John Oxley’s Sky Treasure rallied from near the back of the pack in a 12-horse field to capture Saturday’s $211,200 Grade 2 Nassau Stakes, at Woodbine.
Trained by Mark Casse, the five-year-old Sky Mesa chestnut earned her first added-money score with a determined drive under Gary Boulanger in the one-mile tilt over a firm E.P. Taylor Turf Course, fending off the late run of Deceptive Vision by a length.
Sky Treasure was making her fourth start of the season following three off-the-board efforts at Santa Anita.
Resistivity set the pace in the Nassau marking off splits of :23.73 and :46.89 with Stellar Path, the mutuel favourite shipping in from New York and a win in the Plenty of Grace Stakes, keeping close watch.
Sky Treasure, next to last into the turn, swept three-wide into the lane and drove clear in the final sixteenth to make the grade. Deceptive Vision kicked on for place money, a head in front of the late rallying Overheard. Sky Treasure covered the mile in 1:33.54.
The Nassau was the first stakes win of the meet for Boulanger.
“She’s always been a really nice filly, closing,” said Boulanger. “I always thought a lot of her, and didn’t get to ride her a whole bunch. She has a big move if you ride her right. I got a perfect trip through the turn, and I really hadn’t asked much of her. I split horses, got outside of (Deceptive Vision), and she gave me a gear and spurted right by her. It worked out great for us today.”
The win was a breakthrough for Sky Treasure having previously placed in the Grade 3 Royal North and Grade 2 Bessarabian Stakes in 2014, at Woodbine.
Sky Treasure, bred in Kentucky by Ed Seltzer, banked $120,000 while improving her record to 4-2-2 from 15 starts.
She paid $40.10, $15.70 and $10.20, combining with Deceptive Vision ($4.40, $3.30) for a $206.70 (7-9) exactor. A 7-9-3 triactor (Overheard, $4.40 to show) was worth $880.30, while a $1 Superfecta [7-9-3-4 (Stellar Path)] came back $1,479.60.
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