Nov 17, 2024 (Woodbine) – The Ontario Sired Heritage Series concluded Sunday at Woodbine with War Painter winning the $100,000 Ashbridges Bay Stakes and No More Options taking the $100,000 Lake Ontario Stakes.
Sent off as the 4-1 third choice, War Painter, with Fraser Aebly in the irons, broke well and settled outside in fourth, as Never Silent showed the way early in the seven-horse Ashbridges Bay, reaching the opening quarter in :24.84. Ahead by two lengths through a half in :49.26, Never Silent had company in the turn for home, with Little Teddy, in between horses, Hurricane Clair, along the rail, and a four-wide War Painter all closing in on the leader. Little Teddy struck front in upper stretch, but Hurricane Clair burst through in a bid for the lead, while War Painter, under steady urging, looked to reel in her rivals.
At the wire, War Painter emerged on top courtesy of a gritty head score in a time of 1:44.93.
It was the second lifetime stakes triumph for the daughter of Danish Dynaformer out of the Tale of Ekati mare Morning Tale. Last year, the bay filly took top prize in the Victorian Queen.
“We broke well, we had some pretty good positioning going down the backside and when we hit the head of the lane she was running for me,” said Aebly. “Three jumps before the wire she just grabbed the bit again and took off.”
Trained by Kevin Attard for owner Canuck Racing Club, War Painter is now 3-4-1 from 11 career starts. “We came up with this dream about two years ago,” said Mark Halloran of Canuck Racing Club. “War Painter was one of our first horses. This is really meaningful for the group, there are a whole bunch of us here today, and we’re still growing.”
War Painter broke her maiden in the 2023 Victorian Queen. Bred by Charles Fipke, she was a $30,000 (U.S.) purchase at the 2022 Fasig-Tipton Kentucky Fall Yearling Sale.
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