Havelock’s final stride in the Play the Stakes have qualified him for the $1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile on 18th September
Silverton Hill’s homebred Havelock went ahead in an exciting four-horse waving finish in the $208,222 Play the King Stakes Grade 2 on Sunday at the Woodbine, Rexdale. This marked the bay gelding’s first career graded stakes victory.
He is a bay gelding out of the New Zealand mare Piconeach (by Spectacular Love) who won the Arlington Sprint at 5 ½ furlongs by a neck in his most recent start July 16th.
The race was for three-year olds and up for a distance of seven furlongs. In the final moments it was the closest among the four Havelock, Riding the River, Fatal Bullet and the Gypsy Ring.
All thundered towards the finishing but it was ‘the show of the nose’, the very front on being Havelock’s mounted by proud Jermaine V. Bridgmohan and trainer, Darrin Miller. They were separated by less than a half-length. Havelock raced through the seven
furlongs on firm turf in 1:21:56.
With this victory he marked the fifth glorious win from twelve career starts.
Initially Havelock just rode behind the pacesetter of the race, Fatal Bullet who is also Canada’s 2008 Horse of the Year. He was challenged from the inside of the stretch. Riding the River and Gypsy Ring followed behind to get the lead for a thrilling 50
yards with Havelock pushing his head harder than ever for the finish.
“We’ve been targeting sprints and turf," Miller said. "Arlington’s close to home and this (race) looked like the next logical place to step up and try a graded race with him. It’s fallen in place for us”.
Riding the River stormed in second followed by Fatal Bullet galloping in third and Gypsy Ring settling in for fourth. This win took Havelock’s earnings to $274,321.
Gypsy Ring was followed by Occasional View, Grand Adventure, Great Mills, Signature Red, Jungle Wave, Mikoshi, Stormy Lord and Court of the Realm.
This was a heat between soft talented horses only so Hevelock would not have found it the most difficult task to beat those racing along him but the Play the King’s Stakes are being taken as a pre-requisite or prep for the $ 1 million Ricoh Woodbine Mile
on the 18th of September.
To make and leave a mark there he would have to cooperate with his connections so that his victory becomes assured as already the trainer and the jockey are excited about the upcoming race.
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