Jumpin Junie ($29.70) digs in for Princess Elizabeth Stakes victory

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Longshot Jumpin Junie graduated in style under Kazushi Kimura on Sunday at Woodbine in the $251,000 Princess Elizabeth Stakes for Canadian-bred 2-year-old fillies.

Jumpin Junie had everything go her way in the 1 1/16-mile route while tracking the leading Friends for Life, who drifted out on the backstretch under Gary Boulanger.

Jumpin Junie and Souper Sinclair both came inside on the far turn to vie for the lead with the former hugging the rail. Favored Me and My Shadow, Wickenheiser and Fortyfiveseventy all made their way into contention on the outside in the stretch, but Jumpin Junie dug in to win by 1 1/4 lengths, in a time of 1:43.61.

:: DRF Bets members get FREE DRF Past Performances - Formulator or Classic. Join now!

Me and My Shadow nosed out Fortyfiveseventy for second, as Wickenheiser weakened to fourth in the 10-horse field. Following an inquiry into the stretch run regarding Fortyfiveseventy, there was no change in the order of finish.

“We planned before just to sit behind the front,” Kimura said. “It went perfect on the backstretch. Gary was struggling to keep (Friends for Life) straight. I got room (on the) inside and she just kept going well.”

Jumpin June ($29.70) ran fifth in her six-furlong debut before narrowly losing her second outing in a mile-and-70-yard maiden special on Sept. 17.

“First-time out, she got a lot of experience, because everything went wrong,” winning trainer Danny Vella said. “Both her races since then have shown that’s she’s quite talented.”

A daughter of Midnight Lute, Jumpin Junie earned $150,000 for Ray and Debbie Burke’s Sea Glass Stables.

:: Want to learn more about handicapping and wagering? Check out DRF's Handicapping 101 and Wagering 101 pages.