Stunning Stag makes it look easy in Autumn Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — Stunning Stag blew away a solid group of older runners at a surprisingly square price in the $171,000 Autumn Stakes at Woodbine Racetrack on Saturday.

Stunning Stag returned a generous $10.30, even though he won the allowance prep for the Grade 2 Autumn. He earned $108,000 for owner Janice Attard, the wife of trainer Sid Attard, who claimed him for $40,000 three years ago.

Gerry Olguin rated Stunning Stag near the back of the eight-horse field, while an overzealous Lord Justice set a lively pace on a 3 1/2-length lead. Stunning Stag commenced a powerful five-wide rally midway on the far turn, and then overtook favored Southdale at the eighth pole before drawing off for a 3 3/4-length tally over Maryland shipper Smart Bid. Perfect Bullet wound up another half-length back in third, while Southdale faded to sixth.

Stunning Stag’s final time of 1:42.75 was just .53 of a second off the Polytrack record, set by True Metropolitan in the 2007 Autumn.

“I just tried to be as patient as I could with him, because I know he’s got a nice quarter-mile kick,” said Olguin. “I didn’t care where I was going to be laying. I just wanted to use him the last quarter. He had tremendous acceleration. It worked out well.”