Woodbine: London Tower holds on in Eternal Search

ETOBICOKE, Ontario — The imposing London Tower outran a game Galina Point in the stretch to take the $125,400 Eternal Search Stakes on Wednesday night at Woodbine.

London Tower broke alertly before assuming a five-wide stalking position under Gary Boulanger. She made a three-wide bid to the lead at the five-sixteenth pole en route to a neck score in 1:44.41 for the mile and a sixteenth.

Galina Point was squeezed back to last at the break. After trailing on the backstretch, she closed strongly on the outside from well off fast fractions to vie for the lead in the stretch, only to come up a bit short. Miss Sea rallied down the center of the track for third in the nine-horse field of Ontario-sired 3-year-old fillies.

London Tower ($4) collected $75,000 for owner-trainer Steve Owens, who was winning the Eternal Search for the second time. Owens supplemented her to the race, instead of waiting for the $250,000 Wonder Where on Aug. 9.

“This race was strictly for confidence,” Owens said. “I know she’s as good as a lot of 3-year-old fillies on the grounds, and tonight she proved it. She’s a hard tier. She fights every step of the way. I had some little gate issues with her, but she broke well tonight.”