Ontario-bred LUCKY SCORE and jockey Sahin Civaci reeled in the tired pacesetters to win the Grade 2 Highlander stakes at 6 furlongs on the grass on the big Canada Day card at Woodbine. Worth $200,000, the Highlander lured several invaders including graded stakes winner One Timer and Kentucky-based stakes winner Oceanic.
One Timer was three wide in a hot pace battle with Outlaw Kid and Cadamosto while Lucky Score, who was pinched back a bit at the start, rode the rail in the back. One Timer led to mid-stretch and then had closers to his inside and outside. Oceanic, who was in the back of the field with Lucky Score, moved to a short lead in late stretch but Civaci and Lucky Score never gave up and grabbed the win in the final jumps.
The time of 1:07.86 (100 Beyer Figure according to Daily Racing Form) was just a second off the course record. Lucky Score, who was a 14-to-1 outsider, was one of three graded stakes winners on the day for trainer Mark Casse and two for Civaci. Lucky Score, a son of Lookin at Lucky – Miss Matzo by Royal Academy, raced for Mary Biamonte and trainer Ralph Biamonte, Domenic Liscio and Danny Iandoli at the outset of his career. A $35,000 Ocala Breeders’ Sales 2-year-old in Training in June 2020, the gelding was then transferred to trainer William Armata late in 2021. The gelding won the Grade 3 Vigil Stakes last September.