Woodbine: Leigh Court gets first stakes win in Duchess

ETOBICOKE, Ontario – Leigh Court, coming off a second-place finish in the 6 1/2-furlong prep for the Duchess Stakes, became a stakes winner in the main event here Sunday.

Under a heads-up ride by Gary Boulanger, Leigh Court assumed command on the far turn and cut out moderate fractions en route to a 5 1/2-length victory in the $125,750 Duchess, an open, seven-furlong race for 3-year-old fillies.

“She’s always been very fast and forward,” Boulanger said. “The big thing with her was getting her to relax and stay settled and not to be too aggressive. She didn’t break super-great, but I sat pretty quiet on her, and she loped to the lead.”

Captivating Dancer trailed early but closed well to finish second in the field of six, with Sky Treasure, the 3-5 favorite, another length back in third after experiencing traffic problems. Goldstryke Glory finished fourth after chasing Leigh Court to midstretch, with Thats Our Princess and Nadurra completing the order of finish. The final time was 1:22.95.

Leigh Court returned $9.10 and keyed an $80.20 exacta with the 10-1 Captivating Dancer. Sky Treasure rounded out a $178.40 trifecta.