Bearcatt pulls upset in Woodstock

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Bearcatt ($13.70) rallied from last under Emma Wilson to land his first stakes Sunday at Woodbine in the $150,400 Woodstock, a six-furlong dash for 3-year-olds.

A host of runners vied for the early lead, including Bearcatt, who was dragged back to trail the six-horse field around the three-eighths pole. His stablemate Bear It's True set splits of 22.04 and 44.70 before being overtaken by Heart of a King early in the stretch.

Bearcatt commenced a wide rally exiting the turn, and he hit the front in midstretch en route to a 3 3/4-length score, in a time of 1:09.32. Favored Congor Bay overtook Heart of a King in the final strides to end up second by a neck. Dublin Lane was scratched.

"He was pretty sharp, pretty keen," said Wilson, who won last year's Woodstock aboard Rumbling Cloud. "Once he settled down, I was able to get him to regain his legs and come with a big run down the lane."

Bearcatt, trained by Reade Baker for Bear Stable, earned $90,000 in his first outing since his maiden win in November.