NEWS
Simply Splendid, Southdale earn breakthrough wins at Woodbine
Posted: Saturday, June 05, 2010 7:08 PM
SIMPLY SPLENDID
Michael Burns photo
by Ron Parker
Simply Splendid won her first graded stakes in the $283,187 Nassau Stakes (Can-G2) (video) and Southdale earned his first stakes victory in the $166,387 Eclipse Stakes (Can-G3) (video) in a graded stakes doubleheader on Saturday at Woodbine.
Simply Splendid tracked front-runner Points of Grace in the Nassau, a one-mile turf race, before seizing the lead entering the stretch. The five-year-old Maria’s Mon mare held off a late challenge by Miss Keller (Ire) for a half-length victory under jockey Chantal Sutherland.
Even-money favorite Rainbow View, Europe’s champion two-year-old filly in 2008, made an outside bid on the turn but flattened out in the stretch and finished third, 2 ½ lengths behind the winner.
Simply Splendid covered the distance in 1:34.23 on turf rated as good.
Trained and co-owned by Gail Cox, Simply Splendid is out of the winning Hennessy mare Lears and Limos. She increased her earnings to $433,811 with six wins from 12 starts.
In the Eclipse Stakes, 2.45-to-1 favorite Fatal Bullet set the pace into the stretch in the 1 1/16-mile race on the main track before Southdale rallied steadily from fourth to take the lead with a sixteenth of a mile remaining. Rod Ferguson’s homebred four-year-old Street Cry (Ire) colt powered to a three-quarter-length victory.
Stunning Stag made a late run to wrest second from Fatal Bullet.
Southdale covered the distance in 1:43.77 on the synthetic Polytrack surface.
Trained by Ian Black, Southdale increased his earnings to $209,762 with three wins from five starts. He is out of the unraced Saint Ballado mare Pinafores Pride.
For an Equibase chart, click here.
Ron Parker is a Thoroughbred Times contributing writer
