Road to Victory Speeds to the Lead in the $100,000 Alywow

TORONTO, ON –  Road to Victory was much the best in Saturday’s $100,000 Alywow Stakes at Woodbine. A three-year-old daughter of Quality Road, Road to Victory is now a multiple stakes winner and remains unbeaten in her three career starts.

Closer Still broke to the front to be the early leader in the 6 1/2 furlong race on the turf and was quickly joined by Sly Beauty. The pair set early fractions of :22.60 and :44.51. Just off the pace sat Magic Spell while Originator and the 6-5 favorite, Road to Victory, were comfortable to sit back toward the rear. While Closer Still and Sly Beauty continued to duke it out at the front, the rest of the field slowly crept up, waiting to make a late move. As they came out of the turn, Road to Victory came from the back of the pack with a powerful late run on the outside. Once in the clear, there was no doubt that she was the horse to beat as she breezed past the rest of the field. Road to Victory won by a length to Originator. Magic Spell and Africa finished third and fourth consecutively.

“I was never concerned,” said Boulanger, who rode Road to Victory for trainer Mark Casse. “She’s obviously nice and this is the shortest she’s ever run, but I had worked her twice here since she’s come back and she’s acting better this year than she did last year. When I called her, she just surged underneath me and it was just like ‘okay, let’s go do this.”

Road to Victory, who is trained by Mark Casse and owned by Gary Barber and John C. Oxley, is the only horse to beat the otherwise undefeated Monomoy Girl who was victorious today in the G1 Acorn at Belmont and did so her last time out in the G2 Golden Rod Stakes.

Road to Victory returned $4.30 to win, $3.00 to place, and $2.20 to show. Originator brought back $4.80 to place and $3.60 to show, while Magic Spell paid $7.10 to show.