Ancient Spirit makes it look easy in Victorian Queen Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Ancient Spirit won the $100,000 Victorian Queen Stakes easily on Saturday at Woodbine, proving the best of three Norseman Racing Stable runners in the about seven-furlong turf sprint for 2-year-old filles.

Ancient Spirit was the third winner on the card for Rafael Hernandez, who had the daughter of Signature Red tracking her leading stablemate Cara Cara on the backstretch.

Ancient Spirit assumed command entering the stretch and never looked back en route to a 2 1/2-length score over Tito’s Calling, in a time of 1:21.80.

Friends for Life wound up third ahead of Cara Cara. The favored Anam Cara finished a troubled fifth in the eight-horse field of Ontario-sired runners.

Ancient Spirit beat maidens on the inner turf in her only other outing for trainer Sid Attard.

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“We’ve liked this filly from day one,” Attard said. “She’s like a bull — so strong. You’ve got to watch her. After she (debuted), we schooled her in the gate and the paddock, because she’s so strong.”

Ancient Spirit returned $8.20 as the second choice and banked $60,000.

*** Favored Poulin in O T took the male version of the Victorian Queen, the $100,000 Bull Page, in front-running style under Patrick Husbands.

Poulin in O T darted out to a clear lead and eventually turned back a bid from Awesome Bourbon in the stretch to prevail by 2 1/2 lengths, in a time of 1:22.02.

One Bay Hemingway got up for second at 18-1 as Awesome Bourbon weakened to third in the six-horse field.

Poulin in O T ($5.30) collected $60,000 in his second stakes victory for the partnership of trainer Steve Owens and Empress Stable. The son of Reload was coming off a flat seventh-place finish in the open Soaring Free Stakes.

“Last time, he got a little shuffled back on the inside and got outside pressure,” Owens recalled. “He stepped in a little hole and twisted his ankle. A lot of things went wrong, but five weeks later, a different horse showed up today.”

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