Woodbine: Dresden Row defeats older rivals in Durham Cup

Dresden Row, the youngest horse in the field, got the better of his older rivals for a 10-1 triumph in Saturday’s Grade 3 US$99,826 Durham Cup at Woodbine.

Multiple graded-stakes winner and 2023 King’s Plate victor Paramount Prince was powered to the front in the early going of the 1 1/16-mile, synthetic-track feature for 3-year-olds and up with Rapid Test shadowing the pacesetter to his outside into the opening turn.

Click here for Woodbine entries and results.

Paramount Prince, whose victories in the Dominion Day (G3) and Seagram Cup (G2) had him on a two-race win streak, held a one-length advantage over Rapid Test through an opening quarter in 23.79 second. Three-year-old Dresden Row, with Ryan Munger in the irons, sat third.

The lead duo continued their tussle after a half-mile in 47.49 seconds, while Munger kept his charge well within striking range in third.

As the field came off the turn for home, it was anyone’s race as Dresden Row, 7-year-old elder statesman Ron’s Gizmo, who was supplemented to the race, and Stanley House confronted the pacesetters.

Midway down the lane, it was Dresden Row and Ron’s Gizmo who set the stage for a stirring finish as they matched strides throughout the final 100 yards. At the wire, Dresden Row emerged victorious by a hard-fought head.

Stanley House finished third followed by Rapid Test and Paramount Prince. The final time was 1:42.04.

It was the first stakes triumph for the son of Lord Nelson and for owners True North Stable and Bloom Racing Stable.

“I planned my race, and the way the race worked out was my best-case scenario, luckily, and it just worked out so perfect,” Munger said. “(Rapid Test) went and challenged Paramount Prince in front, and I just tracked them along the whole way. At the three-eighths pole I got him back onto the bridle. I could feel he was traveling good, and I knew he was going to run hard to the line, whatever caught him must be very good. He fought the whole way, and this is the sort of run I was expecting from him. He’s a talented individual.”

Richards had to sweat out a few anxious moments in the paddock.

“He just he reared up in the paddock and pulled the bridle over his head, so he didn’t have a bridle on for a few minutes,” he said. “It was a little bit of a panic there.”

With the win, Dresden Row, bred in Kentucky by TCR Ranch, is now 7: 4-1-2. He paid $22.50 for the win.

Dresden Row, who was hip 315, was a US$70,000 purchase at the 2023 Ocala Breeders’ Sales auction of 2-year-olds in training.