The Valedictory Stakes (G3) is back.
The popular race, which is the traditional final stakes race run on the last day of each Woodbine racing season, was not run in 2020 when racing was halted early due to another provincial shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It is race 11 on December 5 with a post time of 5:53 p.m.
Woodbine is able to complete its 2021 season, another one shortened due to COVID, on December 4 and 5 and there are three stakes on the final weekend and cards of 12 and 14 races respectively, most with large fields.
SIR WINSTON, the 2019 Belmont Stakes (G1) winner who has made a home at Woodbine in 2021, will be heavily favoured to win the Valedictory, which has been shortened this year from its traditional 1 3/4 mile distance to 1 1/2 miles. Sir Winston won his 2021 opener off an 11-month layoff, beating allowance rivals at 1 1/16 miles. He was recently second in the Grade 3 Durham Cup and Autumn Stakes (G2) to Special Forces and Mighty Heart, respectively.
A son of Awesome Again, the great Canadian-bred, Sir Winston will be ridden by Patrick Husbands, who beat Sir Winston last time when riding Mighty Heart.
Fifteen horses were entered in the Valedictory and most of the betting support will go to Sir Winston and SPECIAL FORCES. The latter, a son of Candy Ride (Arg) is not accustomed to racing at 12 furlongs but he won the 1 1/16 mile Durham Cup before landing third in the Autumn. Kevin Attard trains.
Perhaps the most impressive claim of the season, WAR BOMBER, is in the field for Bruno Schickedanz. This 3-year-old by War Front was picked up for $25,000 from a turf race that he won in August and came right back to win the $134,000 Toronto Cup Stakes. Trained by Norm McKnight, War Bomber was sixth in the Grade 2 Hill Prince at Belmont and recently won his Tapeta debut in an allowance race at nine furlongs.
In addition to Sir Winston, leading trainer Mark Casse and his team have two other entrants: recent allowance winner WIN D’ORO and Ontario Derby (G3) winner FROSTED OVER. The latter, owned by Gary Barber, is on the short list for Canada’s champion 3-year-old honours in a very light category. His rider KAZUSHI KIMURA, the year’s leading jockey, is going to win his first title once the season ends.
On Saturday, races 9 and 10 are the STEADY GROWTH STAKES and the LA PREVOYANTE STAKES, races named for two great Canadian-breds.
The Steady Growth, for Ontario-sired older horses at 1 1/16 miles, is led by the one-two finishers of the recent Lake Ontario Stakes for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds, Artie’s Storm and Secret Reserve. ARTIE’S STORM has been a success story for the Paul Buttigieg Training Centre team and jockey David Moran. He has three wins in eight races this year and he placed in four other stakes events in 2021. SECRET RESERVE set the pace in the Lake Ontario and was edged late by Artie’s Storm. He has won two stakes races this year for Carlo d’Amato and Stacey VanCamp. Graded stakes-placed TIMESKIP and DOTTED LINE are also in the 12 horse field.
The La Prevoyante, for Ontario-sired fillies and mares at 1 1/16 miles, is the final career race of the top mare SUMMER SUNDAY, who has won $757,000 in her 21 races which includes 11 wins. She has only tried the distance on Tapeta once and that was a front-running score in the 2020 Belle Mahone Stakes. Her main competition will come from ROYAL WEDDING, who came close to beating the champ in the Eternal Search Stakes. Royal Wedding is trained by Nathan Squires for Bill Thompson, Jr., and Eternal Search Stakes third-place finisher NOVEMBER FOG co-owned and trained by Sarah Ritchie.
More from Canadian Thoroughbred:
