Shahroze uses eye-catching rally to win Singspiel Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The Maryland shipper Shahroze ($13.20) looks like a turf star in the making after taking the Grade 3 Singspiel Stakes and threatening the course record at Woodbine on Saturday.

Shahroze got away slowly under Alan Garcia before biding his time while trailing the eight-horse field until the top of the stretch. Final Copy set moderate fractions in the 12-furlong marathon before opening up a clear lead on the far turn and then giving way to Pumpkin Rumble.

Meanwhile, Shahroze closed furiously on the far outside in the stretch to prevail by two lengths over Pumpkin Rumble. Final Copy faded but held third over Camelot Kitten, as the favored Danish Dynaformer finished a nonthreatening sixth.

The final time of 2:25.65 was just 0.05 seconds off the course record set by Raintrap in 1994.

“He was very impressive,” Garcia said. “Turning for home, I said, ‘Let me go wide.’ I had plenty of horse, and he did his job. [Trainer] Graham Motion did an excellent job. He gave me instructions to save some ground, get him covered up, and come with a good run. So, he did.”

An Irish-bred by Holy Roman Emperor, Shahroze earned $75,000 of the $128,750 purse in his stakes debut for owners Eclipse Thoroughbred Partners and Head of Plains Partners.