Gold and Silver in Manhattan District

Pher‘s Canadian Gold went off as the longest shot in the GII Manhattan District Stakes, dismissed in the company of fillies who had posted flashier numbers.  An all or nothing sort, she’d won better than half of her prior races and finished off the board in the rest.  But she was riding high off a confidence-boosting score in the ungraded Over Around Light Special and stepped up bigtime in her graded debut.

Arabian Sun(GB) broke like she’d been shot from a cannon, zipping out to a three-quarter-length lead at the first call.  Ampuria was hot on her heels, with co-favorite Cinematic right behind.  The rest of the field stuck close but for Canadian Gold, who relaxed alongside Silver Strav in the back of the pack, with her young jockey staying cool.

At the top of the stretch, things were getting interesting up front.  The grey Ampuria fought her way to a short lead over Arabian Sun, but Canadian Gold and Silver Strav were coming on.  Silver Strav bogged down as she passed the leaders, but J. Barba shook up Canadian Gold and she dug in, pulling out to win by a length and a half.  Silver Strav had half length on Ampuria, who stayed on well.

Just As Well ran evenly in fourth and Cinematic tired a bit but held on by a quarter-length over See The Ball Drop.  Arabian Sun couldn’t match strides late and Stagecoach Dream was a quarter-length back of her.

Canadian Gold is a three-year-old daughter of Touch Gold and winning Gone West mare Buda in the Bar.  The Manhattan District was her sixth win in ten career starts and pushed her career earnings to just under $300,000 and her class rank seventeenth in the sprint division.  Her 99 speed rating was a career high by 12 points and she paid $18.70 on a $2 ticket to win.