Kimchi secures Bison City jewel

Kimchi, winner of the 1 1/8-mile Woodbine Oaks, added the second jewel in Canada's triple tiara to her collection with a solid score in the 1 1/16-mile Bison City at Fort Erie on Sunday.

With regular rider Patrick Husbands aboard, Kimchi stalked the pace of front-running Essential Edge before taking the lead and pulling away in midstretch. She had to fend off a late run from Sweet Breanna to prevail by 1 1/4 lengths.

"We had a nice trip," said Husbands.

Sweet Breanna saved ground throughout and rallied from a stalking position in third place to finish second, reprising her finish in the Oaks, with Essential Edge holding for third.

Kimchi, a Manitoba-bred owned by Seasoft Stable and trained by Mark Casse, returned $3.30 and combined with 5-2 second choice Sweet Breanna for a $5.30 exactor. The time was a quick 1:42.92.

Essential Edge, the 3-1 third choice, completed a $9 triactor, while Arden Belle, Keeping Da Faith, and Family Love completed the order of finish.

The Bison City win was Kimchi's third from seven starts and boosted her bankroll to $518,046.

"She seems to be getting better and better," said Casse. "Now I think we're going to try the grass. I think that's really what she's bred for."

The $250,000 Wonder Where, a 1 1/4-mile turf race, is the third leg of the tiara series for Canadian-bred 3-year-old fillies, and will be run at Woodbine July 29.

Earlier, Archers Alyancer ($10) became a stakes winner for trainer John Simms and owner Dennis Payer, winning the $75,000 Daryl Wells Sr. Memorial.

Justin Stein picked up the mount on Archers Alyancer after scheduled rider Patrick Husbands missed his check-in time for the race because he got caught in traffic on the drive down from Toronto.

Archers Alyancer rallied from off the pace to win the 1 1/16-mile Wells Memorial by 1 1/2 lengths.

Smiling Jordan finished second with Alleged Ruler, the odds-on favorite, dead-heating with Sandspit for third in the field of six.

"We thought he was the speed of the race," said Stein. "But the other horse [Alleged Ruler] wanted the lead real bad.

"My horse dropped his head right away, and I didn't want to rush him."