The Breeders’ Stakes, third jewel of Canada’s Triple Crown, is a race made for the homebreds of Robert and Mark Krembil’s Chiefswood Stable. With already two wins in the 1 1/2 mile turf marathon in the last six years, Chiefswood had three Canadian-bred three-year-olds in the gate for the 134th running on Sunday, September 29 at Woodbine.
They finished 1-2-3.
It was ROSCAR who stalked and pounced with a darting move up the rail to take the $400,000 event under jockey Justin Stein, who had ridden the bay gelding by Oscar Performance (Kitten’s Joy) in two recent allowance/optional claiming races. Roscar was one of three winners in the seven-horse field, admittedly one of the weakest editions of the Breeders’ in many years. In fact, the Breeders’ favourite, the filly Hurricane Clair, was bet as if she was Thorpedo Anna down to 4-to-5 at post time simply because she won the Wonder Where Stakes at 10 furlongs after a long stretch battle.
Neither the King’s Plate winner Caitlynhergrtness nor the Prince of Wales winner Vitality were in the Breeders’.
One of the four maidens, Thor’s Cause, seventh in the King’s Plate, set slow pace fractions in the Breeders’ of 25.08, 52.13 and a glacial 1:19.83 for six furlongs. Hurricane Clair and jockey Sahin Civaci tracked all the way but the filly was tired by the stretch run and Roscar, trained by Rachel Halden, zipped up the fence on his way to a 1 1/2-length win.
Halden trainee Saccharine, a promising maiden filly for Chiefswood, rallied to be second while another Chiefswood maiden, Side Street, trained by Layne Giliforte, was up for third. The time was 2:34.72, the second slowest since 1997.
Chiefswood won last year’s Breeders’ with Touch’n Ride, trained by Giliforte, and Neepawa in 2018, trained by Mark Casse. Halden won the 2016 Breeders’ with Camp Creek, owned by Hillsbrook Farm.
Roscar, who came into the Breeders’ with a seven furlong maiden win on Tapeta in November 2023, figured to love long grass races since he traces back to one of Chiefwood’s first broodmare purchases, Nashwan Rose (GB) by Nashwan. A $400,000 broodmare prospect purchased in December 2003 at Tattersalls, the impeccably-bred Nashwan Rose produced half a dozen named foals for Chiefswood and a few modest winners.
Nashwan Rose’s 2008 foal, Empire Rose, by Empire Maker, did not race but produced stakes-placed February Rose and Rosemere. Roscar is Rosemere’s first foal to race.
Saccharine, by Noble Mission (GB), descends from a popular Chiefswoof line from the mare Lone Piper. The farm had many winners from that mare including Pipers Honour, a stakes-placed producer of some six winners including stakes-placed Niigon’s Legacy, dam of Saccharine.
Side Street is from the mare Tara Street, a daughter of Street Cry (Ire) and Rose of Tara (Ire). Rose of Tara was purchased by Chiefswood for $1.95 million in foal to Storm Cat. That foal was Grade 2 winner Essential Edge, granddam of the Grade 2 winning sprinter Roses for Debra.
Wagering on Breeders’ Stakes day was $4.8 million for 10 races. The 2023 Breeders, one of 11 races, had wagering of $5.9 million.
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