Godolphin shipping horses to tracks to win stakes races is nothing new in the world of horse racing, certainly when they bring horses to Woodbine. But at least one of the world-class farm’s graded stakes winners on the May 30 card on a bright and sunny southern Ontario afternoon was a surprise.
DELORAINE (Candy Ride (Arg), a winner of a maiden race and a turf allowance in 2024 for trainer Eoin Harty, charged to victory in the Grade 3 Belle Mahone Stakes at 1 1/16 miles on the Tapeta for kick off the trio of graded stakes races carded at Woodbine. The three races all made up the track’s first ever ‘$5 All Stakes Pick 3’ , a welcomed new wager for the day that offered a low 15 percent take out. The wager attracted $44,000 is bets and paid off at $2,200.
All three of the stakes races were won by horses shipping in for the events by American trainers, although each one was saddled by a local conditioner.
Harty sent Deloraine to the Belle Mahone for her second outing since last August. The bay 4-year-old had been third in the Grade 3 Gazelle and Florida Oaks last year (to eventual champion Nitrogen) but she was ninth in 2026 opener on the grass at Keeneland after she went too fast on the pace.
At 9 to 1 in the Belle Mahone and with one of Woodbine’s sharpest riders, Ryan Munger on board, Deloraine was under a good hold behind the pacesetting shipper Stylish Sue early in the race and then tipped out to slowly gain on that gal to win by three-quarters of a length. The pace was slow, 48.18, 1:12.67 which hurt the chances of two Mark Casse trainees in the field, No Time and Elysian Field. The final time was a modest 1:44.47.
Deloraine, whose highest previous Beyer Speed Figure from 10 races was 76, did win her only other Tapeta suface race and that was her maiden win at Presque Isle in October 2024.
One race later it was the Grade 3 ECLIPSE STAKES , one of Woodbine’s most iconic stakes races and this was another mish-mash field of horses with questions to answer. The Casse duo, Tosen Wish (Ire) and Swift Delivery, had not been seen since December and neither were in good form at that time. In addition, both are deep, closing types and those kind of horses tend to need a race or two off the long layoff. There was Jokestar, a stakes winner for Al and Bill Ulwelling who has been thriving on dirt tracks and last year’s Prince of Wales winner Runaway Again.
The race was dominated, however, by another Godolphin visitor, the fiesty MAYCOCKS BAY, a speedy 5-year-old son of the late Speightstown whose previous stakes race appearances were humdrum. Racing over the Tapeta surface for the first time, Maycocks Bay, who got a bit sweaty before the race, grabbed the bit and ran out of the gate, seemingly on a mission to run free. Under jockey Sofia Vives, Maycocks Bay opened up some 10 lengths on the field, dragging his rider out of the saddle, which appeared to be slipping at the same time. The lead the gelding built up was so big, his rivals had no chance to catch up, although the reliable Stanley House tried hard as he rolled into second place.
Maycocks Bay ran the 1 1/16 miles in 1:43.05, capturing his first stakes win and fourth win in 12 races. He is trained by Michael Stidham.
Race 9 on Saturday was the Grade 3 Jacques Cartier Stakes at 6 furlongs for older runners and is was a suddenly transformed POSSIBLEMENTE, a son of Take of Ekati, who charged through rivals under Eswan Flores to grab the win. The 6-year-old gelding trained by Kentucky based Joe Sharp for T and E Racing of Taylor Logan, daughter of Elliott Logan, had raced at Woodbine in 2025, picking up a couple of thirds in claiming races for Martin Drexler and Julia Carey. In January of this year, Possiblemente was re-calibrated by Sharp into a sprinter and the results have been stunning. His Jacques Cartier time was 1:10.01. It was the 10th win in 32 starts for Possiblemente who was bred by Charles Fipke in Kentucky.
The Beyer Speed Figures for the three stakes races were 95 for Maycocks Bay, 92 for Possiblemente and 86 for Deloraine.
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