WOODBINE

THE calm before the storm. As the Breeders’ Cup grows ever larger and looms ever closer, the weekend stakes begin to wane. Belmont Park hosted its big day, highlighted by the Jockey Club Gold Cup while Keeneland did the same, culminating in the Shadwell Turf Mile. Dreams, tinged in purple and yellow, have blossomed or wilted.

Creating an event within weeks of the Breeders’ Cup can be an arduous task but Woodbine Racecourse managed yet again to provide a stellar card last Sunday, three weeks before the Breeders’ Cup. Canada’s best track offered four graded stakes, including the Grade 1 E.P. Taylor and Grade 1 Canadian Pattison International over soft turf.

Breeders’ Cup ramifications? Perhaps. Year-making results? Certainly. Career-defying moments? In one case, no doubt.

E.P. TAYLOR STAKES

(GRADE 1)

The invaders came strong for the E.P. Taylor. Irish-breds Blond Me and Rain Goddess and British-bred Nezwaah aimed at the $500,000 purse. By the end of the 10-furlongs, they spread across the results with Blond Me relishing the soft turf to win by a length, Nezwaah failing to threaten in fifth and Rain Goddess disappointing by finishing last in the field of seven.

Owned by Barbara Keller, trained by Andrew Balding and ridden by Oisin Murphy, Blond Me completed some unfinished business for Keller, who had finished second in this race with Odeliz in 2014.

“It was, of course, a big wish of mine to come back and hopefully to win the race and Blondie, as we call her, was good enough,” said Keller.

Making her fourth start this year, Blond Me won for the second time this year and sixth time in her career. Bred by Wardstown Stud in Ireland, the daughter of Tamayuz pushed her career earnings over $1 million.

CANADIAN

INTERNATIONAL STAKES

(GRADE 1)

The shock of the day came in the stakes finale.

Bullards Alley, who cost $11,000 at Fasig-Tipton’s Horses in Training Sale in 2014, snapped a 15-race losing streak by decimating nine rivals that included Irish millionaire Idaho, British raider Chemical Charge and last year’s winner Erupt.

None of them could get close to the over-achieving Canadian-bred. Owned by Wayne Spalding and Faron McCubbins and trained by Tim Glyshaw in Kentucky, Bullards Alley sat fourth early in the mile and a half journey before kicking early and making it stand up to score by nearly 10 lengths. Veteran Eurico da Silva didn’t have anything else to do in the lane other than stand up and pump his left fist at the crowd. The winner returned $87.90 while providing Glyshaw with his first Grade 1 stakes win.

“He ran the best race of his life in a graded stakes at Churchill last year on a yielding turf course so we knew he liked it,” Glyshaw said.

“But then so did the Europeans, and a lot of the others in the field. Today he just got first jump on them and sometimes they stay off you when you’re a longshot like that and it was just too late for them.”

day of upsets

The average win price of the four stakes winners rocketed to $52.38.

The bells of the jackpot began early.

Field Of Courage upset the Grade 2 Nearctic for Quintessential Racing Florida LLC and trainer Mark Casse. The son of Marchfield dipped in for a $40,000 claiming price earlier this year and exited a runner-up finish against Canadian-breds. This time, Luis Contreras engineered a stalking trip to hold off British raider Cotai Glory in the six-furong turf stakes.

A race later, Canadian-breds continued to flourish when Tiz A Slam upset Queen’s Plate winner Holy Helena in the Ontario Derby. Tiz A Slam drew off by a cool three and a quarter lengths for Chiefswood Stable and Hall of Famer Roger Attfield. Eurico da Silva guided the son of Tiznow who had finished second to Holy Helena when the pair met in the Queen’s Plate.