Woodbine: Spin the King by a nose in Clarendon Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Spin the King, who broke sharply but settled just off the pace in third, came on to hit the front inside the furlong grounds, then had to battle back in the final yards to nose out odds-on favorite Go Greeley in Sunday’s $150,000 Clarendon Stakes.

Go Greeley, an impressive first-out winner, broke slowly from his No. 1 post in the field of seven and moved up on the outside around the turn in the 5 1/2-furlong stakes for Ontario-bred 2-year-olds. But after hitting the front momentarily in deep stretch, Go Greeley was outfinished by Spin the King and rider Luis Conteras.

”He was so nice and relaxed early, and when he spotted that horse on the outside, he fought back,” Contreras said of Spin the King. “He was all heart.”

Maritime Pulpit finished two lengths back in third and was followed by Grom, Mega Length, Bold ‘n Golden, and Truly Bettor.

Owned by Josef and Maria Stritzl and conditioned by Brian Lynch, Spin the King had finished second as the 3-5 favorite in his debut and was running with Lasix for the first time in the Clarendon.

Spin the King was clocked in 1:04.76 and returned $15 as the second choice. The exacta returned $23.80, while the trifecta came in at $132 and the superfecta at $246.50.