Grand Style, a dark bay daughter of Giant’s Causeway, took Saturday’s $250,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes.
Ridden by Eurico Rosa da Silva, Grand Style, who was supplemented into the Princess Elizabeth, watched from mid-pack as Isabella Bay, who came into the 1 1/16 mile fresh off her first win, took the 10-horse field through opening splits of :24.74 and :49.26.
Third at the stretch call, Grand Style surged to the front at the mid-way point of the lane, with a hard-ridden Lisvernane taking aim. At the wire, Grand Style posted a 1 ½-length victory, timed in 1:46.31 on the Polytrack. Lisvernane took second, while Sense of Pride held for third. Mutuel favourite Bubbles to the Top was fourth.
In her fourth career outing and first added-money effort, Grand Style took the 65th running of the Princess Elizabeth, considered the premier race for Canadian-foaled two-year-old fillies. The Ontario-bred had come into the race off a third-place finish in a one mile and 70 yard Polytrack race on October 10.
Da Silva, who currently leads the race for the Woodbine jockey title, was happy to see his filly step up in her biggest race to date.
“I just tried to keep her focused in the race,? said da Silva, aboard Grand Style for the first time. ?She has a lot to learn, but I think this filly will improve a lot. Another couple of races and I think she will be much better than what you saw today.”
Grand Style, trained by Mike Doyle, made her debut over the Saratoga turf, finishing seventh, beaten by just 1 ¾-lengths, on July 30. She followed it up with an eighth-place effort on the Saratoga grass on August 25 before making her Toronto oval debut.
She paid $11.60, $5.50 and $3.90, combining with Lisvernane ($4.70, $3.50) for a $65.80 exactor. Sense of Pride ($6.90) completed a $831.10 triactor. A $1 Superfecta returned $2,063.40.
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