Live Oak Plantation’s Florida homebred SOUPER STONEHENGE put an end to PINK LLOYD’S Jacques Cartier Stakes (G3) reign as he took off down the stretch to claim the 2021 edition of the six furlong event for sprinters four years old and up on Sunday afternoon at Woodbine Racetrack. It was the first stake win for the chestnut 5-year-old gelding by Speightstown-Onepointthreekarats by Medaglia D’Oro.
Jockey Patrick Husbands teamed up with the Mark Casse trainee, who was the 3-2 second choice in the six-horse field. Casse won three of the 12 races on day 5 of the season.
After pressing the pace early on, Souper Stonehenge took command near the quarter pole from front-runner Readyforprimetime with splits of :22.72 and :44.93 flashing up on the board.
With Daisuke Fukumoto picking up the mount, four-time Jacques Cartier champ Pink Lloyd raced between horses at the back of the tightly-knit bunch and surged into third on the turn, but Souper Stonehenge dashed home a four-length winner in 1:08.89 for six furlongs.
Pink Lloyd, who set the 1:08.05 track record in the 2018 edition of the Jacques Cartier, settled for second in his nine-year-old debut as the 6-5 favourite. Malibu Secret, last year’s Jacques Cartier runner-up, came through inside to finish third while Joker On Jack, Readyforprimetime and Dixie’s Gamble rounded out the order of finish.
Back at the barn, Pink Lloyd’s trainer Robert Tiller posted a picture of the gelding’s right front leg and a deep cut that was requiring stitches:
Souper Stonehenge returned $5 to win and $2.70 t0 place. There was no show wagering.
The gelding had finished third in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct in early April and was second to Ride a Comet in the Kennedy Road Stakes last November at Woodbine, defeating Pink Lloyd. Souper Stonehenge quite likes Woodbine as he is 3-3-0 in seven Woodbine starts.
“Going into this race, I breezed this horse about four times and I think he’s a world beater at Woodbine,” said Husbands. “This horse is the real deal right now.
“I rode him as the best horse in the race. I respect ‘The Boss.’ Any time you can beat Pink Lloyd at Woodbine Racetrack, especially sprinting, he’s the world beater, he’s the champion here. So I knew it would take a real Pink Lloyd to beat this horse today.”
The lion’s share of the $150,000 purse boosted his bankroll over the $300,000 mark for owner/breeder Live Oak Plantation.
Husbands, who won 70 races including 10 stakes during last year’s shortened season, was pleased to land the connections a stakes victory after the pandemic delayed the start of the meet.
“It’s amazing to be back at Woodbine – it’s a beautiful place, a good environment,” said the veteran reinsman. “It’s amazing how much stress the owners went through, through the pandemic. They waited so long, putting all this money into these horses and they didn’t know when the races were going to start. You’ve got to tip your hat off to the owners.”
Woodstock Won by Wesley Ward
It has been a rough few days for the small string of horses sent to Woodbine by US trainer Wesley Ward, who celebrated a victory at Royal Ascot last week with the filly Campanelle in the Commonwealth Cup (through disqualification). Ward usually cleans up when he sends some horses north, but he had been blanked in 7 races coming into the Woodstock Stakes on Sunday.
But OUTADORE got him out as the handsome grey Outwork sophomore zipped to victory in the $125,00 stakes race for 3-year-olds at six furlongs.
Jockey Justin Stein doubled up in this weekend’s stakes action at Woodbine.
“I’m just fortunate to be on the right horse on the right day,” said Stein, who also won the first stakes of the meet on Saturday, with Star Shoot winner Can’t Buy Love for conditioner Michael Trombetta.
In the Woodstock, Stein had Outadore positioned mid-pack before sending the Outwork colt three-wide into contention on the turn and kicking clear down the lane to win in 1:09.77 over six furlongs on the Tapeta.
Outadore paid $5.90 to win as the slight second choice to Jaxon Traveler, who appeared on the lead briefly at the start and finished 1-1/4 lengths behind the winner in second. Ward also picked up third money with Chasing Artie closing from the back under Kazushi Kimura. They were followed by Sky’s Not Falling, Master Spy, Derzkii and pacesetter Saturday George (:23.21, :45.82).
“He broke sharp, he broke hard, but we were out-run, out-footed early,” said Stein. “He settled into stride in behind and when I called on him, he really kicked. He dug in, he’s a runner. He’s a nice horse.”
Following up a victory in the Animal Kingdom Stakes in late March at Turfway Park, Outadore is now two-for-two to start his sophomore season. Owned by Breeze Easy LLC, the Kentucky-bred gave way to finish third in the Grade 1 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf last year and now has four wins from six career starts and more than a half-million dollars in purse earnings.
More Sunday Stuff
After Saturday’s card that was raced over a very fast Tapeta surface, the track was slower on Sunday but continued what appeared to be a distinct outside bias. Horses who went to the lead along the inside often faded.
There were some impressive efforts on the day, in particular that of the debuting 4-year-old TORONTOTORO, owned and bred by Christine and Jay Hayden and trained by Roger Attfield. This American Pharoah colt out of Banga Ridge was not sold by the Haydens as a yearling as most of their horses are. Instead, he has been given lots of time and he had fast workouts in 2020 and again this spring. He won as most expected in 1:10.02 for six furlongs under Emma-Jayne Wilson.
Wilson won the last two races on the day and is currently leading all jockeys with eight victories.
Two-year-old colt CONCEALED CARRY, owned and trained by Barbara Minshall, won his debut in race 3 at 4 1/2 furlongs with a wide, late rally. The son of Competitive Edge was a $15,000 yearling purchase at the Fasig Tipton October sale and is a Kentucky-bred.
What a mare HIPPICRITICAL has been for Gardiner Farms and now Sherry McLean over the years. The Hail the Ruckus gal (who is a full sister to Uproar, the dam of millionaire Pender Harbour) had her 14th consecutive winning foal in Sunday’s 4th race with JAMES BAY, a 4-year-old by Souper Speedy.
Take a look (courtesy Daily Racing Form):
Hippicritical – 1996 – 25 years old
Foal Name YOB Starts Wins Seconds Thirds Earnings StksPlc
James Bay 2017 4 1 0 1 $28,201 0
Gimbala 2015 31 5 8 3 $123,664 0
Ring for a Drink 2014 11 1 1 1 $29,474 0
Hipp Smitt 2013 24 5 5 0 $127,700 0
Cash for Kitty 2012 4 1 2 0 $20,165 0
Enjoy the Movie 2011 8 1 1 0 $42,593 0
Lip Singer 2010 60 10 10 5 $179,290 0
Sir Travis 2009 29 6 3 8 $169,029 0
Nanaimo 2008 20 3 2 5 $177,589 0
Doctor Jack 2007 43 5 4 6 $252,041 4
Critical Path 2005 42 6 10 4 $255,679 0
Trajecly Hipp 2004 2 1 0 1 $6,305 0
Be Sincere 2003 19 1 5 3 $72,897 0
Ice Melted 2002 45 3 4 3 $138,577 0
Skinner 2001 13 0 1 1 $7,679 0
Hippicritical had a Reload foal this year.
James Bay’s win in the turf sprint was a poignant moment for trainer Krista Cole-Simpson who co owns with McLean, Linday Barrow and Robin Ferguson. She said she named the horse after her father. Cole Simpson said on Facebook about the Father’s Day win, “Named James after my dad Orville James and wearing the butterfly silks representing my dad in heaven, who told my us he would come back as a butterfly to watch over us.”
Cole-Simpson had to be pleased with the run by CANDY OVERLOAD in the last race of the day, an optional claiming event at 6 1/2 furlongs featuring some Queen’s Plate eligibles. Candy Overload rallied from well back to be second to the 4-year-old THERE’S NO JOE, an Alberta-bred for Sabre Farms. Candy Overload, by Reload, rode the track bias while another Reload, RED RIVER REBEL set the pace in a multi-horse battle and faded late. Both Candy Overload and Red River Rebel are owned by Denny Andrews and McLean.
The Paul Buttigieg team got its first win with the Ontario-bred ARTIE’S STORM who won a 7-furlong maiden allowance, race 6, under David Moran in his season debut. It was the second career race for Artie’s Storm who is by We Miss Artie out of Tiz Stormy Now by Tiznow. The dark bay gelding (another winner for David Moran) is from a placed mare who cost $215,000 as a yearling and has produced four modest winners. Artie’s Storm was bred by Sunrise Farm.
Trainer Santino DiPaola and the P413 Racing won their first race of 2021 when KEEN SAMURAI roared around fellow maidens to win race 2 for $15,000 claiming. The First Samurai fellow was claimed for $15,000 last October and he is one of several 5-year-olds to win their maiden at the meeting. Keveh Nicholls rode and he won two races on Sunday.
Trainer Darwin Banach won his first race of the season as CHEEK TO CHEEK, owned by JWS Farms, won a $10,000 claiming race, race 8, and Zeljko Krcmar sent out the 5-year-old maiden CALL HER JOEY to surprise in race 11, a turf sprint for $25,000 claiming maidens. Laura Taylor owners the Sligo Bay mare who showed vastly improved speed in this opener.
~ with files from Woodbine media
More from Horses:
