The 51st Ontario Derby (G3), formerly the Colonel R.S. McLaughlin Stakes, has a small but intriguing field of 3-year-olds that will travel 1 1/8 miles on Tapeta at Woodbine on October 23.
The Ontario Derby has played a large role in determining the Champion Three-Year-Old in Canada in recent years with Frosted Over (2021) and Global Access (2019) both taking the Derby on their way to the Sovereign Award.
However, this year’s current leader of the division, Breeders’ Stakes and Plate Trial winner Sir for Sure, is not in the Ontario Derby and just two of the five entrants are stakes winners in 2022.
Father and son Vito and William Armata have two of the top contenders. Vito claimed LUCKMAN for $25,000 for Alpine Stakes Ltd. on June 24 when the Empire Maker gelding won his maiden at 1 1/8 miles on Tapeta. The Kentucky-bred had been racing for D.J. Stable and trainer Mark Casse. Following the maiden win, Luckman has won three straight races including the $127,000 Toronto Cup on turf on Sept. 10. Daisuke Fukumoto rides the stretch runner.
William Armata will send out Tequesta Racing Inc. and Jupiter Leasing’s IRONSTONE, the hard-trying speedster and Ontario-bred by Mr. Speaker who has been second or third in four stakes races from five outings in 2022. Ironstone was recently second in the mud in the Prince of Wales Stakes at Fort Erie, just getting caught late by Duke of Love. Ironstone was also fourth in the Queen’s Plate and third in the Grade 3 Marine, Queenston and Woodstock Stakes.
“I’m 100 percent proud of him,” said Willie Armata. “He’s going out there and giving us the best he can every single time we bring him over. He’s coming into the race in really good order. He’s had a couple of nice works, he’s happy and he’s ready. Unfortunately, we have to run with ‘Papa Vit,’ but what are you going to do? I usually don’t like to run against Dad if we don’t have to, but on this occasion, we will.”
Kazushi Kimura rides Ironstone.
Queenston winner THE MINKSTER, who has been away since fading to ninth in the Queen’s Plate after setting the pace with Ironstone, returns for trainer Dan Vella and Sea Glass Stables, LLC. The blinkers will come off The Minkster for the first time and David Moran rides.
The Ontario Damsel Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on Tapeta for 3-year-old fillies won’t determine the Champion Three-Year-Old Filly of 2022 in Canada as Moira has that award wrapped up but SOUPER HOITY TOITY and Ontario-bred SISTER SEAGULL both seek their third stakes wins of this year.
Souper Hoity Toity won the Grade 3 Selene on Tapeta and the Grade 3 Ontario Colleen on turf and she may have been best in the Duchess Stakes at seven furlongs on Oct. 1 but she ran into traffic trouble. The Uncle Mo gal is owned by Live Oak Plantation and trained by Mark Casse.
Sister Seagull has taken advantage of the fact that Moira passed on the second and third legs of the Triple Tiara following her Woodbine Oaks romp. Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry’s Hard Spun filly won the Bison City by a neck and the 1 1/4 mile Wonder Where Stakes on turf by a length after finishing second in the Oaks.
$150,000 ONTARIO DERBY (GRADE 3)
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Bringer of Rain (S) – Omar Moreno – Barbara Minshall
2 – Mannix (IRE) – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
3 – The Minkster – David Moran – Danny Vella
4 – Luckman – Daisuke Fukumoto – Vito Armata
5 – Ironstone – Kazushi Kimura – Willie Armata
$125,000 ONTARIO DAMSEL
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Love to Run – Declan Carroll – Mark Casse
2 – Souper Hoity Toity – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
3 – Crystal Ship (S) – Kazushi Kimura – W. John Bourke
4 – Lady Brew – David Moran – Steven Chircop
5 – Sister Seagull – Antonio Gallardo – Catherine Day Phillips
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