Truly Quality kicks in late to win Singspiel Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Favored Truly Quality could be Breeders’ Cup bound after winning Saturday’s Grade 3 Singspiel from the widest post 13 under jockey Vincent Cheminaud at Woodbine.

After getting bumped at the break in the 1 3/8-mile turf route, Truly Quality raced near the rear of the field until the far turn as Eyes On the King set the pace, with Lac Macaza pressing him on the backstretch.

Truly Quality ($5.70) was hard-ridden in the three path on the far turn while English Conqueror was angled wide to assume command in midstretch. Truly Quality finally kicked in with about an eighth left and caught English Conqueror late to prevail by three-quarters of a length, in a time of 2:17.47 over a course labeled good.

“To be honest, the horse didn’t like the soft ground,” Cheminaud said. “I had a bad draw, so he was very lazy. When I pushed him a little bit, he gave me a good answer. He’s a nice horse. He was the best today.”

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By Quality Road, Truly Quality earned $105,000 of the $186,600 purse for George Strawbridge’s Augustin Stable and trainer Jonathan Thomas.

“I thought the horse overcame a pretty tough situation,” Thomas said. “I’d love to talk to the Strawbridges about taking a real swing and going to the Breeders’ Cup, and then giving him the winter off – really try to make him a Grade 1 horse.”

Algonquin Stakes

Trainer Mark Casse swept the top three positions in the $176,400 Algonquin Stakes for 2-year-olds with Mi Bago, Dare to Breeze, and favored Bullet.

Mi Bago ($13.80) prevailed by a neck in the five-furlong inner turf dash, in a time of 57.89 seconds over a course rated good.

Sahin Civaci rode Mi Bago for owner Gary Barber, who bought the New York-bred after he won his debut at Colonial. The son of hot freshman sire Vekoma was adding Lasix off a sixth-place finish in the restricted Funny Cide Stakes at Saratoga.

“I just tried to get my horse out as fast as possible,” Civaci said. “He had a little trouble getting around the turn. I had to ask him a little bit there.”

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