Mr Havercamp won first stakes on only three shoes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Mr Havercamp recorded his first stakes win, and the third win in his first four starts, in Saturday’s $125,000 Vice Regent Stakes over a mile on the Woodbine turf, and is emerging as one of Woodbine’s top 3-year-olds.

Trainer Catherine Day Phillips said the son of Court Vision came out of the Vice Regent in good order, despite running the race with just three shoes.

“He’s good,” she said. “He lost his shoe in the race. I think when he came out of the gate, he stumbled a little. Aside from that, he seems to be fine and happy.”

Mr Havercamp left the gate slowly and rallied to win the Vice Regent, even though the turf has been favoring speed recently.

“He was maybe a little anxious standing in the gate and hopped up when the gate opened,” Day Phillips said. “Probably that was when the shoe came off. What mostly had me worried about that race was coming off of the pace. Nobody had come from off the pace on the weekend. That wasn’t the plan. Our plan was to sit stalking.”

A Sean and Dorothy Fitzhenry homebred, Mr Havercamp has now made four starts in eight weeks, including a trip to Saratoga for the Grade 3 Saranac Stakes on Sept. 2. Day Phillips said Mr Havercamp could return for the $125,000 Bunty Lawless Stakes over a mile on turf for Ontario-sired 3-year-olds on Oct. 21, or he might get a rest.

“He’s had four races in a row that have been three weeks apart,” she said. “It’s been a lot of racing. It would be nice to have another race this year, but I think we’ll just see how he’s doing and figure it out from there.”