Top 3 Woodbine Weekend Highlights (June 29-30) – Woodbine Racetrack

Paramount Prince in full flight. Photo by Michael Burns. 

Win

Paramount Prince put on a kingly performance in the Dominion Day Stakes (G3) on Saturday. Under jockey Patrick Husbands, the 2023 King’s Plate winner took the lead a few strides out of the gate and then toyed with his rivals the rest of the way for the flawless score.

Filo Di Arianna (BRZ) on his way to another graded stakes score. Photo by Michael Burns

Place

Filo Di Arianna (BRZ), trained by Mark Casse, continued his multiple graded stakes-winning ways with a victory in Saturday’s bet365 Highlander (G2T). The 8-year-old son of Drosselmeyer, ridden to victory by Kazushi Kimura, is now 8-3-1 from 16 career starts.

Sofia Vives has her game face on aboard Sabatini in the Selene Stakes. Michael Burns photo.

Show

Sabatini, trained by Canadian Horse Racing Hall of Fame inductee Josie Carroll, wowed the crowd in Saturday’s Selene Stakes (G3). Under apprentice Sofia Vives, the Florida-bred daughter of Uncle Mo powered home to notch her first graded stakes crown for owners NK Racing and LNJ Foxwoods. The bay is now 2-1-1 from four career starts.

Noteworthy

Essex Serpent won the Marine Stakes (G3), while Implicated took all the spoils in the Nassau (G2T). Helluva Holiday, with Skye Chernetz in the saddle, rallied to pull of the 12-1 upset in Sunday’s third race. Trained by David Cotey, who co-owns the 4-year-old daughter of Firing Line with breeder Richard Forbush, the chestnut filly paid $27.20 for the win. Multiple graded stakes-winning jockey Emma-Jayne Wilson won the 1,900th race of her career when she piloted Miss Vyvyanne to victory in Saturday’s fourth race. Truebelieve, at 24-1, won the first leg of the Woodbine Turf Sprint Series on Sunday. Kazushi Kimura made three trips to the winner’s circle on Sunday, including the final race with Media Sensation, trained by Martin Drexler.

On Tap

Live racing continues this weekend. On Saturday, the $135,000 Hendrie Stakes (G3) is in the spotlight. The $100,000 Georgian Bay Stakes and $100,000 Lake Huron Stakes share top billing on Sunday.