Woodbine jockeys XAREL FORDE and PIETRO MORAN, both apprentices, set up a $171.00 exacta late Wednesday evening at Turfway Park in Florence, Kentucky.
Forde, who is from Barbados and began riding at Woodbine this season under the tutelage of agent Mike Luider, was a two-time winner from just three mounts at Turfway on Wednesday in his first-ever foray to an American track. Moran, a shoo-in for the Sovereign Award for Outstanding Apprentice in Canada, had three mounts at Turfway on Wednesday as well.
The two riders finished first and second in race 10, a maiden event at one mile on the Tapeta. Forde guided 17-to-1 shot SPASTIC BID (Vino Ross) to a six-length win for trainer and co-owner and breeder Jon Jazdzewski, with Moran on favoured Lady Faye second for trainer William Morey.
Earlier on the card, Forde won on Ryan Walsh trainee HIDEKI in a last-to-first run in a claiming sprint at 7-to-2 odds.
Both Forde and Moran have more mounts at Turfway on Thursday.
Woodbine’s 2025 leading rider RAFAEL HERNANDEZ is also riding at Turfway this week/weekend before he will eventually head south to Fair Grounds to ride this winter.
Turfway will hold its Synthetic Champion stakes races on Dec. 21, re-scheduled from last weekend when a snowstorm cancelled the card.
Several Canadian horses, bred or based, are in stakes events including last year’s Champion three-year DRESDEN ROW, who could snare this year’s Sovereign Award for Champion Older Male Main Track with a good finish in the $250,000 Prairie Bayou Stakes at one mile. The Prairie Bayou is race 8 at 6 :40 p.m. on Sunday and Ryan Munger is on board.
Speaking of Sovereign Awards, American filly MS. TART could net the Sovereign Award for Female Sprinter in Canada with a good run in the Holiday Inaugural Staes worth $250,000. Ms. Tart, recently purchased by Judy Pryor and Mulholland Springs for $375,000 from the Keeneland November Breeding Stock Sale, won the Grade 3 Royal North Stakes on the Woodbine grass last year and was third in the Grade 3 Whimsical Stakes. She also won the Satin N Lace Stakes at Presque Isle in August.
Canadian champion and King’s Plate winner CAITLINHERGRTNESS, a two-time graded stakes winner at Woodbine as a four-year-old this year, is in the $250,000 My Charmer Stakes at one mile for WinStar Farm and trainer Kevin Attard. This is expected to be the final race for the Ontario-bred by Omaha Beach. Also in the My Charmer is Literate, winner of the Grade 3 Trillium at Woodbine in 2025 and Queens Command, second in the Grade 3 Maple Leaf Stakes on Nov. 8.
And 2023 Champion Sprinter LUCKY SCORE is in the Holiday Cheer Stakes, race 9, for Gary Barber, Pantofel Stable and Wachtel Stable. Trained by Mark Casse, Lucky Score is seven years old and has earned over $764,000 and he was recently second in the Grade 2 Kennedy Road at Woodbine to Nobals, also entered in the Holiday Cheer.
More News
