Tone Broke easily handles turf in Breeders' Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – The Kentucky-based Tone Broke ($6.80) made his turf debut a memorable one by taking Saturday’s $400,400 Breeders’ Stakes, the third leg of the Canadian Triple Crown at Woodbine.

Trained by Steve Asmussen, Tone Broke gave jockey Rafael Hernandez his third victory in the past four years the 1 1/2-mile turf marathon, but it wasn’t without a few tense moments. Tone Broke tossed his head after the break, before assuming a stalking position near pacesetter Rising Star.

Tone Broke was shuffled back in behind the tiring leaders entering the stretch, while the favored Avie’s Flatter made his way to the lead. Tone Broke regrouped, however, and mounted a powerful wide bid to prevail by 1 1/2 lengths over He’s a Macho Man, who nosed Avie’s Flatter for second.

Over a course labeled as yielding, the final time was 2:30.43.

“He never gave up,” Hernandez said. “It’s a good thing we had a long stretch. All you have to do is be patient. I used my patience, and as soon as I put him in the clear, he did the rest. He has a big heart.”

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Tone Broke finished third in the opening Triple Crown race, the Queen’s Plate, before capturing the middle leg on the dirt at Fort Erie, the Prince of Wales Stakes.

“It looked like it was going to be replay of the Queen’s Plate a little, where he didn’t want to relax early,” said assistant trainer Darren Fleming. “Raffie got him to relax, and everything went smooth. We had a little traffic trouble, and my heart was pumping in the turn, but luckily, Tone Broke was talented enough to overcome it. He’s done everything we’ve asked. I didn’t think the grass would be a problem.”

A son of Broken Vow, Tone Broke earned $240,000 for L and R Racing LLC.