Thrilling finish in inaugural Upper Canada Cup

The inaugural $480,000(C) Upper Canada Cup resulted in a thrilling finish when Millionaire Cam stepped offstride at the wire handing the victory to the 20-1 longshot Stonebridge Terror.

Post time favourite Oscar Oscar (Mark MacDonald) fired off the gate and landed on top before the first quarter in :26.3. As he approached the half in :55.4, Primary Purpose (Brad Forward) moved first-over and advanced steadily en route to three-quarters in 1:24.1.

Meanwhile, Stonebridge Terror and driver Mike Saftic, who sat at the back of the pack for most of the mile, moved to the outside and was positioned fourth-over in eighth.

As the field turned for home, Primary Purpose reached up for the lead, but the backfield was gearing up and angling wide. Millionaire Cam (Jody Jamieson) tipped off second-over cover and managed to nose out his rivals, who spread across the wire, but an unfortunate miscue placed him back to seventh.

Stonebridge Terror, who had come flying home in :27.2, inherited the win in a career-best clocking of 1:52.4. Waffles And Cream (Jim Morrill Jr.) was placed second from third and Primary Purpose was bumped up to third place after finishing fourth.

“(Turning for home) there was just a wall of horses,” said Saftic following the race. “I tipped five wide coming off that turn. I just drove him to the wire and there was a blanket of horses. It was a good horse race.”

“At the three-quarter pole I didn’t think we had much of a chance,” admitted owner and trainer Jack Darling. “They came flying down the lane and it was pretty exciting.

“That’s too bad,” said Darling in regards to Millionaire Cam’s break, “but everything happened so fast at the end there I just didn’t know if (Stonebridge Terror) had finished first, second or third.

“I thought he would race good. I thought he raced phenomenal last week in his first start being first-over like that so I thought he’d race good, but out of the eight-hole I really didn’t think there was that much of a chance of winning.”

“He is eligible to the North America Cup,” added Darling. “He was just kind of borderline, but I kept him eligible. Now after tonight, I think he’ll be there, but we got the Sires Stakes next week and then after the North America Cup its Sires Stakes.”

The 3-year-old son of Western Terror scored his first win of the season and third in his career bringing his total bankroll to $366,010. (SC)

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