Silent Poet winning the 2021 Grade 1 Highlander Stakes at Woodbine. (Michael Burns Photo)
The Grade 3 $150,000 Jacques Cartier Stakes is the feature race on Sunday’s 10-race card at Woodbine.
A six-furlong main track event for four-year-olds and upwards, the Jacques Cartier has attracted a field of 10, including four Ontario Bred horses. The quartet is headlined by multiple graded stakes winner Silent Poet, son of Ontario's leading sire in 2021, Silent Name (JPN).
Trained by Nicholas Gonzalez, Silent Poet, arrives at his latest engagement off a second-place finish in the 5 ½-furlong main track Thorncliffe Stakes on April 17.
It was the first start of the campaign for the Stronach Stables’ homebred, who brings a record of 11-5-2 from 23 starts into the Jacques Cartier.
“He came out of that race really well,” said Gonzalez. “We were all happy with it. You have to give a lot of credit to the horse [Arzak, also into run in the Jacques Cartier] that beat us, but ‘Poet’ ran really well after having such a long time off and galloped out well too. The best part of the race is that he came out of it super. Justin [jockey, Stein] came over last Sunday and we gave him a nice little breeze. We’re looking forward to this race.”
Last year, Silent Poet raced only three times, but capped off his campaign in stellar fashion, winning the Grade 1 Highlander, contested at six panels on the E.P. Taylor Turf Course, marking the fourth graded crown for the Ontario-bred, and the first for Gonzalez.
Red River Rebel, son of Reload is making his second career graded stakes start. He won the Lake Erie Stakes at Fort Erie in 2021, and was placed in the Queenston Stakes at Woodbine, both black type.
Secret Reserve wins the Lake Superior Stakes (Michael Burns Photo)
Secret Reserve (Giant Gizmo) is the third Ontairo Sired horse in the field. In 2021 the four-year-old gelding won two black type stakes, and was runner up in another. Out of the Smart Strike mare Smart Suzie, he is making the first graded stakes start of his career, and will look to add a graded stakes win to his 4-1-0 career resume from 7 starts.
Rounding out the Ontario content is Grade 1 winner, Gretzky the Great, one of the most accomplished horses in the field. A Sovereign Award winner for Champion Two-Year-Old in 2020, the son of Nyquist has a career record of 4-1-1, from 10 starts including a win in the Gr. 1 Summer Stakes that earned him a spot in the 2020 Breeders Cup Juvenile Turf where he finished sixth.
In 2021 the bay colt won the Greenwood Stakes pres. by Stella Artois at Woodbine and was placed in the John Battaglia Memorial (Black Type) at Turfway Park.
With files from Woodbine Communications
FIELD FOR THE JACQUES CARTIER
Post – Horse – Jockey – Trainer
1 – White Flag – Emma-Jayne Wilson – Roger Attfield
2 – Secret Reserve – Leo Salles – Michael Mattine
3 – Gretzky the Great – Antonio Gallardo – Mark Casse
4 – Striker – Luis Contreras – Josie Carroll
5 – Tap It to Win – Rafael Hernandez – Mark Casse
6 – Arzak – Kazushi Kimura – Michael Trombetta
7 – Silent Poet – Justin Stein – Nicholas Gonzalez
8 – Red River Rebel – Gary Boulanger – Kevin Attard
9 – Lenny K – Gary Boulanger – Kevin Attard
10 – Souper Stonehenge – Patrick Husbands – Mark Casse
For additional Jacques Cartier Stakes Information click here.
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