King’s Counsel gets first win in rich Simcoe Stakes
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ETOBICOKE, Ontario – King’s Counsel earned his diploma in style for owner/trainer Barbara Minshall in Sunday’s $300,500 Simcoe, one of four lucrative stakes on the Woodbine card for graduates of Canadian yearling sales.
With Daisuke Fukumoto aboard, King’s Counsel ($5.50) came wide from midpack to win the 6 1/2-furlong sprint for male 2-year-olds by three-quarters of a length over 19-1 bomb Longshot Leo, who edged out favored Souper Survivor for second. The final time was 1:17.32.
“There was some speed, so I let him break first, then see everybody in front,” Fukumoto said. “Barb told me just [get] a clean trip, so I just went outside and sit behind. When I asked him to go, he just ran. When he got to the front, he started looking around, but when company came, he went again. I just rode hard until the wire.”
Minshall paid $82,000 for King’s Counsel, a son of By My Standards, at the 2025 Canadian Premier yearling sale at Woodbine. He was adding Lasix off back-to-back seconds against open maiden special weight company.
“He’s improved with every race,” Minshall said. “He’s just getting more and more professional. I liked the female family and I thought he was one of the best-looking horses at the sale. I had to pay for him, but I got him.”
Muskoka Stakes
Sweet Bordeaux ($11.90) graduated impressively in the filly version of the Simcoe, the $302,000 Muskoka, while giving leading rider Pietro Moran his third winner on the card.
From the outside post 12, Sweet Bordeaux cleared the field easily to assume command right off the bat and never looked back to prevail by 5 1/2 lengths, in a time of 1:16.67. Zahari, at 42-1, finished second and March checked in another two lengths back in third.
By Tom’s d’Etat, Sweet Bordeaux was a $24,000 yearling purchase at Woodbine by the partnership of trainer Stuart Simon, Brent McLellan, and Mercer Mackie.
“She just had all the things in the right places,” Simon said, recalling the sale. “She had a great female family, I thought. I just liked a lot of things about her. I think we got a deal – she was a little early in the sale. She turned out to be a nice filly.”
Algoma Stakes
Brandy and Me ($9.50), a fast debut winner Aug. 1, remained unbeaten with a professional 2 1/2-length score over Hawberry and Ella It Is in the $201,500 Algoma for 3- and 4-year-old fillies.
Jason Hoyte rode Brandy and Me, who covered the seven furlongs in 1:22.98. Evette Chartrand-Hoek trains the daughter of Silent Name for a partnership headed by Sue Leslie, president of the Ontario HBPA.
Elgin Stakes
Scorching sizzled in the $201,500 Elgin, winning the seven-furlong sprint going away by 5 3/4 lengths after dueling for the early lead under Rafael Hernandez.
Dark Screen rallied along the rail to complete the exacta at 13-1 by a head over Paynes Spirit. Favored Kekoa wound up sixth in the 11-horse field of 3- and 4-year-olds.
Trained by John Charalambous, Scorching covered the distance in a quick 1:21.05. The son of Mo Town returned $6.40 as the favorite in his first win since taking the 2024 Simcoe Stakes.
“I’ve been dying the run this horse seven-eighths of a mile,” Charalambous said. “This is the first time he’s ever raced seven-eighths of a mile. We had a great post. Everything worked out.”
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