Wigmore Hall surprises connections after striking a back-to-back in the Northern Dancer Turf Stakes
Eight losses down the line after winning the 2011 edition of the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes Presented By Vtech (Turf) on 16th September, the five-year-old bay gelding of High Chaparral, landed the event this year too. Reviving the past
victory, and striking a back-to-back in the Grade 1 at Woodbine over a mile and four furlongs gave the connections more than a reason to celebrate.
He bagged the $500,000 prize money in companionship with jockey, Jamie Spencer. The Michael Bell trained did not fall into a high gear right after leaving the seventh post, rather was a good eight lengths behind while the rest of the lot got on to setting
into the pace.
He steered his way in the field, dodged the speeding horses in the final turn and took the outside of the track when at the top of the stretch. The five-year-old shoved the favourite entry of the race, Al Khali, by a slight neck’s margin.
“It was all ABC from the half-mile pole. I was following Garrett (Gomez aboard Al Khali) and then went and challenged him. My horse dug deep and fought hard. It’s nice to get a Grade 1 win with him.”
“I got a good trip around,” Spencer said. “He relaxed well. There was a good pace this year. There wasn’t one last year.”
"I probably got there sooner than I wanted to, because he doesn't do a whole pile when he's in front. He hasn't won since this race last year, and Michael Bell and his team did a great job training him, getting him back in good form."
It had been a while since the connections of the hearty winner got to a trip as easy, exciting and pleasant as this one.
Wigmore Hall falls under the mark of $2-million career earnings after landing the event on September 16th.
The success was also a highly important one for the jockey, Jamie Spencer, who had missed the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes earlier in the day.
All in all the day was a lucky one for the connections who witnessed the fates turning for good. No future plans have yet been announced for the back-to-back striker of the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf.
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