Cazadero rallies for the upset in Nearctic

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Saratoga shipper Cazadero stole the show in Saturday’s Grade 2 Nearctic at Woodbine, upsetting the heavily favored Bound for Nowhere in just his second turf outing.

Into the Sunrise and Silent Poet dueled for the early lead along the backstretch and were joined up front by a three-wide Bound for Nowhere on the turn in the six-furlong sprint.

Cazadero trailed about five lengths off the lead on the turn and then mounted an eye-catching wide rally in the stretch, hitting the front at the sixteenth pole en route to a 2 1/4-length win in a time of 1:09.11.

Bound for Nowhere edged out Silent Poet for second. Ice Chocolate finished fourth, ahead of Roaring Forties, Wedgewood, Noble Emotion, and Into the Sunrise. Fauci was scratched.

Wedgewood was the final starter for trainer Mike Keogh, who announced his retirement this week.

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Patrick Husbands rode Cazadero for trainer Brendan Walsh. The son of Street Sense ran third behind Noble Emotion in an Aug. 27 allowance/optional claimer on the Saratoga sod, when he competed with a $62,500 tag.

“I looked at the form and saw this was the second time he was going on the turf,” Husbands said. “He was a speed horse, but the last race, he came flying and just got beat. I just tried to ride him back the same way. I had so much horse turning for home. He did it pretty easy.”

Cazadero ($18.40) earned $150,000 of the $255,500 purse for owner Marc Detampel.

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