Woodbine: Delegation gets 110 Beyer for Dominion Day romp

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Delegation, a 4-year-old gelding owned by Gary Barber and trained by Mark Casse, was an overpowering winner of Monday’s Grade 3 Dominion Day Stakes.

Delegation set a track record of 2:01.51 in the 1 1/4-mile Dominion Day, bettering the old mark of 2:01.99 established by Strait of Dover in last year’s Queen’s Plate.

His Beyer Speed Figure clocked in at 110, the highest for a two-turn race since the Polytrack surface was introduced in summer 2006.

“I think it might have been one of the most amazing performances of any horse I’ve ever had,” Casse said the morning after watching Delegation lead throughout and draw off through the stretch to score by 9 1/4 lengths under Luis Contreras.

“It was breathtaking to me to go a mile and a quarter, especially, and finish the way he did. When you look at it, they weren’t walking, and I don’t think the track was extremely fast.”

Delegation was clocked in 23.90 for his last quarter-mile after leading throughout fractions of 24.51, 48.63, 1:13.34, and 1:37.61.

Casse will be consulting with Barber, who lives in California, and sees Del Mar’s Pacific Classic on Aug. 25 as a long-term target.

The Pacific Classic, also at 1 1/4 miles on Polytrack, offers Grade 1 status and a purse of $1 million.

“The good news is he was super this morning,” Casse said Tuesday. “He’s an amazing horse. He has just the most beautiful stride when he gets into it.”