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Starship Jubilee Named Florida HOTY

Starship Jubilee (Indy Wind), a three-time Sovereign Award winner and Canada's Horse of the Year in 2019, was named Florida-bred Horse of the Year by the Florida Thoroughbred Breeders' and Owners' Association. She also took home honors ad the Florida-bred champion older female and champion turf female for the third time in four years.

Owned by Adam Corndorf and Bonnie Baskin's Blue Heaven Farm and trained by Kevin Attard, Starship Jubilee won her first four starts as a 7-year-old, taking the GIII Suwannee River S., the GII Hillsborough S. and GII Ballston Spa S. at Saratoga before finishing fourth to champion Rushing Fall (More Than Ready) in the GI Diana S. The bay bounced back with a defeat of the boys in the GI Woodbine Mile, but stumbled at the start of the GI Breeders' Cup Filly & Mare Turf, unseating jockey Florent Geroux. The bay mare earned better than $921,000 in 2020 and her career earnings of $2,093,069 ranks as the sixth-most by a Florida-bred female and she is the 35th richest Florida-bred in history. Starship Jubilee's dam Perfectly Wild (Forest Wildcat) was named broodmare of the year.

Other divisional winners included:

2-year-old male: Golden Pal (Uncle Mo), winner of the GII Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf Sprint;

2-year-old female: Princess Secret (Khozan), victorious in the 2020 Susan's Girl S. and My Dear Girl S. in the Florida Stallion Stakes series;

3-year-old male: GI Bing Crosby S. hero Collusion Illusion (Twirling Candy);

3-year-old filly: Speech (Mr Speaker), winner of the GI Central Bank Ashland S.

Champion Sprinter/Older Male: C Z Rocket (City Zip);

Champion Female Sprinter: Lady's Island (Greatness)

Champion Turf Male: March to the Arch (Arch)

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Olympic Runner Adds Graded Stakes Winner To Resume In King Edward At Woodbine

Olympic Runner has started in his share of graded stakes races, coming close to winning several of them, including his last-out second-place finish in the Grade 2 Connaught Cup at Woodbine Race Course in Toronto, Ontario. Sunday, he finally broke through to graded stakes winner status in his 23rd start with his win in the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes at Woodbine, taking the lead late in the one-mile stakes to win by 1 1/4 lengths.

Town Cruise, breaking from the inside post, found plenty of running room at the break, taking the lead in the first furlong with Gray's Fable and Jolie Olympica a length and a half behind him. Olympic Runner with jockey Rafael Hernandez moved to the rail before the first turn, sitting in fourth behind Town Cruise throughout the first seven furlongs. The leader, a chestnut gelding by Town Prize, held as much as a three-length advantage on the backstretch, entering the far turn looking like he could take the field wire to wire. About that time, Hernandez moved Olympic Runner off the rail, using the open running lane to mount their bid for the lead.

In the stretch, though, the margin between Town Cruise and the field began to shrink as both Olympic Runner and Avie's Flatter closed in on the leader. Olympic Runner was fastest, taking the lead from Town Cruise in the last sixteenth of a mile to seal the victory. Town Cruise held on for second, with a fast closing March to the Arch overtaking Avie's Flatter for third. Gray's Fable, Jolie Olympica, Valid Point, and Alfons Walde rounded out the order of finish.

The final time for the mile over the E.P. Taylor turf course at Woodbine was 1:31.73, a new track record. Find this race's chart here.

Olympic Runner paid $16.80, $7.60, and $4.30. Town Cruise paid $5.40 and $3.50. March to the Arch paid $2.80.

Bred in Kentucky by Eutrophia Farm LTD, Olympic Runner is by Gio Ponti out of Nadadora, by Carson City. He is owned by Gary Barber and trained by Mark Casse. The 5-year-old gelding was consigned by Equest Thoroughbreds and sold to Justin Casse for $180,000 at the 2017 Keeneland September Yearling Sale. With this victory in the G2 King Edward, Olympic Runner has two wins in seven starts in 2021, for a lifetime record of 5-7-2 in 23 starts and career earnings of $419,450.

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Casse Hopes March To The Arch Can Repeat In King Edward

Eight hopefuls, including Mark Casse trainees March to the Arch and Olympic Runner, are set to contest the Grade 2 $175,000 King Edward Stakes, a one-mile event for three-year-olds and up on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, Sunday at Woodbine.

Casse, who was recently feted with others at the combined 2020 and 2021 U.S. Horse Racing Hall of Fame induction ceremonies, has a pair of chances to notch his third King Edward crown, including with defending champ March to the Arch.

A lifetime winner of eight races from 27 starts, the 6-year-old son of Arch, bred and owned by Live Oak Plantation, sports a record of 4-3-0 in seven Woodbine appearances.

After a second-place effort to 2020 Queen's Plate winner Mighty Heart in the main track Grade 3 Dominion Day on July 1 at the Toronto oval, March to the Arch, as the 6-5 choice, rallied over good going on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course to notch a sharp 4 ½-length triumph in the Niagara Stakes, set at a distance of 'about' 1 1/8-miles.

Those first two starts of 2021 earned high praise from Casse.

“March to the Arch, what can I say? He's a tough, old boy who has come back this year as strong as ever. His last race [July 25], it was very impressive. He ran really well. He sat back – they set up a little pace for him – and he came running. He's cutting back for this race, but I don't think that should be a big issue.”

Casse expects another strong performance this Sunday.

“He should run well this weekend. He's gotten better [over time]. Early on, he didn't show a whole lot. It took him a while, but when he did put it all together, he did it well. He really has become better with age.”

March to the Arch launched his career with a fifth-place result at Gulfstream in February 2018, and earned his first win next time out, also at the Hallandale oval. The Florida-bred earned his first stakes victory that July, at Woodbine, in the Toronto Stakes.

The current plan is for the multiple graded stakes winner to contest one of the biggest races on the Woodbine stakes calendar.

“We're looking and hoping for another shot at the Woodbine Mile (September 18),” said Casse, who watched March to the Arch rally stoutly to finish second to Starship Jubilee in last year's running. “He's a real pro.”

Casse will also send out by Olympic Runner, a 5-year-old son of Gio Ponti, in the King Edward.

Bred in Kentucky by Eutrophia Farm Ltd., the Gary Barber-owned dark bay comes into the race off a silver medal performance in the Grade 2 Connaught Cup, missing top spot by a neck.

Olympic Runner, who brings a 4-7-2 mark from 22 career starts into Sunday's race, has a tendency to be his own worst enemy at times, noted Casse.

“He runs really well. He just doesn't get there quite as much as you would like to see. He kind of gets himself into trouble. I'm always making excuses for him, but I've come to the conclusion that he does it. He's coming into the race in good order. He's pretty consistent. He gets into trouble on tighter turns, so I think he enjoys the Woodbine turf course.”

Fourth in last year's Ricoh Woodbine Mile, his lone stakes win came in the 2019 running of the King Corrie at Woodbine.

There's a possibility Olympic Runner could join March to the Arch in the Toronto oval's fall turf classic.

“We're hoping he's good enough for the Woodbine Mile,” offered Casse.

Casse, who won his first King Edward in 2008 with Royal Oath, is hoping to see some fast early fractions in the King Edward.

“Both of them need some pace, so hopefully, that's what they can get on Sunday.”

Hall of Fame conditioner Josie Carroll sends out a formidable duo of her own, multiple graded stakes winners Jolie Olimpica, a 5-year-old daughter of Drosselmeyer, and Avie's Flatter, a 5-year-old son of Flatter.

The King Edward is slated as Race 8 on Sunday's 10-race card. First post is 1:10 p.m. Fans can also watch and wager via HPIbet.com.

FIELD FOR THE GRADE 2 $175,000 KING EDWARD

Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Town Cruise – Daisuke Fukumoto – Brandon Greer

2 – Olympic Runner – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse

3 – March to the Arch – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse

4 – Avie's Flatter – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll

5 – Gray's Fable – Gary Boulanger – Roger Attfield

6 – Alfons Walde (IRE) – David Moran – Conor Murphy

7 – Jolie Olimpica (BRZ) – Kazushi Kimura – Josie Carroll

8 – Valid Point – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Graham Motion

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March To The Arch Scores Big In Niagara

March to the Arch chased down the pacesetters to win the $100,000 Niagara Stakes on Sunday afternoon over the E.P. Taylor Turf Course at Woodbine Race Track in Toronto, Ontario.

The stakes feature for four-year-olds and up was run at a distance of about 1 1/8 miles.

With Patrick Husbands up for leading trainer Mark Casse, multiple graded stakes winner March to the Arch settled back in fifth early on behind Belichick and Theregoesjojo as a front-end duel ensued between Admiralty Pier and Primo Touch.

The battle for the lead persisted through early fractions of :23.14 and :45.32, and continued all the way into the stretch, with the top pair as much as 10 lengths in front of rivals approaching the turn.

However, March to the Arch saved ground on the bend then rallied outside of Belichick down the stretch. He reeled in the tiring leaders and went on to score by a widening 4 ½ lengths in 1:45.15 over the 'good' course, with Belichick finishing second.

Theregoesjojo edged out Primo Touch in a photo for show a half-length back while Current was fifth followed by Sir Sahib, Admiralty Pier, Woodbridge, and Mnemba Island.

“He's classy. Everybody would like to ride a horse like him,” said Husbands. “He's got a serious, serious turn of foot.”

Fresh off a runner-up performance in the Grade 3 Dominion Day at the start of July to open his six-year-old campaign, March to the Arch was sent postward as the 6-5 favorite here and paid $4.40 to win.

“In the last race, from reading the Form, I could see that there was no pace and he's a closer. When we got to the first turn, I saw it and I thought 'Oh my God.' So I had to press that horse [winner Mighty Heart] the whole way and he still hung in there, you know,” said Husbands in reference to March to the Arch's season's debut when he forced the pace early down the backstretch. “It wasn't his style, but he still came back today and showed you he was a good horse.”

Owned by Live Oak Plantation, the homebred Arch-Daveron gelding won the Grade 2 King Edward Stakes over the E.P. Taylor turf last year prior to his second-place effort in the Grade 1 Ricoh Woodbine Mile. Today, he notched his eighth career win from 27 starts while pushing his bankroll over the $1 million mark in Canadian earnings.

Live Thoroughbred racing continues at Woodbine Racetrack on Thursday with a 1:10 p.m. post time for the eight-race card.

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