Marsh Side wins Sky Classic over soft course at Woodbine

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - Marsh Side made a triumphant return to Woodbine on Sunday, stalking the pace in the 1 1/4- mile Sky Classic before taking charge for a convincing five-length victory.

Trained by Neil Drysdale, Marsh Side won the Grade 1 Northern Dancer last year and the Grade 1 Canadian International in 2008 and now has earned more than $2.1 million over the local turf course.

Edgar Prado delivered a confident ride aboard Marsh Side, who was clocked in 2:08.99 over the soft going.

“He’s an old pro and he knows the track,” said Prado. “He was having a lot of fun out there.”

Marsh Side was entered and scratched in both last week’s Grade 1 Sword Dancer at Saratoga and Saturday's Arlington Million before electing to run in the Sky Classic.

Marsh Side, favored at 3-5 in the Grade 2, $250,000 Sky Classic, was chased home by Windward Islands, who ended two lengths before third-place finisher Your Round in the field of six.

Spice Route, one of the leading candidates for the Sky Classic, was scratched due to the turf condition.

Biofuel by a nose in Belle Mahone

Biofuel, facing older fillies and mares for the first time, was up in the shadow of the wire to score a neck victory as the odds-on favorite in Sunday’s $101,000 Belle Mahone Stakes.

Trained by Reade Baker, Biofuel prevailed by a nose over invader Askbut I Won’t Tell in the 1 1/16-mile Belle Mahone with Much Obliged another three-quarters of a length back as the third-place finisher in the field of six.

Biofuel, trained by Reade Baker and ridden by Eurico Rosa da Silva, was the co-champion 2-year-old filly in Canada last year and now is perfect in three appearances at Woodbine this season.