Bourbon Stritta rallies powerfully to win Bull Page Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Bourbon Stritta shocked nearly everyone when he came charging on the outside from left field to take the $100,400 Bull Page Stakes over Souper Hot at Woodbine on Sunday.

The favored Stolen Identity went right to the front in the six-furlong sprint but was soon hounded by Souper Hot, who took control entering the stretch.

Bourbon Stritta, who won his only race on the lead, missed the break by a length and was 10 lengths in arrears heading into the turn. He began to make up ground at the quarter pole and then caught Souper Hot on the wire to prevail by a neck in 1:11.99.

Blessed Too finished third in the nine-horse field of Ontario-sired male 2-year-olds. News Flash was demoted from fourth to eighth for breaking inward and interfering with Blessed Too and Sandretti, who nearly lost his rider. Stolen Identity faded to last.

It was the 20th stakes victory of the meet for jockey Eurico Da Silva, who said it wasn’t the plan to come from behind.

“I could not gallop him to the gate,” Da Silva said. “He was so fresh, feeling so good. I just jogged him to the gate. I thought he would break there and just go to the lead, but he was a little anxious inside the gate. He didn’t have that clean break. The pace was so nice, and they were going very fast on the lead. On the turn, I just started riding, and he started to pick it up. We got lucky. We got there.”

Bourbon Stritta ($8.40) earned $60,000 for the partnership of Danny Lococo and Mary Biamonte. The Old Forester gelding was the first stakes winner for trainer Bob Neumann, who’s subbing for the suspended trainer Ralph Biamonte.