Francatelli clearly best in King Corrie Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - The speedy Maryland shipper Francatelli equaled the five-furlong inner turf record in a dominating score in Saturday’s $102,600 King Corrie Stakes on the Queen’s Plate undercard at Woodbine.

Francatelli ($4.90) opened up a clear lead from the outset, set a moderate pace, and never looked back to prevail by 4 1/4 lengths over Lontano. Forester’s Turn finished third and Cajun Casanova nosed out Duke of Carthania for fourth in the seven-horse field of 3-year-olds.

The final time of 55.46 seconds was the same that Spanish Ballerina posted when she lowered the course record on July 30.

Leading rider Justin Stein rode Francatelli for the partnership of Maribeth Sandford and trainer Cathal Lynch.

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“He’s amazing,” Stein said. “When he left the gate, he got his stride right away. He was cruising. I knew we were covering ground pretty quick, but he was just doing it easy, like a fast gallop. He’s huge. I couldn’t believe the speed that he showed going five-eighths. He was just way faster than the rest of them.”

A gelded son of the late City Zip, Francatelli earned $60,000 in his third straight victory and stakes debut.