Brachetto has Marine Stakes upset win on busy Woodbine card

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Horses born in Manitoba don’t normally find themselves in the King’s Plate discussion. But Brachetto introduced himself in a big way on Saturday.

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A four-race veteran of one-turn sprints, the three-year-old colt sprung the upset in the $150,000 Marine Stakes at Woodbine. And in doing so, he proved Ryan Munger correct.

“I was following Ryan’s lead,” trainer Julia Carey said. “He kept on convincing me he’ll get the two turns.”

Sent off at 18-1, the longest price in the six-horse field, Brachetto found a spot on the rail near the back of the field to begin the 1 1/16-mile race. Munger would him up well around the turn and in the stretch, passed race favourite Casson then ran down second-choice Magical Factor near the wire.

A son of Vekoma and named after a wine grape, Brachetto broke his maiden in his third career race, then earned a spot in the Marine off a third-place finish in the Queenston Stakes.

“I really thought he would enjoy the two turns and I’m very glad he showed that today at the races. It was his stiffest test and he’s passed it with flying colours.”

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The Marine is a major stepping stone to the Aug. 15 Plate and Munger is looking forward to seeing Brachetto progress between now and Canada’s biggest race.

“We’ve still got a long time to the Plate but it’s great to have these kind of horses in your arsenal.”

OTHER STAKES RACES

The Marine was one of five stakes on Woodbine’s Canada Day festival card. Trainer Josie Carroll is also thinking of Canada’s classics after sending out Luster to win the $150,000 Selene Stakes.

Ridden by Fraser Aebly, Luster found a nice tracking spot behind pacesetter Tulip. The three-year-old filly made her move late in the turn and took command at the top of the stretch with a clear path from there.

A winner of her first two starts before a third-place run in the Ruling Angel Stakes, Luster is another runner who appreciated a longer distance.

“I truly think she wants to go two turns,” Aebly said. “We saw her on the grass at Keeneland (a win at 1 1/16-miles on April 9) and I think she really wants two turns.”

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The win likely puts Luster in the Woodbine Oaks on July 19.

Miss Vyvyanne stepped out of her comfort zone and rewarded her connections with a dominant performance in the $200,000 Highlander Stakes. A six-year-old who normally races against other mares and normally in the high-level claiming ranks, Miss Vyvyanne took the boys to school, taking a clear early lead under some rugged encouragement from jockey Pietro Moran and was never challenged after that.

She stopped the clock in 56 1/5 seconds as the 8-5 favourite and is now 12-for-25 lifetime. Trainer Gail Cox claimed Miss Vyvyanne one year ago Sunday and has now led her to five wins since then.

Munger won his second stakes of the day aboard Runaway Again in the $150,000 Dominion Day Stakes. The pair stayed near the rail and stalked a slow pace early in the 1 1/8-mile race. In the stretch, Munger found enough room to get out and hunt down veteran Paramount Prince, taking the lead in the final strides to win by a head.

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Trained by Sid Attard, Runaway Again scored an upset win in last year’s Prince of Wales Stakes. He opened this season with two third-place efforts. The Dominion Day was the fourth career win for the four-year-old son of Hard Spun.

And in the $150,000 Royal North Stakes, Shifty outlasted a field of 11 to get her fifth career win. Ridden by Rafael Hernandez, Shifty tracked the lead early in the turf race. She moved slightly out to collar Without Cause early in the stretch and had enough track to hold off a late-closing Fantastical.

Mark Casse trains the four-year-old filly, who was second in both the Woodbine Oaks and Wonder Where Stakes last season.

Also on Saturday, Yves Turcotte, a winner of 1,347 winners in his riding career, was presented with the Avelino Gomez Memorial Award, Woodbine’s lifetime achievement award for jockeys. Mainly riding in Alberta, Turcotte rode in 11,000 races during his career. He has also served as a racing steward in Alberta for the past 17 years.

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OUT OF TOWN

Magnitude established himself as the current best horse in the U.S. with a gate-to-wire win in the $2 million Stephen Foster at Churchill Downs. This win over 2025 horse of the year Sovereignty, among others, follows up on his win earlier this year in the Dubai World Cup.

And after 132 years of action, Aqueduct Racetrack will hold races for the final time on Sunday. Year-round racing in New York will begin at the newly-rebuilt Belmont Park in September after the Saratoga summer meet.

Aqueduct was the home of the Wood Memorial, a major stepping stone to the Kentucky Derby, and was also the host of the second running of the Breeders’ Cup in 1985.

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