TORONTO, April 9 - Jockeys Luis Contreras, David Moran, Jesse Campbell and Eurico da Silva, and trainers John Ross and Mike De Paulo got their seasons kicked off right with two wins each on Saturday’s Opening Day card at Woodbine.
De Paulo and da Silva combined to win the featured $143,000 Jacques Cartier Stakes with Passion for Action, a four-year-old Ontario-bred, for owner-breeder Ben Hutzel.
De Paulo also scored with Majestic Slew in the ninth, while Marsantropist, for trainer Kevin Attard, gave da Silva his riding double in the 10th.
The Jacques Cartier, as the rest of the Opening Day card, was run over Tapeta, Woodbine’s newly installed synthetic surface.
Contreras and trainer Tino Attard will be answers to trivia questions as the two combined to take the 2016 opener and first ever Tapeta race at Woodbine with Splashy Gizmo.
Contreras also scored with Lo and Behold in the fourth for trainer Nick Nosowenko.
Moran scored with Pat Daddy, for trainer Mike Doyle, in the second and Gran Bid (trainer Willie Armata) in the sixth for his deuce.
Ultraflame in the fourth gave Campbell and Ross each of their first wins of the season. Campbell also guided Majestic Slew to victory in the ninth, while Ross saddled Our Nat’s (jockey Steven Bahen) to his second win of the day in the seventh.
Jockey Gary Boulanger and trainer Denyse McClachrie combined to get Bite the Gold home in the second.
"So far I love it," said Contreras about the Tapeta surface, after the first. "We only went five furlongs, but there was no kickback.”
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