is out of the multiple stakes-winning mare, Love Cove (Not For Love).
The previous day, Hernandez got his first win of the 2026 season in dramatic fashion, and also with a rail-skimming run on the grass.
Aboard Whippoorwill Farms’ 49-to-1 shot QUEEN WILHELMMINA in a turf maiden race, Hernandez took the grey daughter of the The Factor right to the rail early in the two-turn grass race from her wide post and let her settle well back of the speed. When he asked the Lindsay Schultz trainee to move, she did, splitting fellow maidens and going on to a 4 3/4 length win. It was the first turf try for Queen Wilhemina, whose dam, Eva’s Nitehawk, is by Tapit and out of a mare, Border Blues, who won several grass races.
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Plucky Ontario-bred gelding MY BOY PRINCE had a big effort in the Gulfstream Park Turf Sprint on Pegasus day to get his five-year-old campaign started. Gary Barber’s grey son of Cairo Prince was in the five-furlong turf dash and in post eight and with John Velasquez riding, came with a fast rally to be third beaten a neck to Litigation and Full Disclosure. He earned a 93 Beyer Speed Figure as the final time was 55. My Boy Prince, who is a contender for Champion Turf Male and Male Sprinter at the Sovereign Awards for 2025, began last season with a win in the Elusive Quality Stakes, a turf sprint at Aqueduct.
The gelding was second in two Grade 1s last year including the Woodbine Mile, but he was eased in the Canadian International at 1 1/2 miles in his final outing. Canada’s Champion Two-year-old Male of 2023 has a record of 21-7-6-2 and earnings of $1.2 million.
Other Canadian-breds that raced on Pegasus day did not have as much luck, as star mares CAITLINHERGRTNESS and READY FOR SHIRL were unplaced in the Grade 2 Pegasus World Cup Filly & Mare Turf Invitational. Valedictory Stakes winner HAMMERHEAD was unplaced in the W.L. McKnight Stakes (G3) for Gold Square LLC and trainer Kevin Attard.
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JOSIE CARROLL, who has been known to dabble in horse ownership in addition to being a Hall of Fame trainer, won her first race of 2026 on Friday at Gulfstream with her own mare VAZHI, who won an off-the-turf $35,000 claiming race for non-winners of two.
Carroll trained Vazhi for Augustin Stable since her debut in October 2023 and the daughter of Mendelssohn won her maiden at Woodbine on Tapeta in 2024. After just one race this past summer, Vazhi was entered in a digital sale and Carroll bought her for $20,000. The mare was a close third in her first race for her new owner and trainer before heading south. Vazhi is from the winning Creative Cause mare Creative Talent, whose half-brother Valid Point won the 2019 Secretariat Stakes (G1).
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