Who's the Star upsets Niagara Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario - In a field with three 2021 Canadian champions, longshots swept the top two positions in Saturday’s $105,800 Niagara Stakes at Woodbine, with stretch-runner Who’s the Star ($29.50) scoring over 36-1 bomb Collective Force.

With Emma-Jayne Wilson aboard, Who’s the Star bided his time in a trailing 11th about 15 lengths off the lead going down the backstretch in the about 1 1/4-mile turf event.

A wide Town Cruise dueled for the lead with Like the King along the backstretch, and then assumed command on the far turn before Like the King came back to take the lead in the stretch.

Meanwhile, Who’s the Star still trailed on the far turn while continuing to save ground. He mounted a furious wide rally in the stretch to prevail by a half-length without Wilson carrying a whip, in a hand-timed clocking of 1:59.77.

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Who’s the Star was exiting a victory in a 1 1/4-mile allowance-optional claimer in his local debut under Rafael Hernandez, who opted to ride third-place finisher Like the King. Both are trained by Mark Casse.

“He seemed to be quite settled where we were,” Wilson said. “I’d never sat on him before, and I didn’t want to build him up too much and get going too soon. When I switched him out at the top of the lane, he was going to have a clear run and just mow them down if he could.”

Keyflower, the lone filly in the lineup and another Casse trainee, finished fourth. She was followed by Mighty Heart, Sir Sahib, favored British Royalty, Town Cruise, Cibolian, Frosted Over, and Primo Touch.

A son gelded son of Tonalist, Who’s the Star earned $60,000 for M Racing Group.