Lac Macaza caps three-win day for Moran in Niagara

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Lac Macaza collared the speed on the far turn and then led throughout the long Woodbine turf stretch to take Saturday’s $116,600 Niagara Stakes under Pietro Moran.

Favored Stone Age and Eyes On the King hooked up in a suicidal front-end battle in the 1 1/4-mile event for older runners. After making his bid, Lac Macaza opened up a clear lead and got home on top by 1 3/4 lengths, in a time of 2:01.10 over a course labeled as good.

Stanley House wound up second and Palazzi closed outside from a trailing eighth to beat out Spinzar for third.

:: Bet with the Best! Get FREE All-Access PPs and Weekly Cashback when you wager on DRF Bets.

The Niagara was the third straight win on the card for Moran, the son of journeyman David Moran, who was riding without his apprentice allowance.

“I couldn’t have asked for anything better,” Moran said. “He broke good, like as he always does, and put himself in a good spot. I just followed them and he did the rest. They came back to me quicker than I expected, but he just cruised up to them like nothing, and as soon as I asked him down the lane, he picked it up right away.

“I’ve always watched this horse since his first race. My dad won a few races on his mom. It’s pretty cool to ride him now. He’s a nice old horse.”

Lac Macaza ($11.90) banked $72,000 in his first stakes success for Goldie Stables and Discovery Racing. Julia Carey trains the 5-year-old Giant Gizmo gelding.

“He’s such a nice animal,” Carey said. “Last year, we had little ups and downs. We even ran him for $25,000 once. He’s just gotten better as he’s gotten older.”

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