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Souper Stonehenge Takes Jacques Cartier Stakes At Woodbine

Souper Stonehenge put an end to Pink Lloyd's Jacques Cartier reign as he took off down the stretch to claim the 2021 edition of the Grade 3 stakes event for sprinters 4 years old and up on Sunday afternoon at Woodbine Racetrack in Toronto, Ontario.

Jockey Patrick Husbands teamed up with the Mark Casse trainee, who was the 3-2 second choice in the six-horse field.

After pressing the pace early on, Souper Stonehenge took command near the quarter pole from front-runner Readyforprimetime with splits of :22.72 and :44.93 flashing up on the board.

With Daisuke Fukumoto picking up the mount, four-time Jacques Cartier champ Pink Lloyd raced between horses at the back of the tightly knit bunch and surged into third on the turn, but Souper Stonehenge dashed home a four-length winner in 1:08.89 for six furlongs.

Pink Lloyd, who set the 1:08.05 track record in the 2018 edition of the Jacques Cartier, settled for second in his nine-year-old debut as the 6-5 favorite. Malibu Secret, last year's Jacques Cartier runner-up, came through inside to finish third while Joker On Jack, Readyforprimetime, and Dixie's Gamble rounded out the order of finish.

Souper Stonehenge returned $5 to win and $2.70 t0 place. There was no show wagering. The five-year-old Speightstown gelding, who finished third in the Grade 1 Carter Handicap at Aqueduct in early April, earned his first win of the year from five starts.

“Going into this race, I breezed this horse about four times and I think he's a world-beater at Woodbine,” said Husbands. “This horse is the real deal right now.

“I rode him as the best horse in the race. I respect 'The Boss.' Any time you can beat Pink Lloyd at Woodbine Racetrack, especially sprinting, he's the world-beater, he's the champion here. So I knew it would take a real Pink Lloyd to beat this horse today.”

Souper Stonehenge, who finished second in last year's Grade 2 Kennedy Road Stakes at Woodbine ahead of Pink Lloyd, now sports a career record reading 4-4-1 from 15 starts. The lion's share of the $150,000 purse boosted his bankroll over the $300,000 mark for owner/breeder Live Oak Plantation.

Husbands, who won 70 races including 10 stakes during last year's shortened season, was pleased to land the connections a stakes victory after the pandemic delayed the start of the meet.

“It's amazing to be back at Woodbine – it's a beautiful place, a good environment,” said the veteran reinsman. “It's amazing how much stress the owners went through, through the pandemic. They waited so long, putting all this money into these horses and they didn't know when the races were going to start. You've got to tip your hat off to the owners.”

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Big City Lights Shines In Fasig-Tipton Futurity At Santa Anita

Although much the best, heavily favored Big City Lights had to survive a lengthy steward's inquiry in winning Sunday's $100,000 Fasig-Tipton Futurity at Santa Anita Park in Arcadia, Calif. Trained by Luis Mendez and ridden by Juan Hernandez, Big City Lights won gate to wire by 7 ¼ lengths while getting five furlongs in 58.20.

As expected, Big City Lights was in front at once from his number three post position, but 7-2 second choice Street Art, who broke from the rail with Kent Desormeaux, was a close second by about three-quarters of a length. Heading to the half-mile pole, Desormeaux took up sharply, losing all position as things got tight.

With Big City Lights, a California-bred colt by Mr. Big, completely dominant on the front end, Street Art checked in fourth, beaten 15 ¼ lengths.

As soon as the field passed under the wire, the steward's inquiry sign went up and Desormeaux was very animated in his telephone conversation with stewards Ron Church, Luis Jauregui, and Kim Sawyer.

After a thorough review, the stewards ruled that Street Art attempted to enter an opening without sufficient clearance and they let the original order of finish stand.

A rousing 12 ½ length first-out maiden winner versus statebreds going 4 ½ furlongs on May 2, Big City Lights was off at 1-5 in a field of five juveniles and paid $2.40, $2.10, and $2.10.

“I broke on top and (Street Art) didn't break,” said Hernandez. “Before I came over, I checked and didn't see anybody. It looked like he was trying to get in, and there was room, but if you look at the replay, it looked like his horse got spooked and didn't want to come through. When I asked him at the quarter pole, he took off again, he's a nice horse.”

Owned by William Peeples, Big City Lights, who is out of the Exchange Rate mare Champagne Exchange and sold for $22,000 at the Fasig-Tipton California Fall Yearling Sale, picked up $60,000 for the win, increasing his earnings to $96,600.

“It feels good,” said Mendez, whose horses finished one-two-three. “I've never done that before and especially in a stake. I want to say thank you to the owner, Bill Peeples, and everyone on the team.”

Bochombo, who was a non-threatening second into and around the far turn, was off at 11-1 and paid $3.80 and $2.80. Ridden by Abel Cedillo, he finished second, 5 ¼ lengths in front of his stablemate Buehler's Day Off.

Ridden by Edwin Maldonado, Buehler's Day Off was off at 15-1 and paid $3.40 to show while finishing 2 ¾ lengths clear of Street Art. Fractions on the race were :21.96 and :45.74.

Jockey Juan Hernandez was happy with Big City Light's performance. “This horse is improving a lot. Last time he broke a little slow, but today he broke really sharp and I was clear in front, probably three or four jumps after. Something happened back there but I was clear all the time. I just let my horse run, because that's what he wants.”

Trainer Luis Mendez was thrilled about having the race's top three finishers. “It feels good. One-two-three! I've never done that before and especially in a stake. I want to say thank you to the owner, Bill Peeples, and everyone on the team. Thanks a lot, Mr. John Brocklebank, for bringing these babies to the barn. I really don't know what else to say other than I'm really happy.”

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Vigilantes Way Finds Path To Winner’s Circle In Eatontown At Monmouth Park

Even after 11 career starts, Hall of Fame trainer Shug McGaughey has been saying that the best is yet to come for Vigilantes Way.

Sunday's Grade 3 Eatontown Stakes at Monmouth Park in Oceanport, N.J. may be the start of that for the 4-year-old filly.

Perfectly positioned to chase soft early fractions by jockey Paco Lopez despite leaving from post position 12, Vigilantes Way showed an impressive closing kick to win the $150,000 G3 Eatontown Stakes by 2¼ lengths before a season-high crowd of 12,562 on Father's Day.

It marked the first graded stakes victory for the Phipps Stable homebred, a daughter of Medaglia d'Oro out of Salute by Unbridled.

“I thought Paco rode a good race,” said McGaughey. “He got her away from there from the outside and had her in good position. I knew she would finish. She had trained very well before she went down there. It was just a matter of whether she would take the shipping on a hot day like today. She obviously did. I'm very proud of her.”

Able to break alertly with Vigilantes Way, Lopez sat behind pacesetter Valletta through tepid fractions of :24.54, :48.70, 1:12.12, and 1:35.87 for the opening mile of the mile and a sixteenth race on a turf course that has been playing fast. Lopez asked his filly coming out of the final turn, and she responded in a big way, easily surging past Valletta, who held on for second. Crystal Cliffs and Counterparty Risk finished in a dead heat for third, another half-length back, in the full field of 12 fillies and mares 3 years old and up.

The winning time for the race was 1:41.90.

“Sometimes this horse has speed, sometimes not,” said Lopez. “The post position (12) is something I usually don't like but today it worked to our advantage. I was able to get out there and get in a good position behind (Valletta). It set up nicely for us.

“Shug told me to do whatever I felt I needed to do. She is usually in the top three early and I knew she would finish. She has a strong kick. It looked like there was a lot of speed in the race but they went kind of slow so I was happy with the position I was in throughout the race. I didn't have to make up a lot of ground.”

McGaughey was especially encouraged by Vigilantes Way's prospects for the Eatontown Stakes off her last race, when she closed into slow fractions on the Preakness Day undercard at Pimlico, falling a half-length short to multiple-graded stakes winner Mean Mary.

“I thought her last race in Pimlico was a really good race because she kind of got jumbled up at the start and got out of position,” said McGaughey. “She only got beat a half-length by Mean Mary, a multiple-graded stakes winner. Now maybe we can go on and get her stretched out, maybe to a mile and an eighth. She's handy. She might be able to get it. When that will be, I don't know. But today I am very pleased with the way she ran and very proud of her.

“Getting a graded stakes win is important, especially for a filly with a pedigree like hers. It's as good a pedigree as you are going to find. So now she's a graded stakes winner. Hopefully, it might lead to something even better.”

Vigilantes Way returned $9.20 to win for her fifth lifetime victory in 12 starts. She has failed to hit the board only twice in her career.

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Mother-To-Be Oleksandra Beats The Boys In Poker Stakes

On Father's Day, it was the mother-to-be who brought home the victory for Team Valor International. Oleksandra (AUS), the lone mare in the field of nine, won the one-mile Grade 3 Poker Stakes by a neck over favored Raging Bull in Sunday's feature on the turf at Belmont Park, Elmont, Ny.

In her fourth start of 2021, Oleksandra, who is currently in foal to Into Mischief, broke a step slow from the gate, bumping into favorite Raging Bull, and was last for the first six furlongs of the one-mile Poker. Jockey Joel Rosario did not panic, though, content to let his mount run at the back of the pack and allow the race to develop in front of them. Get Smokin, winner of the Seek Again Stakes in his previous start, took the lead within the first furlong, with Raased and Tell Your Daddy running close behind, and he held onto that advantage until the final turn.

Favorite Raging Bull found himself boxed in for much of the race, but, as the field entered the stretch, he made his move on the rail, just to the inside of Get Smokin. At the back of the field on that last turn, Rosario took Oleksandra to the outside, moving down the center of the course as Raging Bull began to overtake Get Smokin. Raging Bull got to the lead in that last furlong, but Oleksandra moved past him, taking over first place and determinedly holding off Raging Bull to win the G3 Poker by a head. The final time for the mile was 1:32.11.

Behind Oleksandra and Raging Bull came Front Run the Fed, Sanctuary City, Get Smokin, Penalty, Tell Your Daddy, Raased, and Veronesi.

Oleksandra paid $36.80, $7.30, and $5.40. Raging Bull paid $2.60 and $2.10. Front Run the Fed paid $3.00 to show.

Trainer Neil Drysdale was pleased with Oleksandra's career finale. “Things haven't gone exactly smooth this year for her. We ran in Kentucky and realized she doesn't like the soft going. So, then we decided not to run here [in the Jaipur] because it was raining a lot here too at the time. Since she's more relaxed this year, we decided to try her at a mile hoping she could get the distance, and she did. She's pregnant [in foal to Into Mischief], so this was her swan song. She'll go out on a high note.”

Joel Rosario was not deterred by that slow start. “She always comes out of there like that [slow] but then she can be a little aggressive after. She relaxed very nicely. Neil Drysdale is a tremendous trainer.”

Foaled in Australia, Oleksandra is a daughter of 2011 Grade 1 Kentucky Derby winner Animal Kingdom out of the Caesour mare Alexandra Rose. Bred by her owner Team Valor, this 6-year-old mare was a $1.45 million RNA at the November 2020 Keeneland Breeding Stock sale. This victory in the G3 Poker Stakes is her first win of 2021 and her eighth career victory in 20 starts for career winnings of $705,748.

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