Highlander Stakes 2011 - Signature Red wins thriller to make it two in a row at Woodbine
The Bernstein horse, won the $203,574 Canadian Group 2 Highlander Stakes on the Woodbine turf for the second consecutive year. Trained by Sid Attard the five-year old won by a nose in a thrilling finish and registered his first win of the season on 26 June,
2011.
Signature Red has lost seven races on the trot and his last four defeats came on poly tracks. So, trainer, Sid Attard, was pretty anxious to see how he does in the Highlander Stakes where he won last year.
Ridden by Luis Contreras, Signature Red finished in a time of One minute and nine seconds in the six furlong event.
Sent off at six-to-one, the six-year old brown horse was involved in an incident during the race when Heros Reward tried squeezing in between Signature Red and the pace maker, Essence Hit Man, lost his way but gathered composure and found his feet in the
right time to finish third 1 ¼ length behind Signature Red.
Trainer, Dale Capuano, filed a complaint against Signature Red and claimed he fouled the nine-year old bay gelding as he was making way through the winner and the pace setter.
Stewards thoroughly examined the stretch and found nothing, Signature Red stood as the winner.
The rivalry between Heros Reward and Signature Red took place in the same stakes race and at the same race course last year, when Signature Red won the Highlander Stakes by a neck over Heros Reward.
Prior to this year’s Highlander Stakes, Signature Red managed only a single stakes win last year at the same race course.
Signature Red previously finished third in the Canadian Group 3 Woodbine’s Vigil on 8 May and improved his career wins with 6 wins, 4 runner-up positions and 5 third place finishes out of twenty starts.
Woodbine has been a lucky hunting ground for the five-year old bay horse as he won three out of seven starts with career earnings of $564,105.
Signature Red broke out of the gates with impressive pace and started to edge out a lead going into the mid stretch. Leading into the stretch, the pace maker, Essence Hit Man, duelled it out with Signature Red.
Heros Reward ridden by Sheldon Russell, saw an opening between Signature Red and Essence Hit Man and tried to make a run for it but got hit by Signature Red and lost important strides. Essence Hit Man drifted out a bit and gained few quarters of a length
over Signature Red.
Signature Red got back into the lead but not before a challenge from the New York based Fiddlers Patriot. The two battled hard for a first place finish but Signature Red sprinted hard to reach home by a nose.
It was a thrilling finish to an eventful race that gave Signature Red and his connections a second stakes win.
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