Church and State ($47.70) surprises in Toronto Cup Stakes
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Church and State led a parade of longshots to the wire in Saturday’s $127,000 Toronto Cup Stakes at Woodbine, scoring by a half-length under a well-timed ride from Eswan Flores.
Church and State rated kindly about seven lengths off the lead in ninth on the backstretch of the one-mile inner turf route, as Garden of War was pressed through quick fractions by Cyclonite.
Cyclonite eventually vied for the lead in midstretch with Thundering, before Church and State wore them down on the outside in the final strides to win in a time of 1:36.19 over the firm ground.
Thundering, at 16-1, beat out 20-1 shot Cyclonite by a half-length for second. The favored filly Boca Queen wound up fourth in the 11-horse field.
Winning trainer Dale Desruisseaux said things finally fell into place for the son of Caravaggio after the gelding finished fifth in the Grade 3 Marine in late June, and most recently, third in an open allowance on the grass.
“His last couple races, there’s just been no pace,” Desruisseaux pointed out. “Even in the Marine, he had to make a sustained half-mile run, and that’s not really his style. He has a good quarter-mile kick, and today it worked out.”
Church and State ($47.70) earned $75,000 in his second stakes victory for Centennial Farms Inc.
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