Decision Day, under Jesse Campbell, battled back along the rail to win a photo over a game and determined Nipigon to capture the $250,400 Coronation Futurity at Woodbine, a key event on the road to the 2015 Queen’s Plate.
In the “Futurity,” the country’s top race for Canadian-bred two-year-olds, Decision Day, now 2-for-3, battled with Cordova through splits of :24.69 and :49.90 in the 1 1/8-miles ‘Poly’ stake.
Decision Day put away Cordova heading into the turn as Samuel Dechamplain took aim at the pacesetters, while Nipigon, with Steve Bahen up, advanced along the rail with filly Shez a Masterpiece following his path.
Nipigon, moving well in mid-stretch, appeared to have collared Decision Day but the dark bay son of Macho Uno quickened in the final strides under strong urging from Campbell to secure a head win, stamping himself a key contender for next year’s “Gallop for the Guineas.”
Decision Day, a Donver Stables homebred, covered 1 1/8-miles in 1:52.53.
“I worked him twice. The connections made a bit change and he’s been going very nice with the new bit,” said Campbell. “I thought if he broke clean, we’d be close up. I didn’t think we’d be on the lead, but I knew we were going slow and he was a real live horse so I just let him be happy.
“The last thing I wanted to do was get him behind a slow pace and get too tricky about it. I knew he could get the distance so it made those decisions a little easier. Great job by the barn to have him ready.”
Decision Day arrived at the Coronation Futurity from a 2 1/2-length score in a maiden allowance route on October 13.
“It was really nice to see this horse grow up,” said Campbell. “When he won his maiden race he was quite green, but he really let me get into him down the lane and he fought hard.”
Carroll believes that Decision Day will only improve as he matures.
“He still has a lot of growing up to do,” said Carroll. “If you look at him, he’s still kind of leggy and gangly and mentally he hasn’t really figured things out, but he’s on his way.”
Last year, Asserting Bear captured the Coronation Futurity and went on to finish third in the Queen’s Plate. Decision Day will look to become the first horse since Norcliffe to score the Futurity-Plate double, a feat the Hall of Fame runner achieved in winning the 1975 Coronation Futurity and 1976 Queen’s Plate.
Decision Day paid $17.40, $8.60 and $5.10, combining with Nipigon ($12.60, $7.50) for a $126.30 (3-1) exactor. A 3-1-2 triactor (Shez a Masterpiece, $3.30 to show) was worth $314.60, while a $1 Superfecta [3-1-2-4 (Brooklynsway)] came back $635.10. Danzig Moon was scratched.
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