Win for the Money takes Woodbine Mile, Breeders’ Cup berth

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Trainer Mark Casse will have quite the presence at the Breeders’ Cup in early November.

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Woodbine’s perennial leading trainer earned two spots in racing’s championship event, including a berth in the Breeders’ Cup Mile after Win for the Money captured the $1 million Woodbine Mile.

The race was one of three at Woodbine on Saturday that gave all-expense-paid trips to San Diego for the Nov. 1-2 classic. Casse should have at least one starter in the Juvenile Fillies Turf after And One More Time won the $500,000 Natalma Stakes over stablemates Nitrogen and Vixen. And New Century’s trek from England was a successful one, earning a trip to the Juvenile Turf after winning the $500,000 Summer Stakes.

In addition, Full Count Felicia dominated the $750,000 E.P. Taylor Stakes, possibly earning herself a trip to the Filly and Mare Turf. A total of six stakes were contested.

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Ridden by Patrick Husbands in the Mile, Win for the Money took a spot in sixth behind early leader Filo di Arianna. In the stretch, Filo di Arianna led for much of the stretch run but left an inviting path along the rail and Husbands took full advantage of it.

“I was familiar with (Win for the Money), riding him twice last year,” Husbands said. “He left the gate relaxed and picked his spot so I was happy with where he was.”

“He did it all. When he picked it up at the eighth pole, I was wondering where were the rest of the horses.”

Filo di Arianna stayed on for second with Big Rock coming for third. 3-5 favourite Naval Power could only manage a fourth-place finish.

Based in the U.S., Win for the Money now has five wins in 16 career starts. The five-year-old gelding did have a couple of finishes in the money in the Autumn and Valedictory Stakes at Woodbine last fall.

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“I said earlier he might surprise some people,” assistant trainer Kathryn Sullivan said of the horse, who was sent off at 13-1. “He had been training really well so we were pretty confident.”

Casse had six of the 11 starters in the Natalma but none were given much of a chance against Appleby’s runner Mountain Breeze, who was never in the race. Ridden by Rafael Hernandez and sent off at odds of 16-1, And One More Time broke near the front early in the one-mile race. She stayed close to stablemate Nitrogen around the turn and in the stretch, they were joined by another stablemate Vixen. Vixen grabbed the lead for a step or two late in the stretch but in between horses, And One More Time put one more late burst to get the win.

“When I asked her down the lane, she didn’t care where she was and she didn’t get intimidated,” Hernandez said.

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And One More Time came off a maiden win in at Saratoga in her second start.

Ridden by Oisin Murphy and sent off at 3-1 in a 10-horse field, New Century was near the back early in the mile. He made his move following fellow English horse Al Qudra around the turn. In the stretch, the two invaders came towards the lead held by Dream On. Just before the wire, Dream On drifted noticeably towards the closers and Al Qudra and New Century brushed, but it did not affect the order of finish. It was the third win in five career starts for the Andrew Balding trainee.

“There was a challenge down the centre of the track,” Murphy said. “Al Qudra had beaten this fellow at Ascot but Andrew was happy with the way he trained here so it was a brilliant performance.”

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Full Count Felicia, sent off at 7-1 in a five-horse field, went on a solo mission early in the 1 1/4-mile race with jockey Kazushi Kimura taking her to a lead of 19 lengths down the backstretch. She continued to be all by herself early in the stretch and only her stablemate Moira could come within 3 1/2 lengths at the end. It was a run trainer Kevin Attard didn’t expect.

“I thought Fev Rover and Full Count Felicia would duke it out early,” he said. “I had seen the first quarter in 25 and change and she set an honest pace.”

“I looked around at the three-eights and she had an insurmountable lead and I was like ‘is she going to stop?’”

A five-year-old mare, Full Count Felicia came to Attard’s barn earlier this year. She was coming off a win in the Canadian Stakes last month and now has seven wins in 18 starts. Moira, the 2022 Canadian horse of the year already has a Breeders’ Cup ticket after a win in the Beverly D Stakes in Virginia last month.

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It was an emotional win for jockey David Moran aboard Fashionably Fab in the $150,000 Ontario Matron Stakes. Earlier this week, his son Pietro, who was enjoying a fine first season as a rider and won a stakes with that four-year-old filly earlier in the year, suffered a serious injury after a spill in a race at Fort Erie.

The elder Moran won the Ontario Matron with a stellar ride in which Fashionably Fab made a big move around the turn before taking command early in the stretch before drawing away. It was the ninth win in 15 starts for the Attard trainee.

Closing the card was Patches O’Houlihan, who put on another dazzling display in winning the $150,000 Vigil Stakes. Ridden by Sofia Vives, the four-year-old gelding went straight to the lead at the start of the six-furlong race and despite some pressuring from Rockcrest early, drew away willingly in the stretch.

Trained by Bob Tiller for owner Frank Di Giulio Jr., Patches O’Houlihan now has 10 wins from 12 starts.

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