ETOBICOKE, Ontario – European invader Old Persian ($3.30) overtook Tiz a Slam inside the three-sixteenths pole and drew away to win the Grade 1, $304,200 Northern Dancer Turf Stakes by 2 1/2 lengths over Nessy on Saturday afternoon at Woodbine. Old Persian overcame a troubled beginning in the Northern Dancer, as he hopped at the start and was slow to get away from the gate, while Cooler Mike ran off through splits of 24.82 seconds for the opening quarter and 47.63 seconds for the opening half-mile. Old Persian advanced his position to third after the poor break, as he and Tiz a Slam began to cut into Cooler Mike’s advantage along the backstretch. As the field turned for home, Cooler Mike ran out of gas and faded to last, while Tiz a Slam inherited the lead with Old Persian closely behind. Old Persian overtook Tiz a Slam in the stretch and was kept to task by jockey James Doyle, crossing the line 2 1/2 lengths in front of a three-horse group that comprised runner-up Nessy, third-place finisher Focus Group, and fourth-place finisher Tiz a Slam. Old Persian stopped the clock in 2:27.78 for 1 1/2 miles on the E. P. Taylor Turf Course. “Obviously we were a bit concerned early,” Doyle said. “He missed the break, but they went pretty quick and we were able to muster some speed down the fence to secure a bit of space. We had a very clean trip all the way through. He’s a powerful stayer at this trip with a good turn of foot and when the pace came up in the stretch, he excelled and sprinted away nicely.” With the win in the Northern Dancer, Old Persian recorded his ninth lifetime win in 16 starts, and his first win since the Group 1 Dubai Sheema Classic at Meydan Racecourse in March. The Charlie Appleby trainee could be eligible to return to Woodbine for the Grade 1, $800,000 Canadian International Stakes on Oct. 12. “He didn’t run great in the Coronation back at Epson there after a good run in Dubai,” said Alex Merriam, assistant trainer for Appleby. “We were pleased enough with his run in Germany, and I think the ground was a bit on the soft side for him there. But James gave him a nice ride today and it worked out well. I spoke to Charlie and he said we’ll go back to Europe, see how he is, see how he comes out of the race, and make a plan from there.”