Stealcase runs down Ontario Derby

Stealcase, sent off as the 2-1 favorite in the Grade 3, $158,934

Ontario

Derby, certainly did not disappoint at Woodbine on Sunday. Coming off a subpar

seventh in the Grade 1 Travers, he bounced back here to earn his first graded

stakes win.

Jockey Patrick Husbands had to overcome a slow start aboard the

three-year-old colt. He was left chasing the pacesetter, Gung Ho, who posted

fractions of: 24 3/5, :49 4/5 and 1:14. Stealcase found himself having to go

four and five-wide along the far turn, but the Mark Casse trainee was able to

run down the leaders in the stretch.

"He's had some bad racing luck," assistant trainer

Kathryn Sullivan said. "He had a really bad trip in the (Grade 1) Haskell. He sort of fell out

of the gate. He ran so hard and for so long that day and he should have

done better than third, and he did great to be third in that race. I'm really

glad today that he finally got the win he deserves."

Stealcase and Any Given Royal were both coming on strong down the stretch,

but it was Stealcase who was able to drive clear in the end by 1 1/4 lengths.

The Lawyer Ron colt ran the 1 1/8-mile race on the Polytrack in 1:50 4/5 and paid

$6.20, $3.30 and $2.50 to his backers. His lifetime record now stands at

11-3-1-2, $313,619.