Starship Jubilee upsets Brown duo in Woodbine's Canadian Stakes
It was an
upset in Woodbine’s Grade 2, $250,000 Canadian
Stakes Saturday, with Starship Jubilee
running down the Chad Brown duo and performing to her 2017 Sovereign Award
honors.
A 5-year-old Florida-bred daughter of Indy Wind, Starship Jubilee won the Grade
2 Nassau and Grade 2 Dance Smartly stakes last year, earning herself the Canadian
Champion Female Turf title.
Starship Jubilee opened up this season by winning the Sunshine Millions Filly and Mare Turf at Gulfstream Park. She returned to Woodbine and regressed in her next three starts before returning a winner in a starter optional claiming race.
“I made a few mistakes with her early this year,” said trainer Kevin Attard. “We sent her home for a break and she just didn’t swing back after that vacation. We needed a confidence builder in her and we found one for her and she was pretty authoritative that day. She came into this race, and she worked lights out last week, and I just had a good feeling that if we had a good trip she’d come running down the lane.”
Ridden by
Luis Contreras, Starship Jubilee waited at the back of the field while Daring
Duchess took the lead over Breeders’ Cup champion New Money Honey. Inflexibility
was close behind.
As Daring Duchess faded, New Money Honey continued to fight in the homestretch and
Inflexibility remained in her stablemate’s shadow. The two Brown fillies dug in
but could not fend off a rally from Starship Jubilee. Contreras guided his
mount to the outside and ate up the ground, snatching the victory at 11-1.
“I was waiting. I got a perfect trip,” Contreras said. “She helped me a lot. When I got her to relax, she was nice and calm early. Once I hit the three-eighths, I saw my room and I went through, and she gave me everything from there.”
New Money Honey, Inflexibility, Bletchley, Hallie Belle and Daring Duchess completed the order of finish.
Starship Jubilee is owned by Attard and Soli Mehta. The final time for about 1 1/8 miles over the E.P Taylor Turf Course was 1:42.91.