NORTHERN DANCER

TURF (GRADE 1)

OSCAR Performance shipped in to take the money across the border. Beyond him, the locals stood tall on Woodbine’s premier day of racing.

Johnny Bear, a hard-hitting seven-year-old upset the Grade 1 Northern Dancer Turf, closing ground to turn back British-bred Mekhtaal and English Illusion. Luis Contreras guided the veteran for trainer Ashlee Brnjas and owners Colebrook Farms and Bear Stables.

Making his 40th career start, the son of English Channel snapped a losing streak that dated back to Sept, 2017 – back to last year’s Northern Dancer when he upset Hawkbill in the 12-furlong stakes. Sent off favorite this year, Hawkbill failed to land a blow, beating one horse in the field of 10.

Local Starship Jubilee crashed the Chad Brown party in the Grade 2 Canadian Stakes, rolling from last to draw off from second-choice New Money Honey and favorite Inflexibility, both trained by Brown. Trained by Kevin Attard and owned by Attard and Soli Mehta, the Florida-bred filly won her 11th career race while continuing her improbable ascent from the claiming ranks. Contreras also guided the daughter of Indy Wind.

SUNDAY AT WOODBINE

At the same track on Sunday, Charlie Appleby’s La Pelosa scored in the two-year-old fillies’ Grade 1 Natalma Stakes.

Ridden by Jamie Spencer, the daughter of Dandy Man, beat off the intentions of favourite My Gal Betty to secure the $250,000 contest. Jessica Harrington’s Chicas Amigas, running in the colours of Qatar Racing for the first time and so ridden by Oisin Murphy, disappointed when finishing 12th of 13 runners.

The Grade 1 Summer Stakes, for two-year-old colts and fillies went to Chad Brown’s Fog Of War, a War Front colt out of a former Aidan O’Brien-trained mare Say, who won the Group 3 Dance Design Stakes at the Curragh in 2013. In the same contest, Archie Watson’s Federal Law, another Qatar Racing-owned two-year-old ridden by Murphy, disappointed when trailing in second last of the 12 runners.