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Say The Word Closes Late For Northern Dancer Turf Stakes Victory

Smooth sailing and a stellar steer from Emma-Jayne Wilson put the exclamation point on a primetime performance by Say the Word in the $340,200 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (G1), presented by Pattison, Sunday at Woodbine in Toronto, Ontario.

Sent off at 5-1, Say the Word, bred and owned by Sam-Son Farm, and trained by Gail Cox, struck front in the late going and fended off a deep stretch surge from Sir Sahib to claim victory in the 1 1/2-mile marathon run over a “good” E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

It was slight mutuel favorite Admiralty Pier who swept to the front soon after the gates opened, with the son of English Channel, under Steve Bahen, leading his rivals into the first turn. Peace of Ekati took up residence in second spot, with Jungle Fighter and Count Again (Say the Word's Sam-Son farm stablemate) sitting in third and fourth, respectively. Say the Word and Wilson were eighth and last.

Admiralty Pier, who took his seven rivals through an opening quarter-mile in :25.25, was still calling the shots after a half-mile clocked in :51.57. Peace of Ekati remained second, while Jungle Fighter and Count Again matched strides 1 1/2 lengths further back.

It was status quo on the front end after 1 1/4 miles, as Say the Word still waited for the word from Wilson.

As the field rounded the turn, Say the Word was given his cue from Wilson and the duo launched their bid on the far outside, as Admiralty Pier clung to a head advantage with challengers beginning to shorten his lead.

Seventh at the stretch call, Say the Word began to methodically pick off his rivals one-by-one, eventually taking over the lead but then quickly tasked with fending off a late-charging Sir Sahib.

At the wire, Say the Word was one length in front of Sir Sahib, while Admiralty Pier finished a head in front of Count Again for third spot.

The final time was 2:29.87.

“It was perfect actually,” said Wilson, who won the 2015 Northern Dancer with 10-1 longshot Interpol. “The first time I rode him, Gail let me know that Junior Alvarado from Saratoga had said that he was funny with his mouth, he could be a little sensitive and to trip him [out] in a certain sort of way. Last time [in the G3 Singspiel Stakes], we got the one-hole going a mile and a quarter, and I just got shuffled back. It took me a bit to just kind of get on the same page with him last time, being as sensitive as he was. I mean, he ran well, he ran third, but he was coming on end.

“So today, I was more confident with him, more ground and I knew where the line was with him for my hands and give and take. He settled for me beautifully; I literally just held the mane for pretty much the first mile and a quarter. Then as I gathered him up, I knew…I just knew. He was gaining on them last time and I just knew when he straightened, he was already in flight and it was going to be tough to beat him.”

Wilson also had high praise for Alvarado.

“And if it wasn't for the other jock's advice and what he knew of him … it's a community thing. If Junior doesn't pass that message onto Gail … it's a team effort. Yes, we're jockeys and we're in competition, but also, he wants to see the horse do well as well. Kudos, Junior; I appreciate it.”

Cox, in the midst of a strong campaign, was thrilled with the outcome.

“I think this horse kind of likes to know the people that he's with, so he's not one that's easy to shift around all the time. He also loves this turf course and he loved the distance. Last year, he was sent to me and we ran him on the Tapeta, and it was not to his liking.”

The E.P. Taylor Turf Course, however, is quite a different story.

An Ontario-bred, Say the Word came into the Northern Dancer off a tough third-place finish, one that saw the dark bay flying late, in the 1 1/4-mile Singspiel Stakes (G3T) on Sept. 19 at Woodbine.

This time, the 5-year-old son of More Than Ready was just that.

A now five-time winner from 25 starts, Say the Word, who contested two-thirds (Queen's Plate and Breeders' Stakes) of the 2018 Canadian Triple Crown, notched his first added-money win in taking the Northern Dancer.

Say the Word paid $13.60, $5.80 and $3.90. The 1-3 exactor with Sir Sahib ($5.40, $3) returned $78.30. Admiralty Pier completed a 1-3-7 triactor worth $364, with fourth-place Count Again completing a $1 superfecta (1-3-7-8) worth $532.55.

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Weekend Lineup Presented By Del Mar Ship & Win: Woodbine In The Spotlight

Woodbine grabs the spotlight this weekend as the Ontario track hosts two Grade 1 contests over its renowned turf course in the E.P. Taylor and the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes on Sunday. Belmont Park also has a pair of graded stakes on tap for Sunday that will be televised on “America's Day at the Races” on FS2.

“American's Day at the Races” will also have a special Saturday morning broadcast on FS2 that will showcase British Champions Day from Ascot Racecourse in England. Saturday's broadcast will air on FS2 from 8:30-11a.m. ET and feature four classic Group 1 turf races, headlined by the £750,000 QIPCO Champion Stakes and the £650,000 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes, sponsored by QIPCO. Post time for the Group 1 QIPCO Champion Stakes for 3-year-olds and up at 10 furlongs will be 10:40 a.m. with the Group 1 Queen Elizabeth II Stakes set for 10:05 a.m.

Racing at Keeneland, Santa Anita, and other tracks will be featured on TVG as part of its coast-to-coast coverage. International racing will also continue on Saturday on TVG with the prestigious Champions Day with coverage beginning at 8:30 a.m. ET. The star-studded day of racing will include six events including the Long Distance Gold Cup, which will feature Stradivarius (IRE) making his fourth appearance in the race.

Friday, Oct. 16

5:30 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 3 Valley View Stakes Keeneland on TVG

Godolphin's Antoinette, winner of the Saratoga Oaks Invitational and recently runner-up in the Grade 1 Belmont Oaks Invitational, tops the field for the 30th running of Valley View, run at 1 1/16 miles on the Keeneland turf course. Trained by Bill Mott, the homebred daughter of Hard Spun will be ridden Friday by Manny Franco and break from post position 12. Headlining the competition to Antoinette is Walk In Marrakesh (IRE), who came within a nostril of winning the Grade 2 Appalachian Stakes in July.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE101620USA9-EQB.html

Saturday, Oct. 17

5:30 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 Raven Run Stakes at Keeneland on TVG

Grade 2 winner Venetian Harbor headlines a deep field of 10 3-year-old fillies for the 22nd running of the Raven Run, contested at seven furlongs. Trained by Richard Baltas, Venetian Harbor will be making her first start since finishing second to Gamine in the Grade 1 Test Stakes at Saratoga on Aug. 8. Prior to that, she had finished second to Speech in the Grade 1 Ashland Stakes here and to Swiss Skydiver in the Grade 3 Fantasy Stakes at Oaklawn Park with both those races being two-turn tests going 1 1/16 miles.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE101720USA9-EQB.html

8:15 p.m.—$100,000 Grade 3 Autumn Miss Stakes at Santa Anita Park on TVG

A four-time stakes winner in search of her first graded victory, California-bred Warren's Showtime heads a field of seven sophomore fillies going one mile on turf in the Autumn Miss Stakes. Owned by Ben and Sally Warren and bred by Ben Warren, Warren's Showtime was most recently a close third in the Grade 1 Del Mar Oaks and is the leading money earner in the field with $460,251.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA101720USA9-EQB.html

Sunday, Oct. 18

1:28 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Knickerbocker Stakes at Belmont Park on FS2

After running second in last year's edition, the Chad Brown-trained Olympico (FR) will get another chance to earn a trip to the winner's circle when he competes as part of a five-horse field in the Knickerbocker for 3-year-olds and up going 1 1/8 miles on the inner turf. The Knickerbocker was originally scheduled for the Oct. 12 holiday card but was moved to due to inclement weather. That provided Olympico with a few days of extra rest as he makes his first appearance since running fifth in the 1 1/16-mile Lure on September 7 at Saratoga Race Course.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL101820USA3-EQB.html

3:29 p.m.—$300,000 Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

Trainer Gail Cox will look to net the stakes double with Count Again in the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes. The lightly raced five-year-old son of Awesome Again has been impressive over his six lifetime outings. On Sept. 19, the bay gelding, despite being heavily steadied into the far turn, drove to the front outside of the eighth-pole and secured a 1 ¼ length win in the Grade 3 Singspiel Stakes. It was the first stakes engagement for Count Again, who Cox is counting on once again to come up big on the Woodbine grass.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO101820CAN5-EQB.html

4:37 p.m.—$300,000 Grade 1 E.P. Taylor Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

Trainer Gail Cox has a trio of talented turfers taking up the Sam-Son Farm charge, namely, Rideforthecause in the E.P. Taylor, as well as Count Again and Say the Word in the Northern Dancer. A four-year-old daughter of Candy Ride (ARG), Rideforthecause rolls into the E.P. Taylor off two straight scores, both of them contested at Woodbine. After an allowance victory at 1 1/16 miles on the Toronto oval Inner Turf on Aug. 1, the bay was back in the winner's circle on Sept. 12, winning the Canadian Stakes presented by the Japan Racing Association (G2) at the distance of about 1 1/8 miles on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO101820CAN7-EQB.html

4:47 p.m.—$150,000 Grade 2 Hill Prince Stakes at Belmont Park on FS2

West Point Thoroughbreds, William Sandbrook, William Freeman and Cheryl Manning's Decorated Invader will see a cutback in distance when competing against fellow sophomores in the 46th running of the Hill Prince going one mile over the Widener turf. Trained by Christophe Clement, Decorated Invader arrives off a fifth-place finish in the Saratoga Derby on Aug. 15. The Saratoga Derby was the first loss of the year for Decorated Invader, who captured the Cutler Bay on March 28 at Gulfstream Park in his 2020 bow before winning the Grade 2 Pennine Ridge on June 20 at Belmont Park and the Grade 2 National Museum of Racing Hall of Fame on July 18 at Saratoga.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/BEL101820USA9-EQB.html

4:57 p.m.—$125,000 Grade 3 Dowager Stakes at Keeneland on TVG

Calumet Farm's Siberian Iris (IRE), second against the boys this summer in the Grade 3 San Juan Capistrano at Santa Anita, tops a field of six fillies and mares in the 1 ½-miles Dowager. Trained by Richard Mandella, Siberian Iris stayed at Keeneland following a fifth-place finish in the TVG Stakes at Kentucky Downs on Sept. 15.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/KEE101820USA8-EQB.html

5:45 p.m.—$250,000 Grade 2 Nearctic Stakes at Woodbine on TVG

A field of nine headed up by multiple graded stakes winner Silent Poet are set to contest the Nearctic going six furlongs on the turf. Silent Poet has won three of his last four starts and enters off of an allowance win at Woodbine on Sept. 27. Among the top challengers are defending Nearctic winner City Boy.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/WO101820CAN9-EQB.html

8 p.m.—$200,000 Grade 2 Twilight Derby at Santa Anita Park on TVG

Cannon Thoroughbreds homebred Smooth Like Strait returns to Southern California and will try to stretch his speed to 1 1/8-miles on turf as he heads a field of nine sophomores in the Twilight Derby. A resounding 2 ½ length winner of the Grade 2 La Jolla Handicap two starts back, Smooth Like Strait, who is trained by Michael McCarthy, finished fourth as the 6-5 favorite in the Grade 2 American Turf at Churchill Downs on Sept. 5 and will likely vie for favoritism with midwestern invader Field Pass.

Entries: https://www.equibase.com/static/entry/SA101820USA9-EQB.html

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Singspiel Winner Count Again Headlines Sunday’s Northern Dancer Turf Stakes

Eight starters will chase the top prize in Sunday's $300,000 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes (G1T) this week at Woodbine, a 1 ½-mile grass engagement for 3-year-olds and upward.

Gail Cox will look to net the stakes double with E.P. Taylor Stakes favorite Rideforthecause's stablemate Count Again in the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes.

The lightly raced 5-year-old son of Awesome Again has been impressive over his six lifetime outings.

On Sept. 19, the bay gelding, despite being heavily steadied into the far turn, drove to the front outside of the eighth-pole and secured a 1 ¼ length win in the Singspiel Stakes (G3T).

The final time for 1 ¼ miles over a “firm” E.P. Taylor Turf Couse was 2:00.67.

“He ran great,” praised Cox. “Again, it was exactly what he wanted to do, which is to go a distance. A mile-and-a-sixteenth was always a little short for him. So, the added distance… he was really good. He did win pretty easily.”

It was the first stakes engagement for Count Again, who Cox is counting on once again to come up big on the Woodbine grass.

“He's a very nice horse. I know anyone that's trained him has really liked him. He just had this and that which had bothered him, which led to him having some time off. He needed to get really good and comfortable. He seems to like training here. He does a fair amount of training on the dirt here, but he's been happy here, and has come out of his races really well.”

The third Sam-Son Farm homebred to see action on Sunday is Say the Word, a 5-year-old son of More Than Ready.

Third to Count Again in the Singspiel, the dark bay gelding was sixth in the 2018 Queen's Plate, going on to finish second in the turf Breeders' Stakes, third jewel in the Canadian Triple Crown, in that same year.

The multiple graded stakes placed gelding, sporting a record of 4-2-4 from 24 career starts, is in search of his first stakes victory.

Cox believes Say the Word will relish the 1 ½-mile Northern Dancer distance.

“He was closing ground [in the Singspiel] and he didn't have the easiest of trips. I think he'll love this distance. He's another one that we had to send away to run farther. And that worked out. But he needs the distance and he doesn't like the Tapeta. He was originally set to run on it, but he just didn't like it.”

As for similarities between her trio of stakes hopefuls, Cox only sees a pair of obvious connections.

“Besides liking to go long and liking the turf, they don't really have anything in common. They're pretty different horses. Most of the time there's something that you're usually worried about, but they are all coming into these races well.”

Graded stakes champ Admiralty Pier, who won last year's Tampa Bay Stakes (G3T) at 21-1, will chase his sixth career victory in his 23rd start. Bred by Calumet Farm and owned by Hoolie Racing Stable and Bruce Lunsford, the son of English Channel finished second in both the Connaught Cup (G2T) and King Edward (G2T) before a sixth in the Ricoh Woodbine Mile on Sept. 19.

Ridgling Jungle Fighter, a 4-year-old son of Animal Kingdom, will get his fourth shot at graded stakes glory having contested last year's Ontario Derby (G3), and this year's Seagram Cup (G3) and Singspiel (G3T). Trained by Michael Doyle for Stronach Stables, the Kentucky-bred is 3-3-1 from 10 starts.

Staghawk Stables' 5-year-old Nakamura has never finished lower than fifth in his 17 career starts. The four-time winner, who won three straight races in 2019, will be making his second straight start at Woodbine after finishing fourth in the Singspiel (G3T) on September 19.

Peace of Ekati, owned by Colebrook Farms and bred by Charles Fipke, has eight top-three finishes from 16 starts. Trained by Ashlee Brnjas, the 5-year-old son of Tale of Ekati has finished second in his two previous starts. The Northern Dancer will be the chestnut gelding's first graded stakes appearance.

Five-year-old Sir Sahib, trained by Kevin Attard, looks for his first win since May 18, 2019. The Stronach Stables silk bearer has a 2-4-7 mark from 20 outings, and arrives at the Northern Dancer off a runner-up performance in the Singspiel. The son of Fort Larned will be ridden by Justin Stein.

An Ontario-bred 6-year-old son of Langfuhr, Woodbridge is 3-2-7 from 27 starts. The gelding, owned by the Estate of Gustav Schickedanz and Donald Howard, was fifth last time out in the Singspiel. The bay is trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Michael Keogh.

Sam-Son has a record seven Northern Dancer trophies, including three straight scores from 2002-04. Full of Wonder kicked off the natural hat trick, followed by back-to-back wins by Strut the Stage.

Fans can watch and wager on all the action via HPIbet.com. First race post time on Sunday is set for 1:10 p.m.

$300,000 Northern Dancer Stakes (Grade 1) – Race 5
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer

1 – Say the Word – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Gail Cox

2 – Peace of Ekati – Daisuke Fukumoto – Ashlee Brnjas

3 – Sir Sahib – Justin Stein – Kevin Attard

4 – Jungle Fighter – Rafael Hernandez – Michael Doyle

5 – Nakamura – Kazushi Kimura – Graham Motion

6 – Woodbridge – Sahin Civaci – Michael Keogh

7 – Admiralty Pier – Steven Bahen – Barbara Minshall

8 – Count Again – Luis Contreras – Gail Cox

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