Skywire pulls away in Autumn Stakes

ETOBICOKE Ontario – Skywire notched his second Grade 2 stakes of the meet in the $199,850 Autumn, giving jockey Rafael Hernandez and trainer Mark Casse a sweep of the two Saturday stakes at Woodbine.

Skywire ($6.70) raced four lengths off the early lead in fourth, while his favored stablemate Salute With Honor set honest fractions in the 1 1/16-mile Tapeta route.

Armistice Day joined Salute With Honor up front on the far turn, while Skywire was mounting a three-wide rally. Armistice Day took control late on the turn, before Skywire made his way to the lead in midstretch while keeping Timeskip blocked behind Armistice Day.

Skywire went on to score by 1 3/4 lengths in 1:42.70, a time that wasn’t far off the synthetic-track record of 1:42.16. Armistice Day held second over Timeskip, and Vanzzy finished fourth while Salute With Honor faded to trail the six-horse field. Dream Maker was scratched.

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Skywire was coming off a troubled second behind Salute With Honor in the Grade 3 Durham Cup.

“We had a clear trip all the way,” Hernandez said. “Last time, he was stuck inside. By the time he was clear, he started running, but it was too late. Today, I made sure we had a clear path all the way. You saw the results.”

Skywire, the beaten favorite in the 2019 Queen’s Plate, banked $126,000 for the partnership of Gary Barber and Lou Tucci.