First Empire, fittingly trained by Hall of Famer Mark Casse, became the first stakes winner for freshman sire Classic Empire with a win in Saturday's Soaring Free S. at Woodbine. He dueled and tired to fifth in his debut over the all-weather July 4, then dueled free when switched to grass to graduate here Aug. 1. Backed as the second choice in this one, First Empire forced the issue from an outside second, began to shake clear rounding the far turn and gamely kept finding after switching to his left lead in the stretch to post a career high.
Progeny in the pipeline for the winner's dam include: a West Coast colt of 2020 and an Uncle Mo colt of this year. She was bred back to Good Magic.
SOARING FREE S., C$140,250, Woodbine, 8-21, 2yo, 6 1/2fT, 1:15.44, fm.
1–FIRST EMPIRE, 120, c, 2, by Classic Empire
1st Dam: Silsita (GSW, $213,873), by Macho Uno
2nd Dam: Naturally Wild, by Wild Again
3rd Dam: Nat's Lea, by L'Natural
($75,000 RNA Ylg '20 FTKSEL; $60,000 Ylg '20 FTKOCT). 1ST
BLACK TYPE WIN. O-Harlequin Ranches; B-Saintsbury Farms
Inc. (ON); T-Mark E. Casse; J-Patrick Husbands. C$90,000.
Lifetime Record: 3-2-0-0, $122,207. *First stakes winner for
freshman sire (by Pioneerof the Nile).
2–Degree of Risk, 120, c, 2, Cairo Prince–Wipe Out, by Hard
Spun. O/B-Godolphin (KY); T-Eoin G. Harty. C$25,000.
3–Heaven Street, 120, c, 2, Street Sense–Heavenly View, by
Congrats. ($275,000 RNA Ylg '20 KEESEP). O-Siena Farms, LLC
& Asmussenequine.com; B-Siena Farms LLC (KY); T-Steven M.
Asmussen. C$13,750.
Margins: 1 3/4, 7 1/4, 3HF. Odds: 2.90, 9.30, 5.25.
Also Ran: Twenty Four Mamba, Concealed Carry, Silent Farewell. Click for the Equibase.com chart or VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.
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