Count Again wins Singspiel in first stakes try

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Count Again won his stakes debut after surviving a stewards’ inquiry in the Grade 3 Singspiel on the Woodbine Mile undercard.

Tiz a Slam, last year’s Singspiel winner, set moderate fractions on a comfortable lead in the 10-furlong grass race before giving way to the Maryland shipper Nakamura early in the stretch.

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Count Again bided his time near the back of the pack under Luis Contreras before closing outside to hit the front around the three-sixteenths pole. Nakamura shied away after Count Again ducked in a little nearing the eighth pole, and then Count Again drew clear to score by 1 1/4 lengths in 2:00.67 over the firm ground. Court Again paid $21.10.

Sir Sahib came from seventh for second in a field reduced to nine due to the scratch of Admiralty Pier. Say the Word rallied from last to give Sam-Son Farm and trainer Gail Cox the first- and third-place finishers in the race.

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The stewards took a short look at the incident in the stretch, but made no change in the order of finish.

“I was in the perfect position the whole way,” Contreras said. “Just before the turn, a horse came on the outside and made a little bit of a move and a little trouble. But my horse was nice and relaxed. When I turned for home, I was so loaded with so much horse.”

A homebred gelding by Awesome Again, Count Again earned $90,000 of the $143,900 purse.