American rider JAVIER CASTELLANO put on a clinic at Woodbine on Sunday, October 8, winning four of the 11 races including the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes board FEV ROVER (IRE) for Tracy Farmer and trainer Mark Casse.
Fev Rover, a five-year-old mare who came to Canada a year ago for a trio of races, has been one of 2023’s top horses in Canada. The Taylor victory, her second Grade 1 this year and third win in five races, puts her in the lead for Canadian Horse of the Year honours.
Fev Rover benefitted from a brilliant ride by Castellano, who allowed his mare to lead for half of the 1 1/4 mile race on turf that was making its way from good to yielding. But when Castellano let his mount drop back on the final turn as Rocky Sky (Ire) and Skims (GB) insisted on having the lead to themselves, most watching would have thought Fev Rover was done for the day.