Passion for Action prevails in Jacques Cartier Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – A fit Passion for Action ($5.30) rallied stoutly from last to take the $143,000 Jacques Cartier Stakes on Saturday over the favored Hootenanny, the 2014 Breeders’ Cup Juvenile Turf winner.

Stacked Deck, who won the Sovereign Award for Canadian champion male sprinter last night, was a vet scratch after acting up in the gate. At the time, he was the 3-5 favorite in the six-furlong event.

Passion for Action raced about four lengths off moderate fractions set by Hootenanny and French Quarter. Hootenanny assumed command early in the stretch, as Passion for Action commenced a wide rally, and the latter hit the front around the sixteenth pole en route to a 2 1/4-length tally in 1:09.75. Sorry About That finished another half-length back in third in the six-horse field.

Eurico Da Silva rode Passion for Action for trainer Mike De Paulo, who scored twice on the card.

“I was very confident because when I worked this horse in the morning, he gave me a very good feeling,” said Da Silva, Woodbine’s leading rider last year. “When I put him outside, he just took off from there.”

Passion for Action, who wound up sixth in both of his winter excursions at Gulfstream, earned $90,000 for owner and breeder Ben Hutzel.