Riding the Kentucky-bred two-year-old gelding JUPITER (Upstart) for the first time for D.J. Stable and trainer Mark Casse, Fraser Aebly rode Woodbine’s ongoing golden rail path to victory in the $150,000 Display Stakes on October 12.
Meeting just four rivals after two youngsters were scratched from the 7 furlong stake for two-year-olds, Jupiter stalked the very slow pace (24.53, 49.23 and 1:12.74) set by debut winner Navy Street before making his move off the rail on his way to victory. Navy Street was second and first-time starter Baaeed Alynna, for Libyan owners Tagermeen Stable, rallied for third after a slow start.
The final time of the Display, 1:24.83, was considerably slower than the 1:23.56 of the Glorious Song Stakes, although the Display was certainly an oddly-run race.
Jupiter was a $50,000 weanling purchase by D.J. Stable from the 2023 Keeneland November sale. The dark bay, who was second in the Victoria Stakes, is from the Karakontie (Jpn) mare Magnanimous, who was placed in one of two races.
Magnanimous is a half-sister to Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Fillies winner Jaywalk and two other stakes winners. This is the first foal of Jupiter’s dam and the Display winner was bred by David Schwartz.
Aebly won three races on Sunday and continues to rise in stature as one of Woodbine’s top jockeys. The media-shy rider is in the midst of a career year (just his fourth year) by purses at $3.2 million (US).
And Aebly is one of a few riders who certainly know that Woodbine’s rail path offers a huge advantage to runners these days.
Racing at Woodbine will be held on Thanksgiving Monday, although with just seven races and 47 entrants.
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Austin Adams missed riding on Sunday and was not expected to ride Monday after a spill at Woodbine on Saturday. The apprentice rider’s mount fell over another rival who had clipped heels with the two-year-old Noboru in a grass race.
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SAHIN CIVACI will be leaving Ontario this week (he rides at Woodbine Monday) and he has mounts lined up for Belmont-at-Aqueduct on Friday, October 17 and October 18 including BOCA QUEEN (Ire) who will compete in the Grade 2 Sands Point Stakes on the grass for Mike Repole and trainer Kevin Attard.
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Trainer Sylvester Olivierre reported that MORE THAN SCAT was put down after he was injured in a race on October 3. It was the gelding’s second career start.
Al Ulwelling confirmed that the Ulwelling’s hotshot two-year-old debut winner MARCUS J (Hard Spun) passed away after collapsing after the running of the Grade 1 Summer Stakes on Sept. 13. The gelding had won his career debut by 9 lengths, but after leading for more than half the Summer, faded quickly to last. Marcus J was bred by Apricot Valley Thoroughbreds.
As a sidenote, two first-time starting two-year-olds had fatal breakdowns at Keeneland on the dirt this weekend.
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