The most exciting race of Sunday’s fabulous card of racing at Woodbine was the Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes at 6 furlongs. The weather slowly got worse as the day went on and both the main and inner turf courses were very giving to begin the day.
By the Nearctic, race 10, the Taylor course was listed as yielding and might have been closer to soft.
BIG INVASION (Declaration of War) had been entered in the Nearctic (G2T) after being programmed for Saturday’s Belmont Turf Sprint. He left New York for Woodbine in search of firmer going.
And while the turf here ended up a question for the four-year-old colt trained by Christophe Clement, he took to it fine and won a wild finish in the $250,000 dash under Dylan Davis.
“He handled the ground well, that was no question,” said Davis, who had picked up the mount on Big Invasion for trainer Christophe Clement. “I had to settle on into the two-path into the turn and back out. He responded great for us and fought tooth and nail to the wire. I love him. I’ve been watching him all year round in New York and in Florida, he’s a nice, big, strong horse.”
Big Invasion was sitting seventh early as Masen (GB) led through a quarter mile in :22.32, pressed to his inside by Remuda, and began to improve his position as that pair reached the half in :45.33.
Looming into serious contention as the field turned for home and the front-runners began to falter, Big Invasion was closing in on surprise 104-1 shot leader Rockcrest with a furlong remaining and outlasted a plethora of closers to reach the wire in 1:11.31 and return $9.60 as the lukewarm choice.
He earned a 98 Beyer Figure, according to Daily Racing Form.
Lucky Score and Ice Chocolat (BRZ), both conditioned by Mark Casse, were among those flying late and emerged with second and third money, respectively, a head apart.
Dhabab (IRE), who had trailed early, also finished strongly to miss show money by just a nose. Dream Shake was next, another head back and a head before Rockcrest, who in turn had a nose on Oceanic.
War Bomber was eighth, a neck behind Oceanic and beaten three-quarters of a length for all the money. Masen, County Final, Jazz Hands, Last American Exit and Remuda rounded out the order of finish in the field of 13.
Racing on going other than firm for the first time in his 14-race career, Big Invasion notched his second graded stakes score for owners Reeves Thoroughbred Racing.
The colt had won Saratoga’s Grade 3 Quick Call last summer and now sports an overall record of 8-3-1, which also includes five listed stakes wins.
Big Invasion had traveled to the UK this June for Ascot’s Queen Elizabeth Jubilee (G1T), finishing up the track in that difficult six-furlong fixture, but rebounded with a solid effort in Saratoga’s 5 ½-furlong Harvey Pack Stakes five weeks ago and topped that performance here in the Nearctic.
“He’s a cool horse and he’s got natural speed,” said assistant trainer Christophe Lorieul. “The question we had today was the ground. We were not sure about the ground, but he was pure class. He is a top-class horse and today proved that even on that kind of ground he can be effective.”
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Earlier on Sunday, Ontario-bred DANCING DUCHESS came from last to win the 5 furlong Algonquin Stakes, worth $200,000, for two-year-old fillies.
The dark bay daughter of Munnings-Duchess Dancer, trained by Mark Casse for Tracy Farmer, sat off the early pace set by longshot Rock to Fame, who took her seven rivals through an opening quarter in :22.48 over an inner turf listed as “good.”
Still on top heading for home in the five-furlong race, Rock to Fame was confronted by a host of rivals to his inside and outside in mid-stretch. It was hard-charging, slight 5-2 choice Dancing Duchess, second-last for most of the race, who had the most momentum, powering by her foes in the final yards to eke out a dramatic half-length victory in a time of :58.38. That translated to a 79 Beyer Figure.
Pipit, a last-time-out winner of the Victoria Stakes, and Golden Canary, another Casse trainee, dead-heated for second. Split Strike was fourth. Only one length separated the top six finishers.
“She was last for a long time, but what an amazing closing kick and what a great ride from Javier,” said Kathryn Sullivan, assistant to Mark Casse. “I was not sure she was going to get there but I think he was more confident than I was.”
A half-sister to Queen’s Plate winner Safe Conduct, Dancing Duchess was bred by Mitchell Kursner and was a $400,000 yearling purchase by Farmer. The filly has over $190,000 in earnings now.
-with files from Woodbine Communications
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