Canada: Awesome Road is favored in Manitoba Derby

Awesome Road has bounced between barns since he was moved in a private sale this spring. Now he has landed in Canada as the morning-line favorite Monday night for the 76th Manitoba Derby, a US$90,150 race that is the annual highlight of the Assiniboia Downs racing season.

The 1 1/8-mile dirt test for nine 3-year-olds is scheduled as the seventh of eight races at the Winnipeg track. The post time is Monday at 11:05 p.m. EDT.

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A debut winner last summer at Ellis Park, Awesome Road (7-5) has not scored in six races since. After failing to hit the board in three 2023-24 Kentucky Derby points preps, his best finish this year was a third in the slop of an Oaklawn allowance in May. That was his last race for trainer Brad Cox.

The $600,000 Quality Road colt then was sold by the Albaugh family and Donegal Racing to a group led by Arnold Bennewith and the Wiest family. Awesome Road raced once for Robertino Diodoro, finishing a distant fifth May 27 in the Texas Derby, before being transferred for Monday’s race to Canada-based trainer Rick Wise.

Antonio Whitehall, who ranks second with 25 wins this season at Assiniboia Downs, will ride Awesome Road from post 8 in the field of two colts and seven geldings.

Bricklayer (5-2), an Always Dreaming colt, won his last two races just 17 days apart at Churchill Downs in a maiden breaker and then at Canterbury Park, both since he was claimed for $30,000 by owner-trainer Ben Colebrook. Bricklayer won once for Colebrook before he was sold privately to current owner Larry Gorneau Jr., who will become the colt’s fourth trainer in as many races. Luis Fuentes will break with Bricklayer from post 3.

Roussette (9-2), who drew outermost post 9, was claimed for $30,000 by owner Henry Witt Jr. after a maiden-breaking victory for trainer Al Stall Jr. on June 28 at Churchill Downs. Formerly owned by CJ Thoroughbreds, the Blame gelding finished fifth for his new trainer Mark Simms Jr. on July 6 in an allowance race at Ellis Park. Assiniboia’s leading jockey Prayven Badrie, who has had 28 winners this season, will be Roussette’s sixth different rider in eight races.

Last year’s Manitoba Derby was part of the inaugural version of what has been renamed the Western Canadian Derby Series. It was removed this year because of a government anemia quarantine of Assiniboia Downs, leaving only the Aug. 24 Canadian Derby (G3) at Century Mile and the Sept. 14 B.C. Derby (G3) at Hastings.