The Oregon-bred dark bay gelding SAXON SAGA romped to a two-length win in the $50,000 Derby Trial at Assiniboia Downs on July 17 and now heads to the Manitoba Derby, worth $125,000 on August 7.
While only 2-to-1 in a four-horse field, Saxon Saga posted one of the biggest stakes upset of the meeting when the son of Slew’s Saga and jockey Renaldo Cumberbatch outdueled heavily favoured Chicago’s Gray and Jorge Carreno to the top of the stretch, and then drew out to win handily.
Chicago’s Gray was expected to clear to the lead in the one-mile Derby Trial, but he ended up dueling six-wide into the first turn and was up against it from that point on. He eventually tired at the top of the stretch and faded to fourth as Green Amazon and Rough Customer rallied for second and third behind Saxon Saga.
Saxon Saga, owned by Wind Dancer Stable and Bill Meikle and trained by Wendy Anderson, was one of two stakes winners last week for the same ownership and trainer group. Magic Tiger won the 64th running of the $50,000 R.J. Speers Memorial Stakes for older horses.
Saxon Saga, who was claimed by Anderson’s husband Terry McFarlane and Meikle for $12,500 in March from a winning sprint at Golden Gate Field, won an optional race in his first outing at Assiniboia Downs. He was second in both the Prime Time and Golden Boy Stakes, both sprints, to Chicago’s Gray.
Groomed by former Ontario horseman Bud Smith, Saxon Saga has now earned more than $55,000 at Assiniboia Downs in only four starts.
Anderson is a 71-year-old retired supervisor of Adult Mental Health for Saskatchewan Health who has held a trainer’s licence since 1978, and once worked three jobs at the same time in Saskatchewan while training horses there. Her assistant is her daughter Jaydean Lemothe.
Also last week, BURROW DOWN (Connect) clearly showed why she’s undefeated at Assiniboia Downs in the 46th running of the $50,000 Canada Stakes. The result was never in doubt.
Burrow Down relaxed in a stalking position outside, made a good move into the final turn and easily went by speed horse Damn the Torpedoes in mid-turn. The four-year-old filly opened up into the stretch and coasted to a 1 ¼-length victory under jockey Stanley Chadee Jr., but it could have been much more. Big Stretch rallied under Chavion Chow for second, 6 ¼-lengths in front of Melisandre, who had a nice trip inside under Antonio Whitehall, but lacked a late rally.
Trained by Murray Duncan for Gerald Babchishin, Burrow Down is now a perfect five-for-five at Assiniboia Downs, with all her victories coming in stakes including the Chantilly, Jack Hardy and Manitoba Oaks as a three-year-old and the La Verendrye and Canada Stakes at four.
– with files from G.S. Thompson
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