The 2023 Champion three-year-old Paramount Prince is well on his way to earning Champion Older Male honours in Canada this year as he goes for his third straight graded stakes win at Woodbine on September 28. The chestnut four-year-old gelding by Society’s Chairman has just four rivals in the 1 1/16 mile Durham Cup (G3) and should make easy work of that group.
The 114th Durham Cup was first run in 1906 (the race was not run on several occasions) and won by Inferno, considered the first great Canadian racehorse. Inferno was one of the first horses inducted into the Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame.
The Durham Cup, which was shortened from 1 1/8 miles four years ago, follows the Eclipse Stakes (G2), which was won by Palazzi, and the Dominion Day (G3) and Seagram Cup (G3) (Paramount Prince) in the series of horse stakes races at Woodbine during the year.
Paramount Prince led throughout the Dominion Day and Seagram and figures to do the same this weekend under Patrick Husbands. Owned by Mike Langlois and Gary Barber, Paramount Prince could become the 29th stakes winner at Woodbine this year for trainer Mark Casse.
Already at 28 stakes wins this year, the Casse barn has set a record for most stakes wins by a trainer in a season.
In North America, Casse has 45 stakes wins, second only to Chad Brown who has 49.
Stanley House, second to Paramount Prince in the Dominion Day and Seagram Cup, will try to better his rival again in the Durham Cup. However, Stanley House, a son of Army Rule, has also raced since the Seagram, having finished second in the 1 1/4 mile Niagara Stakes on turf.
The three-year-old colt Dresden Row, recently third in the Toronto Cup at one mile on yielding turf, takes a big step up in class for True North Stable and Bloom Racing Stable and trainer Lorne Richards. Rapid Test, who just won an inner turf optional claiming race at 50-to-1, is improving for Kingfield Racing and Apricot Valley, and seven-year-old Ron’s Gizmo, a five-length winner of an optional claiming race just two weeks ago, has been supplemented by owners Linda Theil and Harri Hosein for $2,025.
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