Woodbine: Calgary Cat wins battle of champions

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — In a matchup between Canadian champion male sprinters, Calgary Cat mowed down Essence Hit Man in the stretch to capture the $107,400 Ontario Jockey Club Stakes on Wednesday night at Woodbine.

Calgary Cat raced wide in fourth on the backstretch under Eurico Da Silva, as Essence Hit Man set slow fractions in the six-furlong dash. Calgary Cat commenced his bid early in the stretch, and then made the lead near the sixteenth pole before drawing clear to score by two and three-quarter lengths, in 1:09.50.

Two-time champion sprinter Essence Hit Man, who was making his first start in nearly two years, held on for second by a nose over a wide-closing Sorry About That. Speightsong was another neck back in fourth in the six-horse field.

Kevin Attard-trained Calgary Cat, last year’s champion sprinter, banked $60,000 for owners Cory Hoffman and Stephen Chesney.

“I was a little bit close, because the pace was not too hot,” Da Silva said. “He was just very comfortable where he was. When I asked him, he started giving his best, and finished very strong.”