Graded stakes winner Brachetto faces eight rivals in Saturday’s $175,000 Ontario Derby (G3) at Woodbine. Trained by Julia Carey, Brachetto arrives at his fifth consecutive stakes appearance off a valiant runner-up effort in the Prince of Wales Stakes on Sept. 7 at Fort Erie.
The son of multiple graded stakes winner Vekoma out of the Include mare Colorino rallied strongly to finish a half-length behind Military Time (who will also contest the Ontario Derby) in the 1 3/16-mile dirt race, the middle jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown series.
“It was a great effort,” said Carey. “We were jumping up and down, let me tell you. He was on the toughest part of the track, down along the inside, which was the deepest part, but he dug in and was very brave. I hope he does it again on Saturday. We’re hoping for another big effort from him.”
Sporting a record of 2-2-2 from seven starts, Brachetto made his debut last November, finishing second by a nose in a six-furlong sprint on Woodbine’s main track. He finished third next time out at the same distance and on the same surface before returning to action the following May and promptly breaking his maiden, again at six furlongs over the Woodbine main track.
Third in the Queenston Stakes on June 7, the bay took the Marine Stakes (G3) on June 27, in his first try at two turns, winning the 1 1/16-mile main track affair courtesy of an energetic rally that landed him a half-length clear at the wire.
Following an off-the-board finish in The King’s Plate in mid-August, Brachetto headed to Fort Erie for the Prince of Wales.
“He’s been doing very well [after the Prince of Wales]. He was a little tired after that one, so that’s why we decided not to go the mile and a half on the turf in the Breeders’ Stakes (final jewel of the Canadian Triple Crown, on Sept. 27). We felt it was the right decision in the best interest of the horse, so here we are.”
Carey is eager to see what’s in store for Brachetto beyond his three-year-old campaign. “As a four-year-old, he will mature into a really nice horse. I don’t think we have gotten to the bottom of him yet. As he gets older, hopefully, he will keep on and be a very good campaigner for us. I think him going a mile to a mile and an eighth will hit him right between the eyes.”
The colt was bred in Manitoba by longtime racing participant Dr. Ross A. McKague, who co-owns the colt with his wife, Brenda Lee.
“They are over the moon,” said Carey. “They don’t care if he makes one more penny. They are just so pleased with what he has done so far. They have another horse, Torbato, which would be Brachetto’s nephew. Torbato had a very nice debut (fourth, on Sept. 26). He got left a little at the start and then came running. He’s running in two weeks, so it’s very exciting for them to have two nice horses, who look very, very promising.”
Gary Sutherland is the groom.
Recent works: Brachetto’s past two works have come at five furlongs over the main track. On Oct. 4, he covered the distance in 1:01.60. On Oct. 10, he completed the same distance in 1:01.20.
“They have been very, very good,” said Carey. “They were just nice breezes, where we weren’t looking to put the pedal to the metal. We will save that for race day. He’s very cool in the mornings. He’s a nice horse to train and easy to gallop. The only thing with him is that you need a pony to walk him home. He’s a handful to walk home.”
Fast facts: Nice Dancer, ridden by Sandy Hawley, won the inaugural edition of the Ontario Derby, in 1972. Jockey Kazushi Kimura won four straight runnings of the race, from 2020-23.
Wagering menu for the Ontario Derby: Includes Rolling Double / Exacta / 0.20 Trifecta / .20 Superfecta / 0.20 Pick 3 (Races 9-10-11) / $1 Swinger.
Field for the Grade 3 Ontario Derby
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Final Score – Pietro Moran – Kevin Attard
2 – Trevally – David Moran – John LeBlanc, Jr.
3 – Fire and Wine – Jalon Samuel – Zeljko Krcmar
4 – Western Warrior – Sahin Civaci – Kelsey Mayhew
5 – Teleport (IRE) – Pietro Moran – Kevin Attard
6 – Bull by the Horns – Rasheed Hughes – Saffie Joseph, Jr.
7 – Brachetto – Ryan Munger – Julia Carey
8 – Chaos Agent – Rafael Hernandez – Josie Carroll
9 – Military Time – Fraser Aebly – Mark Casse
Mark Casse trainees Creed’s Gold and Charmingly Evasive will face eight rivals in the $175,000 Ontario Fashion Stakes Presented by Tanqueray (G3), Saturday at Woodbine.
A daughter of Jimmy Creed out of the Fairbanks mare Foxyfromfairbanks, Creed’s Gold arrives at the six-furlong main track test for fillies and mares, 3-year-olds and up, off a second straight Hendrie Stakes (G3) score. She took the 6 ½-furlong main track event by 1 ½ lengths on July 25. The chestnut, who will contest her eighth straight stakes, and seventh at the graded level, was scratched ahead of a run in the Seaway Stakes (G3) on Aug. 22.
“Before her last race, she stepped on a shoe,” said assistant trainer Kathryn Sullivan. “So, that is why we had to scratch her from the Seaway. It was a very unfortunate issue that she pulled the shoe off and stepped on it, but she is doing great and is on her toes.”
Bred in Kentucky by Linda Griggs, Creed’s Gold debuted with a pair of sixth-place finishes at Gulfstream, including her debut on Jan. 11, 2024. She broke her maiden that May in a one-mile turf dash at the Hallandale oval. Since the initial win, Creed’s Gold has landed in the top three in 12 of her next 14 starts, including her first stakes triumph in the 2025 Seaway.
“She’s ready to run her race every time,” said Sullivan. “It’s very nice to have a horse like her, where you know what to expect every time.”
Creed’s Gold owns a record of 6-3-3 from 16 starts, along with $516,264 in purse earnings. “She is the type of horse you love to be around,” said Sullivan. “She always has her game face on, whether it’s in the morning or on race day. From the walk over to post parade, to warming up, she is the ultimate professional.”
Owned by Kristin Meldahl, who celebrated her first stakes win in last year’s Hendrie, Creed’s Gold was a $25,000 purchase at the 2022 Keeneland Association September Yearling Sale.
“Creed’s Gold is not just a great racehorse on the track; she is also a super sweet horse off the track,” said Meldahl. “She’s very friendly and loves to get attention. I feel so lucky to have ended up with such a nice filly.”
Prince Parris is her groom.
Charmingly Evasive, a three-year-old daughter of Charlatan out of the Congrats mare Duchess Dancer, will get her first shot at stakes competition. Bred in Ontario by Mitchell Kursner and owned by D.J. Stable LLC, the bay filly heads into the Ontario Fashion riding a two-race win streak. After a maiden-breaking score in a six-furlong main track race that was originally slated for the grass on Aug. 22, Charmingly Evasive doubled up on Sept. 26, earning a head victory at 6 ½ panels on the main track.
“She broke her maiden this summer and it was a very nice, very confident win,” said Sullivan. “She was able to come back and get up for the win in the most recent race – it was a very determined effort and she worked very hard to get by our other horse (Happy Destination) and to hold off another horse who was coming down the middle of the track. I thought it was a very impressive win.”
Charmingly Evasive, who was second in her debut at six furlongs on the Woodbine main track this April, is 2-1-1 from five starts. “She is progressing very well, and she is coming into this feeling very confident in herself, off those two wins,” said Sullivan. “I think that is a big boost for horses, so we’re hoping for a good result from her on Saturday, too.”
Charmingly Evasive was a $180,000 purchase at the 2024 Keeneland Association September Yearling Sale. Ivan “Billy” Forde is the groom.
Recent works: On Sept. 25, Creed’s Gold covered four furlongs in :48.60 over the main track. She went five panels on the same course in 1:01.00 on Oct. 1.
“She has been training very well ahead of this race,” said Sullivan. “She has that focus the moment you take her to the track and her works have been exactly what we were looking for. We’re looking forward to this weekend and to her putting in the type of performance that we have come to know.”
Fast facts: Several horses have won two editions of the Ontario Fashion, including La Voyaguese (1979-80), Summer Mood (1984-85) and Atlantic Hurricane (2011-12). Eurico Rosa da Silva has the most wins (four) by a jockey.
Wagering menu for the Ontario Fashion: Includes Rolling Double / Exacta / 0.20 Trifecta / 0.20 Superfecta / $1 Swinger.
Field for the Grade 3 Ontario Fashion
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – Minimum Forty – Daisuke Fukumoto – Robert Tiller
2 – Sea Runner – Fraser Aebly – Josie Carroll
3 – Ultimate Authority – Edwin Gonzalez – Saffie Joseph, Jr.
4 – Sinclairity – Pietro Moran – Kevin Attard
5 – Quadruple (GB) – Ryan Munger – Josie Carroll
6 – Austere – Romero Ramsay Maragh – Brendan Walsh
7 – Les Reys (FR) – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Miguel Clement
8 – Tessellate (S) – Rasheed Hughes – Saffie Joseph, Jr.
9 – Spinelli – Sahin Civaci – Joe Orseno
10 – Creed’s Gold – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
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