Crown Isle springs upset in Ontario Derby

Crown Isle ($29.10) sprang an upset Sunday at Woodbine in the $151,200 , winning the nine-furlong test for 3-year-olds by a length over Eagle Poise.

Emile Ramsammy rode Crown Isle, who came wide from the back of the pack to inherit the lead from pacemaker See U At the Top early in the stretch. He then held Eagle Poise at bay throughout the final furlong, and stopped the timer in 1:50.79.

Tutti Buona Gente finished a neck behind Eagle Poise in third. Favored Eye of the Leopard, this year s Queen Plate winner, was a non-threatening sixth in the eight-horse field.

"I rode him like the best horse in the race, and he prevailed," said Ramsammy, who revealed that he had never sat on Crown Isle before the Ontario Derby.

Crown Isle collected $90,000 for Uphill Stable and trainer John Charalambous.

* Mekong Melody ($7.30) notched her first stakes under Chantal Sutherland in Sunday's supporting feature, the $101,600 Flaming Page for fillies and mares.

Mekong Melody covered a mile and a half over a yielding turf course in 2:31.91, while scoring by three-quarters of a length over 14-1 shot Fortune Or Folly. She banked $60,000 for owner David Egan and trainer Roger Attfield.