In just 20 days, DRESDEN ROW (Lord Nelson) has swiftly become one of the top three-year-olds in Canada. The white-faced chestnut, owned by True North Stable and Bloom Racing and trained by Lorne Richards, held off a fast-closing Bail Us Out to win the Grade 3 Ontario Derby on October 19, his second straight graded stakes win.
The $138,240 Ontario Derby at 1 1/8 miles lured Breeders’ Stakes winner Roscar, who was having to shorten up and switch to Tapeta for this race. The much-hyped Swift Delivery was coming off a second-place finish in the Toronto Cup for new co-owners Team Valor International and popular NFL star Travis Kelce.
Dresden Row was 10-to-1 when he came out of the Toronto Cup to beat older horses in the Grade 3 Durham Cup on Sept. 28, despite some antics and getting very sweaty before the race.
He was more settled for the Ontario Derby, but early in the race he was caught four wide in the small field under Ryan Munger while chasing front -runner Babbo. Through solid splits of 23.90 and 47.16, Dresden Row nicely relaxed for Munger while they flanked Babbo with Roscar chasing in third and Swift Delivery began to move three wide at the quarter pole.
Late on the turn, Dresden Row forged to the front, shook off Babbo and then had Roscar rallying. Bail Us Out, who was last on the turn, was also slowly getting going. It was Bail Us Out, trained by Kevin Attard for Repole Stable, who started to gain in the stretch under Kazushi Kimura, charging on his wrong lead only to come up just short. Roscar was third, with Two Ghosts fourth. Swift Delivery was not a factor.
The final time was 1:49.12.
Keith Johns, owner of True North Racing, said nothing can top owning champion Hazelbrook (Sovereign Award-winning sprinting female of 2022) right now, but the Albertan noted similarities.
“A patient trainer, a jockey that has a connection with the horse, and that young man Ryan is very good at his craft,” said Johns, whose wife Cleta was celebrating a birthday.
Dresden Row is by the late sire Lord Nelson, a three-time Grade 1 winner by Pulpit and from the Giant’s Causeway mare Elle Special. The colt had an impressive workout at the 2023 April Ocala Two-Year-Olds in Training sale and was bought by Johns for $70,000. Elle Special won three of 18 races and $53,000 and she is the dam of Fall Highweight Handicap (G3) winner Hopeful Treasure and one other winner from four foals to race.
Dresden Row is now five-for-eight and he has won $242,431. Bred by TCR Ranch, the colt can now be in the conversation for Champion three-year-old colt or gelding in Canada with My Boy Prince, who races next week in the Grade 3 Bryan Station Stakes.
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