Woodbine: Hunters Bay pulls away in Eclipse Stakes

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Favored Hunters Bay trounced a solid group of older horses Saturday at Woodbine in the Grade 3, $156,300 Eclipse Stakes.

Emma Wilson rated Hunters Bay just off a trio of front-runners in the 1 1/16-mile route and then made a three-wide bid on the far turn. Hunters Bay went by Chicago shipper Mister Marti Gras early in the stretch, before drawing off for a three-length score in 1:42.63, which was just .41 of a second off the Polytrack record.

Hothersal helped set the slow fractions before tiring to third, and Queen’splatekitten was a prominent fourth in the 11-horse field.

“I didn’t know how the race was going to pan out,” Wilson said. “I just figured that I’d break and see where we settled into the first turn. I got lucky with three in front of me, just the perfect garden trip. When I asked him to go, he responded well.”

Hunters Bay ($4.90) banked $90,000 in his first stakes triumph for Stronach Stable and trainer Reade Baker.