Toronto, ON – Exhi, trained by Todd Pletcher, made his first start outside of the U.S. a winning one, taking Saturday’s Grade 3, $159,300 Marine Stakes, at Woodbine, for his third consecutive victory.
Robby Albarado rode the bay son of Maria’s Mon to an easy 4 ½-length win over Queen’s Plate (July 4) contender, Sam-Son Farm’s Hotep, for breeder and owner Wertheimer et Frere. Queenston and Woodstock Stakes champion Essence Hit Man was a game third. Giant’s Tomb, another Sam-Son eligible for the Plate, was scratched.
Exhi came into the race off a pair of one-length triumphs, the Rushaway Stakes at Turfway Park on March 27 and the Grade 2 Lexington at Keeneland on April 17, taking the latter feature at nearly 20-1. The running time for 1 1/16 miles over the Polytrack was 1:43.69.
“We knew the other horse (Essence Hit Man) would flash speed and so we wanted to leave quietly,” said Albarado, who was aboard for the Lexington win. “He’s a nice horse and he proved it again today.”
Albarado was patient with Exhi, the slight mutuel favourite, through early fractions of :24.80 and a half in :49.14, before engaging Essence Hit Man just before the turn for home. “He just sprinted home,” offered Albarado. “I think he had enough left in the tank. It feels good to ride a good horse.”
Exhi, who had one win, one second and one third from five starts in 2009, now has four wins from nine career starts. He broke his maiden on turf at Belmont Park, in his third career start of his two-year-old season.
The $1 million Queen’s Plate (www.queensplate.com), set for Sunday, July 4 at Woodbine, is the most prominent race on the Canadian horse racing calendar.
The Marine is a key Queen’s Plate prep. The critical Plate Trial is scheduled for June 13, while the Victoria Park Stakes is on June 27.
The last horse to win the Marine en route to a Plate victory was eventual Triple Crown champion, Wando, in 2003.
More from Canadian Thoroughbred:
