Curlin's Honor takes Woodstock for first stakes victory

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Curlin’s Honor took to the synthetic Tapeta surface like a duck to water in Saturday’s $100,600 Woodstock Stakes, leading most of the way in the six-furlong dash for 3-year-olds at Woodbine.

Curlin’s Honor set honest fractions of 22.65 and 45.24 seconds while being pressed by Be Vewy Vewy Quiet and Verboten. Verboten loomed boldly at the head of the stretch, but Curlin’s Honor repelled his challenge and kicked away in the final furlong to prevail by 2 1/4 lengths in 1:08.85.

Verboten finished a half-length in front of third-place finisher Supreme Aura. Marcus and Be Vewy Vewy Quiet completed the order of finish.

The Mark Casse-trained Curlin’s Honor was the third winner on the card for journeyman Gary Boulanger.

“I’d been on him a few times in the morning, and he seemed like a pretty classy horse,” Boulanger said. “He can do whatever you want. There wasn’t a whole lot of speed in there. He broke solid, and I said, ‘Let’s dance, boys.’ Turning for home, he gave me a pretty solid gear.”

Curlin’s Honor, who made all three of his previous starts on dirt in the U.S., returned $6.30 as the favorite. The Curlin colt earned $60,000 in his first stakes victory for owners John Oxley and Breeze Easy LLC.