Straight Story left it late to give everyone the shock of their life by winning the Autumn Stakes at Woodbine
The 5-year-old Straight Story started off the season with a magnificent win in the Grade 3 Fort Marcy Stakes, but fell away quiet badly in his next few starts. With not even a finish on the board in his past three starts, Straight Story was sent at the longest price of 38 to 1 in the Canadian Grade 2 $ 150,000 Autumn Stakes at Woodbine on 12 November, 2011.
However, these horses can make anyone look bad, because they can turn the tables quiet easily when the stakes are high and the chips are down. That is exactly what Straight Story did in the Autumn Stakes as he responded well and bounced back from his hat-trick of defeats.
Richard Santulli’s Straight Story set the Woodbine track on fire under jockey Jesse Campbell. He was always a front runner on turf but his performances had let him down this season. It was off the pace stuff from Jesse Campbell and paid dividends in the end for trainer Alan Goldberg.
In the deep stretch Pender Harbour pulled away and looked as if he wasn’t going to be challenged in the deep stretch, but 1 ¾ lengths adrift, Stunning Stag was homing in, but Straight Story’s run evened it out in the end.
Late run in the stretch helped Straight Story grab an unlikely victory over Pender Harbour by 1 ¾ lengths. The favourite to win the race, City Wolf, never got involved in the race and finished a non threatening eighth.
The New York bred son of Giant’s Causeway, out of mare Eventail by Lear Fan, Straight Story kicked off with a win in May, but the downslide started in June when he finished 6th in the Grade 1 Manhattan Handicap to winner Mission Approved at Belmont Park over at 1 ¼ miles.
Monmouth Park was the venue for his next assignment, the Grade 3 Oceanport Stakes at about 1 1/16 miles on 31 July, 2011, where he finished seventh to winner Yummy With Butter.
Back at Belmont Park in his most recent start the Ashley T. Cole Stakes, Straight Story finished seventh again but this time to Compliance Officer on 11 September, 2011.
Tags: