Heartwarming Journey for Carson’s Run’s Connections Continues in Woodbine’s WAYI Summer

Breeders' Cup winner Cody's Wish (Curlin) may be the sport's poster boy for feel-good racing stories, but there's another waiting in the wings as West Point Thoroughbreds and Steven Bouchey's own touching story about Carson's Run (c, 2, Cupid-Hot N Hectic, by Henny Hughes) keeps improving. The 2-year-old colt may be headed to the Breeders' Cup himself after capturing Saturday's GI Bet365 Summer S. at Woodbine, a “Win and You're In” event offering the winner a free berth into the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Santa Anita Nov. 3. Like Cody's Wish, Carson's Run was named after a young man who suffers from Wolf-Hirschorn Syndrome.

With the start of the C$500,000 Summer delayed several moments due to a last-minute shoe repair for 9-5 pick My Boy Prince (Cairo Prince), who was coming off a 14-length triumph in the Aug. 27 Simcoe S. over Woodbine's Tapeta, that one set the early :23.46 and :47.10 pace while Carson's Run lingered at the back of the field, saving ground on the inside. Just like in his earlier two starts, Carson's Run was unhurried early and waited patiently to make his move. They came off the turn with My Boy Prince in front on the rail as Carson's Run abruptly hurtled around the middle of the course, about 10 paths wide, with an Arazi-like move in search of a clear run. He sailed on by to win by 2 1/4 lengths, with My Boy Prince holding off the filly Go With Gusto (Medaglia d'Oro)–who finished first but was disqualified in her course and distance debut here Aug.13– for third. Final time for the mile on the lawn was 1:35.70; the Juvenile Turf is the same distance and, like the Summer, open to both colts and fillies.

“He did very well there because he saved all the ground he could and then when he angled him out at the quarter pole, we had to come wide obviously, but that way you don't get any traffic,” said trainer Christophe Clement's assistant Christophe Lorieul. “He had a clear run from quarter pole to the wire and he really showed what he is today.”

Carson's Run, a $170,000 OBS April buy after working :10 1/5, kickstarted his career with a game debut July 29 at Saratoga, chasing early before angling wide and digging in to win by a neck in a performance much like his Summer win. He tried similar tactics in the GIII With Anticipation S., also at the Spa but over heavier going, only to get caught late by the improving filly Gala Brand (Violence) and finish a half-length back. Dylan Davis has been aboard for all three starts.

“Today, we wanted to go with the outside route and keep a clear trip on him,” said Davis. “We saved all the ground going into the turn–nice real big turn here–and he was able to get it done.”

Pedigree Notes:

Coolmore America's Cupid may stand in Kentucky but has had his biggest success to date north of the border, as Carson's Run adds his first Grade I win to Cupid's sire tally to go along with 2021 Canadian champion 2-year-old colt God of Love and 2022 Prince of Wales S. winner Duke of Love. Overall, Cupid has four graded winners among his seven Northern Hemisphere-bred black-type winners.

Henny Hughes, a Storm Cat-line stallion who has stood in Japan since the 2014 season, is finding success as a broodmare sire with both Carson's Run and Beholder's daughter Tamara (Bolt d'Oro) adding Grade I wins in the last week. Among the 21 other stakes winners out of his daughters is champion Monomoy Girl (Tapizar). Interestingly, Carson's Run was bred by Frankfort Park Farm, who co-bred Monomoy Girl.

Hot N Hectic's only other foal is a Volatile colt foaled Jan. 25 of this year. A half-sister to fan favorite MGSW & GISP Rated R Superstar (Kodiak Kowboy), Hot N Hectic was bred to Maxfield for 2024.

Saturday, Woodbine
BET365 SUMMER S.-GI, C$522,500, Woodbine, 9-16, 2yo, 1mT, 1:35.70, gd.
1–CARSON'S RUN, 122, c, 2, by Cupid
       1st Dam: Hot N Hectic, by Henny Hughes
                2nd Dam: Wicked Wish, by Gold Case
                3rd Dam: Holy Wish, by Lord At War (Arg)
1ST BLACK TYPE WIN, 1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I
WIN. ($35,000 Ylg '22 KEEJAN; $67,000 Ylg '22 FTKJUL;
$170,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). O-West Point Thoroughbreds and
Steven Bouchey; B-Frankfort Park Farm (KY); T-Christophe
Clement; J-Dylan Davis. C$300,000. Lifetime Record: 3-2-1-0,
$314,529. Werk Nick Rating: A++.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
Click for the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree.
2–My Boy Prince, 122, c, 2, Cairo Prince–Hopping Not Hoping,
by Silent Name (Jpn). 1ST GRADED BLACK TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK
TYPE. (C$115,000 Ylg '22 CANSEP). O-Gary Barber; B-Murray
Smith (ON); T-Mark E. Casse. C$120,000.
3–Go With Gusto, 119, f, 2, Medaglia d'Oro–Itsagiantcauseway,
by Giant's Causeway. 1ST BLACK TYPE, 1ST GRADED BLACK
TYPE, 1ST G1 BLACK TYPE. ($160,000 Ylg '22 FTKOCT;
$225,000 2yo '23 OBSAPR). O-Gary Barber; B-Teneri Farms Inc
(KY); T-Mark E. Casse. C$50,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, HF, 1 1/4. Odds: 3.30, 1.90, 15.25.
Also Ran: Tunechi, Souper Attentive, Western Whirl, King of the Track, Airosa, Bucyk. Scratched: Bolt Enoree, Golden Canary.
Click for the Equibase.com chart and the TJCIS.com PPs. VIDEO, sponsored by FanDuel TV.

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Trio of Woodbine Grade I’s Headline Saturday Stakes Action

Three Grade I events, all of which are Breeders' Cup 'Win and You're In' qualifiers, north of the border at Woodbine will take the spotlight among nine graded stakes this Saturday as the racing calendar transitions to fall with all of the major summer meets now wrapped up.

The $1-million GI Ricoh Woodbine Mile serves, along with the Queen's Plate, as the centerpiece of the Woodbine meet, and this year's renewal features an 11-horse field that includes last year's winner Town Cruise (Town Prize), who will be looking to bounce back from three off-the-board finishes following his wire-to-wire score in this race last September. The likely favorite, however, will be Godolphin's Modern Games (Dubawi {Ire}), who returns to America for the first time after his controversial purse-money-only win in last year's GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf.

Trained by Charlie Appleby, who swept the three Grade I's on this card last year, Modern Games started his 3-year-old campaign off with a score in the G1 Emirates Poule d'Essai des Poulains before running third in the G1 Qatar Prix du Jockey Club, fifth in the G1 Haras d'Etreham Prix Jean Prat and second when last seen in the G1 Qatar Sussex S. July 27 at Goodwood.

Appleby doesn't have an entry in this year's GI Natalma S. for juvenile turf fillies, but will be represented by last-out G3 Circus Maximus Prix Francois Boutin hero Mysterious Night (Ire) (Dark Angel {Ire}) in the GI Summer S. Other contenders in that one-mile test for juvenile turf males include Klaravich Stables' Appraise (Ire) (Kodiac {GB}) for Chad Brown and Philip My Dear (Silent Name {Jpn}), who overcame stretch traffic to take the local Soaring Free S. Aug. 20.

Stakes action over the flat at 'Belmont at the Big A' will get underway with the GIII Caesars Jockey Club Derby Invitational and GIII Jockey Club Oaks Invitational for 3-year-old turf males and fillies, respectively. The former features a rubber match between Classic Causeway (Giant's Causeway), who upset the July 9 GI Caesars Belmont Derby Invitational S. and Nations Pride (Ire) (Teofilo {Ire}), who was second that day and exacted revenge when taking the GI Caesars Saratoga Derby Invitational S. Aug. 6 at the Spa. Adding intrigue is progressive German invader Ardakan (GB) (Reliable Man {GB}). Trained by Markus Klug, the gray scored a victory in the G2 Premio Derby Italiano May 22 and was eighth in the G1 German Derby before running third last out with a 111 Timeform Rating against elders in the G1 Grosser Preis von Berlin Aug. 14 at Hoppegarten.

The Jockey Club Oaks also features a hopeful for Germany, Toskana Belle (Fr) (Shamalgan {Fr}), who ships in for legendary German trainer Andreas Wohler. The chestnut, who captured the G1 German Oaks Aug. 7 at Dusseldorf, looks like the only realistic alternative to Klaravich Stables' McKulick (GB) (Frankel {GB}), who annexed the GI Belmont Oaks Invitational S. July 9 before running second in the G3 Saratoga Oaks Invitational S. Aug. 7.

Churchill Downs will host five stakes Saturday, including Kentucky's first two graded events for 2-year-olds in the GIII Iroquois S. and GIII Pocahontas S., which are also the first two-turn graded dirt races for juveniles on the calendar in the U.S. The clear horse to beat in the Pocahontas for fillies is Three Chimneys Farm's Grand Love (Gun Runner), who was an impressive 4 3/4-length debut victress Aug. 21 at Saratoga with an 84 Beyer, nine points higher than the closest figure run by any rival.

The Iroquois looks much more competitive on paper, with undefeated 'TDN Rising Star' Damon's Mound (Girvin), who followed up a 12 1/2-length debut romp with a 3 1/4-length score in the GII Saratoga Special S., clashing with fellow 'Rising Stars' Jace's Road (Quality Road) and Echo Again (Gun Runner), each of whom steps into stakes company after dominant first-out scores last month. Echo Again ran the fastest Beyer of any 2-year-old this summer at Saratoga, receiving a 94 for his 6 3/4-length rout when bet down to 3-5 Aug. 20.

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It’s Godolphin–Again–In the Summer S.

Off at a skinny 65 cents on the dollar, unsurprising given the incredible success of his stablemates over the weekend, ALBAHR (GB) (g, 2, Dubawi {Ire}–Falls of Lora {Ire}, by Street Cry {Ire}) bombed the break in a way similar to the way Wild Beauty (GB) (Frankel {GB}) did in the Natalma S., and similar to that one, overcame that trouble to post a cozy victory in the GI Summer S. at Woodbine. The win earns Albahr an all-fees-paid berth in the GI Breeders' Cup Juvenile Turf at Del Mar Nov. 5. Winner of three straight at home, including the Listed Stonehenge S. at Salisbury Aug. 20, Albahr stood there for a second, spotting his rivals several lengths, and was more quietly ridden towards the back of the pack for the opening half-mile. Given his cue three furlongs from home the chestnut accelerated on the swing for home, was produced four deep into the straight and raced a bit greenly through the final stages, but was far too good. Grafton Street (War Front), a maiden trying the turf in his second career start, finished willingly for second ahead of longshot Godolphin's U.S.-based Degree of Risk (Cairo Prince).

Sunday, Woodbine
SUMMER S.-GI, C$404,400, Woodbine, 9-19, 2yo, 1mT, 1:35.77, gd.
1–ALBAHR (GB), 122, g, 2, by Dubawi (Ire)
               1st Dam: Falls of Lora (Ire) (GSW-UAE, SW-Eng, $246,417), by Street Cry (Ire)
               2nd Dam: Firth of Lorne (Ire), by Danehill
               3rd Dam: Kerrera (Ire), by Diesis (GB)
1ST GRADED STAKES WIN, 1ST GRADE I WIN.
O/B-Godolphin Racing, LLC (GB); T-Charles Appleby;
J-Lanfranco Dettori. C$240,000. Lifetime Record: 5-4-0-1,
$235,181. *1/2 to Cascadian (GB) (New Approach (IRE)),
G1SW-Aus, G1SP-Fr, $2,251,779. Werk Nick Rating: A+.
Click for the eNicks report & 5-cross pedigree.
2–Grafton Street, 122, c, 2, War Front–Lahinch Classics (Ire),
by Galileo (Ire). O-Mrs. John Magnier; B-Mrs E.M. Stockwell
(KY); T-Mark E. Casse. C$80,000.
3–Degree of Risk, 122, c, 2, Cairo Prince–Wipe Out, by Hard
Spun. O/B-Godolphin, LLC (KY); T-Eoin G. Harty. C$40,000.
Margins: 2 1/4, 1HF, 2 1/4. Odds: 0.65, 9.25, 14.15.
Also Ran: First Empire, Dripping Gold, Ready for the Lady, Luckman, Heat Merchant, Souper Legacy.
Click for the Equibase.com chart, the TJCIS.com PPs, or the free Equineline.com catalogue-style pedigree. VIDEO, sponsored by TVG.

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