Pirate's Trove holds on to win Duchess

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The favored Pirate’s Trove barely held off another shipper, the 11-1 shot Cactus Kris, to take the $125,000 Duchess Stakes under Florent Geroux at Woodbine on Sunday.

Pirate’s Trove, based at Arlington with trainer Mike Stidham, stalked the leading Zensational Bunny through moderate splits before assuming command in the stretch. Cactus Kris awaited room before closing inside to come up a nose short of Pirate’s Trove, who covered the seven furlongs in 1:22.75. Hillhouse High, another American invader, wound up third in the six-horse field of 3-year-old fillies.

Pirate’s Trove ($4.10) earned $75,000 and is now unbeaten in two starts for Al Shahania Racing.

“She was looking around a little bit the last eighth,” Geroux said. “I think she’s going to get better and better with each race.”

** Lafontaine won $128,500 Toronto Cup Stakes as the longest shot on the board under Steven Bahen.

Over a turf course labeled good, Heart to Heart went right to the front during a rainstorm and established honest fractions in the nine-furlong test for 3-year-olds.

Lafontaine stalked along the inside before cutting into Heart to Heart’s lead through the stretch and got home by a half-length over a charging Pumpkin Rumble in 1:48.86. Heart to Heart faded to third as the 8-5 favorite in the six-horse field.

Lafontaine ($38.70) collected $75,000 for Cudney Stable and trainer Liz Charalambous. The homebred by Artie Schiller defeated maidens in his previous start at 38-1.

“Steve rode him perfectly,” Charalambous said. “I asked him to sit off the speed, which he did, and I was just a little concerned that he might get stuck on the rail, but things opened up for him, and he exploded.”