Big payday for maiden Grand Style

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Grand Style outlasted a host of 2-year-old fillies Saturday at Woodbine to capture the 65th running of the Princess Elizabeth Stakes, which was essentially a $252,000 maiden race.

There were only two winners in the 10-horse field of Canadian-breds, and they both finished up the track in the mile and a sixteenth route. Grand Style came wide from the back of the first flight, and got home on top by a length and a half, in a time of 1:46.31.

“She’s quite green,” said Eurico Da Silva, who rode Grand Style for trainer Mike Doyle. “She has a lot to learn. With another couple of races, I think she’ll improve a lot.”

There were only three lengths separating the first and sixth-place finishers. Lisvernane finished second by a half-length over of Sense of Pride, and favored Bubbles to the Top faded to fourth after helping to set the pace.

Grand Style ($11.60) earned $150,000 for owner G. Watts Humphrey Jr.

* American shipper Fantasia ($4.80) rallied wide from eighth and last to prevail in a three-way win photo over Never Retreat and Magic Broomstick in Saturday’s $101,200 River Memories Stakes.

With Rosie Napravnik riding for trainer Jonathan Sheppard, Fantasia covered a mile over yielding turf in 1:38.32.

“She was in my hand the whole way, just waiting on me to call on her,” said Napravnik. “I waited as long as I could, and she really dug in and used all her heart. She really ran well.”