Decision Day wins Coronation Futurity by a head

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Decision Day gamely turned back 14-1 shot Nipigon late to take the $250,400 Coronation Futurity under Jesse Campbell at Woodbine on Saturday.

Decision Day ($17.40) inherited the lead in the nine-furlong route for 2-year-olds, dueling with Cordova and then Samuel Dechamplain through moderate fractions. Shez a Masterpiece, the 9-5 favorite, rallied inside as Nipigon came three wide from a stalking position to take dead aim at Decision Day early in the stretch.

Nipigon hit the front at the sixteenth pole, but Decision Day battled back to prevail by a head in 1:52.50.

After lacking room early in the stretch, Shez a Masterpiece finished a close third. She was followed by another filly, Brooklynsway, who ran fourth in the nine-horse field of Canadian-breds.

Decision Day banked $150,000 in his stakes debut for Donver Stable and trainer Josie Carroll.

“The connections made a bit change,” Campbell said. “I worked him twice. He’s been going very nice in a new bit. I thought if we broke clean, we’d be close up, but I didn’t think we’d be on the lead. I knew we were going slow, and I knew he was a real live horse. I just let him be happy. The last thing I wanted was to get him behind a slow pace and get too tricky about it. We knew he could to this far. He let me get into him nicely down the lane, and he fought hard.”