TORONTO, June 13…Robert Costigan’s homebred Roan Inish, which translates from Irish as *Island of the Seals,* outbattled another longshot, Moment of Majesty and heavily-favoured Embur’s Song in a breath-taking finish to win the 55th edition of the $500,000 Woodbine Oaks, presented by Budweiser, Sunday at Woodbine.
Ridden by Irish jockey Davy Moran and trained by Costigan’s daughter Carolyn, who becomes the first female conditioner to win the Oaks, Roan Inish rallied between horses in deep stretch, catching pacesetter Embur’s Song while holding off Moment of Majesty in a charge to the wire in the mile and one-eighth filly classic.
The winning margin was a head, with odds-on Embur’s Song one and one-half lengths further back in third. The final time was 1:50.53, just .12 seconds slower than the Plate Trial, a race earlier won by longshot Big Red Mike.
Roan Inish, who won last year’s Princess Elizabeth Stakes while breaking her maiden in style, had made only one start this year, finishing second, five lengths behind Oaks rival Resentless in the May 1 Fury Stakes. But Carolyn Costigan wasn’t concerned and proclaimed that her filly was definitely fit for the distance.
The Oaks unfolded as expected, with undefeated Embur’s Song and jockey Garrett Gomez going immediately to the front, where she posted fractions of 23.93, 47.92 and 1:12.26, while being pressed by Resentless and Oil Painting.
As the field of eight Canadian-foaled three-year-old fillies rounded the far turn, Embur’s Song opened a couple of lengths on her pursuers. Meanwhile, Roan Inish had moved from sixth to third while Moment of Majesty and jockey Robert Landry, after trailing through six furlongs, was revving up on the outside.
The mile was reached in 1:37.48 but approaching the sixteenth pole, Embur’s Song began to tire, as Moment of Majesty appeared poised to sweep to the front. Suddenly, Moran guided 11-1 Roan Inish, a daughter of Elusive Quality, between the pair and prevailed in a brief, stiff drive to the wire.
“She (Roan Inish) ran really tough. Queen’s Plate here we go! The farther we go, the better. She is as genuine as you can get,” said Moran. “She has a big engine.”
Roan Inish’s mother is Inish Glora, a two-time (2003, 2004) Sovereign Award winner as Canada’s top female turfer. Roan Inish thus became the first filly to win the Princess Elizabeth Stakes, the richest race for Canadian-foaled two-year-old fillies, and the Woodbine Oaks since Ginger Gold accomplished the double in 2001-2002.
Owner Robert Costigan not only raced Inish Glora but also 2006 Canadian Horse of the Year Arravale.
Roan Inish is also eligible for the Queen’s Plate on July 4, as is Embur’s Song.
“I probably would have liked her (Roan Inish) to be further back,” said Costigan. “She is just a fighter, all guts, tooth and nail, a real athlete out there. We’ll go back to the barn and see how she is. She’s a horse that loves a dog-fight. I’m betting she’s probably feeling very good about herself. If it’s right for her, we’ll look at taking on the boys.”
“I had a good trip,” said Gomez, about the 2-5 choice Embur’s Song, trained by Todd Pletcher. “I had a little trouble getting her to relax early on. She’s only run a couple of times. I got a little pressure early on. She still tried to finish up well. She got a lot of seasoning out of this race. Hopefully, she’ll just keep going forward.”
Roan Inish picked up a pot of $300,000 for the win, her second victory in seven outings after beginning her career with three starts in Ireland. As the fourth choice, Roan Inish returned $25.80, $7.80 and $4.00, combining with 24-1 Moment of Majesty ($14.50, $5.30) for a $339 (3-7) exactor. A 3-7-6 (Embur’s Song, $2.10 to show) triactor paid $968.70 while a $1 Superfecta [3-7-6-5 (Oil Painting)] lit up the toteboard with a $4,116.40 payoff.
More from Canadian Thoroughbred:
