Global Access Wins Grade 3 Marine Stakes at Woodbine

Eight-time Sovereign Award-winning jockey Patrick Husbands had full confidence in Live Oak Plantation’s homebred colt Global Access heading into the Grade 3 Marine Stakes and the three-year-old son of Giant’s Causeway lived up to his expectations winning the 1-1/16-mile main track event in 1:42.83 on Saturday at Woodbine Racetrack.

Hoffa’s Union established the lead out of the gate and had Lyrical Note looming at his flank through fractions of :24.90, :49.69 and 1:13.45. Meanwhile, Global Access was positioned outside stalking the leaders in third and poised to make a move on the final turn that eventually landed him in the winner’s circle.

Global Access swept to the lead at the top of the lane and held clear of the favoured Queen’s Plate eligible Skywire, who closed steadily from behind to finish within a length of the winner. Dabo finished third while Lyrical Note and Hoffa’s Union completed the compact field of five.

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Global Access won the DRF Bets Sophomore Turf Stakes at Tampa Bay at the end of March and was the runner-up to Skywire in last month’s Wando Stakes at Woodbine. With the blinkers off for the Marine, Husbands predicted “there’s no three-year-old in Canada that could beat this horse.

“When they win, they make you proud.”

Global Access was the 5-2 second choice on the toteboard and paid $7.50 to win.

“I just wanted to get him in the clear,” said Husbands of his racing strategy from the inside post. “You’re riding the best horse in the race to your ability. I feel he was the best horse in the race – don’t matter he got beat last time – so I ride to my ability. The first five strides, I realized nobody wanted the lead, so I said let me just get from down here and keep him in the clear.”

Trained by Michael Trombetta, Global Access now sports a career record reading 3-1-2 from eight starts. With the lion’s share of the $125,000 purse, his bankroll is approaching the $200,000 mark.

Husbands earned his third stakes win this month at Woodbine after taking the Fury with Speedy Soul and the Grade 2 Eclipse with Souper Tapit, who was last year’s Marine champion (in rein to Florent Geroux).

The final two races on Saturday’s 10-race program were cancelled due inclement weather conditions. With a thunderstorm rolling in before the $125,000 Greenwood Stakes, which was set as the ninth race, that stakes event will be rescheduled.

Live Thoroughbred racing is scheduled to resume on Sunday with the 1:05 p.m. program featuring the Grade 2 Nassau Stakes, the first leg of Woodbine’s new “Ladies of the Lawn” bonus stakes series on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

Woodbine adds Wednesday nights to its live Thoroughbred racing schedule this week with first race post time set for 6:45 p.m. The May 29 seven-race program includes the $50,000 Early Bird Handicap.