Toronto, ON – Sam-Son Farm charge Grand Adventure captured Sunday’s Grade 3, $150,000 Connaught Cup Stakes at Woodbine.
Under jockey Patrick Husbands, the son of Grand Slam raced out of trouble on the outside, started to rally near the top of the long E.P. Taylor Turf Coirse stretch, seized command near the one-sixteenth pole and stayed on smartly for a one-length score over late-running Field Commission. Jungle Wave was third in the season’s first turf stakes event.
Grand Adventure travelled seven furlongs in 1:19.83.
This year’s edition of the Connaught Cup marked the first time in the 98-year history of the event that it was contested at a distance less than one mile. As a result, a strong cast lined up in the starting gate, including Queen’s Plate champ Not Bourbon and Woodbine Mile hero Rahy’s Attorney.
For Grand Adventure, the score was the colt’s first stakes tally since the 2008 Summer Stakes, which he won by a head over Skipadate.
Grand Adventure raced four times during his three-year-old campaign. After winning his first start at 6 1/2 furlongs, he stepped up to face tougher company in the Woodbine in the Grade 1 Woodbine Mile and the Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes, in which he finished ninth and sixth, respectively. “We sort of threw him to the wolves last year,” said trainer Mark Frostad. “He’s matured. It looked today like he’d go another furlong or two.”
Grand Adventure entered the Connaught Cup off a narrow defeat in Keeneland’s Grade 3 Shakertown Stakes, a race Sam-Son and Frostad captured in 2005 with Soaring Free. Owner Rick Balaz was pleased with the result.
“Mark’s done a great job with him. We have a great programme. We’ve had great years in the past – I want to touch wood somewhere – it appears everything’s coming together really nicely this year for us.”
Grand Adventure returned $11.10, $5.70 and $4.90, combining with Field Commission ($4.70, $3.40) for a $56 exactor. Jungle Wave ($6.50) rounded out a triactor worth $290.89. A $1 superfecta returned $2,071.40.
Jimmy Simms and Society’s Chairman were scratched.
More from Canadian Thoroughbred:
